From nobody@digitalkingdom.org Sun Sep 25 15:45:11 2005 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list lojban-beginners); Sun, 25 Sep 2005 15:45:11 -0700 (PDT) Received: from nobody by chain.digitalkingdom.org with local (Exim 4.52) id 1EJfF9-0000wx-6k for lojban-beginners-real@lojban.org; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 15:45:11 -0700 Received: from thor.idns5.com ([66.246.72.94]) by chain.digitalkingdom.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.52) id 1EJfEx-0000wT-5B for lojban-beginners@chain.digitalkingdom.org; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 15:45:11 -0700 Received: from [69.216.116.199] (port=4250 helo=[192.168.1.100]) by thor.idns5.com with esmtpa (Exim 4.52) id 1EJfEb-000090-Eq for lojban-beginners@chain.digitalkingdom.org; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 23:44:37 +0100 Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 18:44:46 -0400 From: Bruce Webber To: lojban-beginners@chain.digitalkingdom.org Subject: [lojban-beginners] Re: gendered and gender-neutral language Message-ID: <5154DD1DAAB9EE87834A9317@[192.168.1.100]> In-Reply-To: References: <43336307.8020301@handgranat.org> <4333866A.1080803@handgranat.org> <2d3df92a050923080645081cb@mail.gmail.com> <433552C1.4050003@handgranat.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - thor.idns5.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - chain.digitalkingdom.org X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - fastmail.us X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: X-Spam-Score: -2.6 (--) X-archive-position: 2330 X-Approved-By: brucewebber@fastmail.us X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: lojban-beginners-bounce@chain.digitalkingdom.org Errors-to: lojban-beginners-bounce@chain.digitalkingdom.org X-original-sender: brucewebber@fastmail.us Precedence: bulk Reply-to: lojban-beginners@chain.digitalkingdom.org X-list: lojban-beginners --On Sunday, September 25, 2005 6:18 PM -0400 Christopher Zervic wrote: > Has common sense completely checked out? > > Believe it or not in some cultures the mother and father assume different > roles. Mothers typically are more domestic because they have less physical > strength and hence are less equipped for taxing physical tasks. Note too > that fathers can't breast feed. This division is universal enough to > overcome political correctness. Who honestly is offended? While not entirely relevant, I am reminded of one of my favorite parts of Monty Python's "Life of Brian", in which the characters discuss a man's right to bear children: ----- FRANCIS: Why are you always on about women, Stan? STAN: I want to be one. REG: What? STAN: I want to be a woman. From now on, I want you all to call me 'Loretta'. REG: What?! LORETTA: It's my right as a man. JUDITH: Well, why do you want to be Loretta, Stan? LORETTA: I want to have babies. REG: You want to have babies?! LORETTA: It's every man's right to have babies if he wants them. REG: But... you can't have babies. LORETTA: Don't you oppress me. REG: I'm not oppressing you, Stan. You haven't got a womb! -- Where's the fetus going to gestate?! You going to keep it in a box?! LORETTA: [crying] JUDITH: Here! I-- I've got an idea. Suppose you agree that he can't actually have babies, not having a womb, which is nobody's fault, not even the Romans', but that he can have the right to have babies. FRANCIS: Good idea, Judith. We shall fight the oppressors for your right to have babies, brother. Sister. Sorry. REG: What's the point? FRANCIS: What? REG: What's the point of fighting for his right to have babies when he can't have babies?! FRANCIS: It is symbolic of our struggle against oppression. REG: Symbolic of his struggle against reality. -- Bruce Webber brucewebber@fastmail.us http://brucewebber.us