At the risk of appearing misogynist (which I am not), I take umbrage with the damage misplaced political correctness has done to one aspect of the English language in particular: the ubiquitous "they" and "their" subsitution for "he" and "his."
Thirty years ago the women of the world rose up on their high heels, burned their bras, trashed cosmetics, and demanded equal opportunity and equal everything else. I in fact applauded the idea and still do. But before that time, writers of both sexes had used the masculine when referring to people in general. "Every author should mind his grammar" has become "their grammar," which grates me like nails on a chalkboard.
One solution is the awkward "he/she" alternative. Oh great, we got 'em both. But it makes just as much sense to include "it" so we don't offend gays. (Grab that one, PC posters!) My point is that the result is ludicrous and creates a reading snag. The same goes for mixing "he" and "she" in the same sentence or paragraph, just to make sure we cover our a**es.
This misbegotten fear of offending the female gender is splattered all over the Internet in blogs, web pages, news articles, and (perish, forbid) even this forum. I understand its use but I don't condone it. It's as bad as the proliferation of possessive "it's" in the same venues.
If you think I'm a prig, so be it, I've a tough shell. But why inspire confusion on this issue? Are teachers and professors demanding this sort of nonsense? Or has the English language simply gone to blazes in a bucket?
End of rant, but I'd like your opinion, pro or con, for (a) the reason behind this misuse, (b) whether you care, and (c) what might be done about it if you do.
And no, I'm not writing a dissertation on it.
Thirty years ago the women of the world rose up on their high heels, burned their bras, trashed cosmetics, and demanded equal opportunity and equal everything else. I in fact applauded the idea and still do. But before that time, writers of both sexes had used the masculine when referring to people in general. "Every author should mind his grammar" has become "their grammar," which grates me like nails on a chalkboard.
One solution is the awkward "he/she" alternative. Oh great, we got 'em both. But it makes just as much sense to include "it" so we don't offend gays. (Grab that one, PC posters!) My point is that the result is ludicrous and creates a reading snag. The same goes for mixing "he" and "she" in the same sentence or paragraph, just to make sure we cover our a**es.
This misbegotten fear of offending the female gender is splattered all over the Internet in blogs, web pages, news articles, and (perish, forbid) even this forum. I understand its use but I don't condone it. It's as bad as the proliferation of possessive "it's" in the same venues.
If you think I'm a prig, so be it, I've a tough shell. But why inspire confusion on this issue? Are teachers and professors demanding this sort of nonsense? Or has the English language simply gone to blazes in a bucket?
End of rant, but I'd like your opinion, pro or con, for (a) the reason behind this misuse, (b) whether you care, and (c) what might be done about it if you do.
And no, I'm not writing a dissertation on it.