ST Alpha - "I need ST thoughts on a societal issue change....." (Reading a Post)

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I need ST thoughts on a societal issue change.....

Posted by Walt_Disney (aka Walt_Disney) Mar 31 '21, 10:07

Princes Disney got her report card today. All references to gender have been removed. So an example of a sentence is "They are reading at an above grade level" So when they do not use the childs name they now use "They" as the pronoun.

I do understand all the reasons for it but so many sentences are almost unreadable from a grammar basis and it makes me cringe. In the grand scheme of life it should be a non issue but Princess Disney has always referred to herself as a girl and the fact that her report card removes that makes me something.

Thoughts :)

Responses:

All of our report cards are "they". It just cuts out any issue. -- nm - Reagen Mar 31, 10:29
I appreciate everyone's thoughts and input on this. Thank you :) -- nm - Walt_Disney Mar 31, 10:27 1
- My 2¢: it's a simple thing, we're just not used to it. - JaxSean Mar 31, 10:54
They has been used as a singular for centuries. Grammar "rules" saying it can't be are trash. - TWuG Mar 31, 10:24 1
- It's third person which is usually what trips people up, not the singular nature -- nm - oblique Mar 31, 10:30
I'll allow it. -- nm - Mop Mar 31, 10:19
Can you give an example of where ‘they’ doesn’t work? -- nm - IAmQale Mar 31, 10:18
I’ll give them credit for making an effort at least. - znufrii Mar 31, 10:13 3
- Gave it some thought and here’s what I came up with so far, and I’m okay with it. - znufrii Mar 31, 10:23 1
  - That having been said, the solution suggested below to use “student” instead seems a much more elegant one. -- nm* - znufrii Mar 31, 10:24
- yup -- nm - stim-mie Mar 31, 10:14
That wording takes some getting used to for us olds, but I presume we'll adjust with time. Language is every-adapting. - ty97 Mar 31, 10:13 7
- I hate it. They to me is plural. Added: or ambiguously defined noun. -- nm* - Will Hunting Mar 31, 10:24 4
  - Somebody left the lights on their car? Can you let them know that they should turn them off. -- nm - oblique Mar 31, 10:29 3
    - That's their problem. -- nm - Reagen Mar 31, 10:40
    - That’s a pronoun of ambiguity. If Elliot Page walks in, he isn’t a ‘they’. He’s a he. If I don’t know who walked in, they are a they. - Will Hunting Mar 31, 10:37 1
      - Except that "He" and "She" are assumptions based on what? physical characteristics? That assumes a binary state which has been proven false -- (edited) - oblique Mar 31, 10:39
- I would just use "student" instead of they. -- nm - amanda jeans Mar 31, 10:19 1
  - Yep -- nm - Will Hunting Mar 31, 10:20
Best guess is to make it easier to mass print the report cards. -- nm - Shaun Mar 31, 10:09 3
- That’s my guess but it’s done poorly. Replace the pronoun with Student. -- nm - Tucker Carlson Mar 31, 10:18 2
  - Wordy, and we have character limits. -- nm - Reagen Mar 31, 10:39
  - Sounds about right. -- nm - Shaun Mar 31, 10:20
Maybe it's because I'm old - but it seems to me that the political correctness - especially on this topic - is a bit out of control. nm - Dean Winchester Mar 31, 10:09 33
- It’s such a simple thing to do that helps so much to the target audience. We can do this. -- nm - IAmQale Mar 31, 10:20 1
  - This. -- nm - Marlowe Mar 31, 10:49
- I think we're just olds. And we don't have a transgender member here (AFAIK) -- nm - ty97 Mar 31, 10:19 1
  - No, but as noted, this is an issue close to home to many of us (myself included) -- nm - oblique Mar 31, 10:42
- It will get out of control and people won't be getting hurt -- nm - zeitgeist Mar 31, 10:17
- It's a VERY important issue for Gen Z. One of my sister's children is a They. - Dark Callisto Mar 31, 10:16 24
  - It’s super challenging for someone in the service industry to knock off the sir and ma’am. -- nm - IAmQale Mar 31, 10:27
  - sub (ish) poll: do you have your pronouns in your email sig? I do not, but I'm thinking of doing so. -- nm - amanda jeans Mar 31, 10:24 7
    - I do not. I'm seeing it semi-frequently from tech companies but we're still a "traditional" industry (construction) so not something that's happening - oblique Mar 31, 10:45
    - I don’t have them on Twitter my only social profile. But that’s mostly because I use that spot for jokes or quotes. -- nm - IAmQale Mar 31, 10:28
    - We have a required template to follow... so no. Not yet. -- nm - Strongbad Mar 31, 10:28
    - no; but I can see it coming for my company and for the wife's -- nm - Beaker Mar 31, 10:26 1
      - we aren't required. I just feel like if everyone does it, it normalizes it. -- nm - amanda jeans Mar 31, 10:27
    - I don't. I have a Willie Wonka quote in my sig. nm -- nm - Dean Winchester Mar 31, 10:25 1
      - "The suspense is terrible! I hope it'll last." -- nm - Baron on the Cairn Mar 31, 10:28
  - I guess. And especially if someone has specified their preference. But in a case like this - I still think it's a bit much. nm - Dean Winchester Mar 31, 10:23 6
    - I don't think there's anyone out there who's punishing "not knowing" or an initial assumption, but if you're informed you should use the preferred. -- nm - Reagen Mar 31, 10:42 1
      - *nods* -- nm - oblique Mar 31, 10:44
    - (Specified *their* preference, not specified *his or her* preference. Hee.) -- nm - con_carne Mar 31, 10:27 1
      - See? I'm woke. nm - Dean Winchester Mar 31, 10:30
    - Y ever think of putting some bass in your voice? -- nm - Will Hunting Mar 31, 10:25 1
      - clearly I need to. lol -- nm - Dean Winchester Mar 31, 10:26
  - I agree with this, but I still find "they" awkward because of its historical plural meaning. It makes reading and speaking awkward and often leads to - pmb Mar 31, 10:23 4
    - There were some attempts at making new pronouns: Ze, Zir, Zem. But they didn’t really go anywhere. -- nm - IAmQale Mar 31, 10:30 2
      - Hadn't heard that and funny that I was just trying to come up with an alternative and almost picked exactly that. I think it could catch on at this - pmb Mar 31, 10:34
      - In the last book I read, the X versions of the same were used for one supporting character. It threw me every time. -- nm - Baron on the Cairn Mar 31, 10:34
    - Also this. -- nm - Dean Winchester Mar 31, 10:24
  - yup see my post below. It doesn't bother me at all. If it helps a kids or grown-up be who they are why the Hell do I care what they want to be called. -- nm - Beaker Mar 31, 10:22
  - Right on -- nm - prayformojo Mar 31, 10:18
  - I agree, but I also think we need to improve our grammer to make this better. -- nm - tRuMAN Mar 31, 10:17
- I think I agree. -- nm - tRuMAN Mar 31, 10:16
- I agree - decline Mar 31, 10:14
- I agree. But my girls will fight over this at the drop of a hat with anyone. They are inclusive to an nth degree -- (edited) - Beaker Mar 31, 10:10

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I need ST thoughts on a societal issue change.....

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