Re: Language, invisibility, and dangly bits
Rich Molini (richmo@indy.net)
Wed, 15 Apr 1998 17:27:44 +0000
Linda Littrell wrote:
>
> Hello Sannet Folks;
>
> Yes, it is so valuable to ponder this issue of gender and language--
> and try to uncover the sources, conscious and unconscious, of why it
> carries so much energy. So Rich, if it bothers you, hit the ol'
> delete key, but know, when you do, that you cannot simply disregard
> the import that many women feel about this issue.
>
> I want to support Michele and her wonderful diatribe...not
> that I felt it was abusive, but that as an emotional-intellectual
> menage, not all warrants were well supported... I believe, and I'll
> bet, so does MG-S that we need to keep trying to communicate across
> the gender divide. Her concerns are deeply felt, and to me one of the
> most important is "you may not think this important, but it is," so,
> like, get used to it. And realize, Dan and Rich, that the passion and
> anger with which you react demonstrates the depth of your own fears.
>
> Dan wrote:
>
> < People who harbour feelings of inadequacy and inferiority often show
> this by demanding recognition (in some cases by attempting to change
> the entire language) or by lashing out at, and attacking <anyone who
> disagrees.
>
> I could say the same thing about "people" who fear discussion about
> issues that make them uncomfortable.
>
> If I am labeled some "screaming women's libber" for having these
> concerns, then the divide widens.
>
> So Michele, thank you for your passionate words, and let us all try to
> keep channels open, cause "if we don't hang together, we shall surely
> all be hung separately." (paraphrase B. Franklin)
>
> Linda Littrell
> St. Paul
Linda,
Passion and anger? You have to be kidding!( neutral) Sounds to me as if
you're the grumpy one. This started with the ridiculous ( changing
farmer to something silly) and has continued to the absurd and has
little connection to sustainable ag which as far as I know is gender
neutral. And yes, I have soooo many fears. The most prominent being a
band of chemical toting gender neutrals attacking and taking over my
farm ( or production center) which ever you prefer. My gosh farmershees
and farmerhees both producing food. What will we experience next?
To me, sustainable and organic ag is a food, health, and and
environmental issue ( I'm sure some of you see those as gender biased )
and if we put aside our tangential agendas, we ( being relatively
neutral) can accomplish more than alienating those unfortunate among us
stuck in that terrible caldron of "western think".
Some of whom made silicon messaging possible although unfortunately that
was along with Squadron and Prowl.
IMHO, if you don't obsess over it it will work itself out with less
effort and more acceptance. In other words, naturally. Farmer becomes
genderless, but not overnight because farmer has history ( oops there
is an "h-i-s" in that one).
BTW, Mike T, strawberries and tobacco evolved about 3 billion years
after stromatilites and filamentous algae. But, I understand that is a
mere technicality. Ostensibly, my spirituality also needs plenty of
correcting.
Molini (neutral)
> Linda Littrell
> Applied Economoics
> University of Minnesota
> 612/625-1762
> llittrel@dept.agecon.umn.edu
>
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