sam@phs.UUCP (04/21/84)
----------- >This is a misunderstanding on their (feminists) part showing their >ignorance of the English language. English is my first language. I have spoken English for about 25 years, been able to read English for about 23 years, and been able to write English for about 21 years. I hardly think I am ignorant of the English language, as Ted Becker claims. >Unfortunately, some people (primarily FEMINISTS) have a SEXIST >attitude and automatically assume any use of "man" excludes female humans. (emphasis mine) I fail to understand what is sexist about wanting to remove sex bias from job titles, forms of address, even our precious English language. The analogy Ted Becker draws between words used to distinguish male and female animals and the masculine generic used for humans is a false one in that female animals are not oppressed because they are female. Human beings have evolved far beyond the instinctual "division of labor" between the sexes, yet men consistently compare the situation of the human female to that of females of other species. I AM NOT a duck, a goose, a cow, a mare, a sow, a bitch, nor a chick. I AM a human being, I have the capacity for speech, for language, for reason, for ambition, for desire, for hope. English IS MY LANGUAGE. I am painfully aware of the use of language as a tool of oppression used against women. I will continue to fight sexism in language along with the sexism I face in all other areas of my life. Femiminists, Mr. Decker, are by definition those who fight sexism, not contribute to it. And now for a small flame. How many of the people reading this have ever read any of the following: The Second Sex, by Simone DeBeauvoir The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan Born Female: The High Cost of Keeping Women Down, by Caroline Bird Sisterhood is Powerful, edited by Robin Morgan Our Bodies, Ourselves, by The Boston Women's Health Book Collective. All of these books were published before 1971. That's 13 years ago, folks. In an effort to prevent further devolution of this news group into a course in remedial feminism, I would suggest that those of you who think you are truly interested in women's issues but have never read any of these books to pick up any one or all of them and read it. Then come back and we'll talk about sexism, feminism, and the oppression of women. At least then we'll be starting from the same basic premises. If you get through these and are looking for more, try: Women and Madness, by Phyllis Chesler In a Different Voice, by Carol Gilligan Men, Women, and Rape, by Susan Brownmiller Men and Women Speaking, by Chaeris Krammerae This is by no means a complete list; perhaps other "veteran feminists" out there would like to suggest their favorites.