Neutral grain spirit

President. This fight for equality can even be seen in the way we speak and write. Cyra McFadden, the author of “In Defense of Gender”, writes about how the English language is increasingly becoming gender neutral in an attempt to be sexually unbiased toward women. However, the overuse of gender neutral terms is quite comical. To write and speak an already complicated language in a consistently unbiased way is, if not impossible, futile. Neither side of this debate wins and can ultimately…

Gender-biased vs. gender-neutral education Gender roles remain strong in education, as children are often treated and taught differently depending on their biological gender. Not only does this promote the gender gap and stereotypical gender roles, but it also tends to exclude those who do not identify as their assigned or any gender. Lately, these issues have been recognized and addressed and alternatives are being thought of. Some small steps towards gender-neutrality have also been taken.…

gender stereotypes. Analyzing the way advertising of Lego toys changed from 1980s to modern day, it is possible to trace the path of stereotyping in regards to gender. The audience can see how Lego advertisements have regressed from using gender-neutral marketing to gender-specific marketing through the use of gender-specific activities and colors. The Lego ads from the 1980s subvert the idea of cultural gender roles whereas the Lego commercials from modern day reinforce the gender roles that…

was about three years into high school, a thought lingered around; who am I? It started when Rebecca (Randy) came into one’s life. They were born biologically a female yet identifies as gender fluid, thus having two names and having to use gender-neutral pronouns (they/them). Gender fluid is “referring to a gender identity that changes with time and/or situation as opposed to a fixed sex-role or gender queer expression.” (Winter, Claire R. 2010) In other words, being a gender fluid individual…

public as a transgender, these victims are stopped and further harassed for no particular purpose other than the satisfaction of the offender. Public schools should offer gender neutral bathrooms to make every student feel equal and the staff feel confident that no one in…

American Standard English should adopt they as a third person epicene pronoun, also coined a gender neutral, gender-fair, or common-gender pronoun (Adami 281, Baranoski 379). Generic he has persisted since the 1850 Act of Parliament that declared it so, but is he truly generic (Zuber and Reed 519)? The use of he is sexist, excluding females and people who do not fall neatly within the male-female gender binary (Strahan 17). English also lacks a third person pronoun for instances when a person’s…

The supervisor would say “Each staff must check that he/she turns in his/her absence request form two week before the day of absence”. Here “She/he, his/her, and he/she are awkward and diminish readability. One way to avoid this is to use neutral expressions in place of the possessive form.” ("Language Matters: The Importance of Sensitivity in Writing – Part 1 | Edanz Editing", 2016). Therefore, the supervisor should have said “All staff should turn in the absence request form two weeks in…

women demand equal rights in the workplace and are even running for President. This fight for equality is even in the way people speak and write. The English language is increasingly becoming gender neutral in an attempt to be sexually unbiased toward women. However, the overuse of gender neutral terms is quite comical. To write or speak an already complicated language in a consistent and unbiased way is, if not impossible, futile. Neither side of this debate wins and can ultimately lead to…

"In Defense of Gender", written by Cyra McFadden describes—in a satirical fashion—the nonsensical, all too often ubiquitous neutering of the English language across the country, both spoken and written. McFadden brings to light the issues that arise, as oppose to lessen, when gender-specific components are removed. I found myself in agreement with the author on many, if not all, of the points addressed within the article. To disassemble the English language—both written and spoken—and then…

In his satirical folk song “Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues”, Todd Snider said the alternative to alternative was a band that wasn’t even together. However, with the internet becoming such a creative force, the alternative to alternative has become more than a joke. With the advent of the internet, new genres are birthed and begin to gain popularity daily, most without any trace of a record label to their names. The term “Indie used to mean without a record deal, all by themselves”, but was…