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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!stolaf!umn-cs!digi-g!anne
From: anne@digi-g.UUCP (Anne Chenette)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Women are not people?!?!?!?
Message-ID: <487@digi-g.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Feb-85 15:05:33 EST
Article-I.D.: digi-g.487
Posted: Tue Feb 12 15:05:33 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Feb-85 01:39:11 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Digigraphic Systems Corp., Mpls, MN
Lines: 27

(* WARNING: WRITER IS ANGRY, SO THE FOLLOWING MAY SEEM NOT UNLIKE A FLAME *)

I was reading through a story in net.jokes today, and choked on the
following sentence:

	His people spent a good 8 hours a day working in
	the fields, and then went home to their wives.  
	
Since when are wives not people????  Why is this attitude so common?
(I remember reading in my Social Studies text books about "the 
pioneers and their wives" - it always made me furious.) I'm shocked 
to see this in 1985 - I had hoped that this sexist manipulation of 
English had died out in the 60's.

This is not merely a linguistic matter - it is insidious, unconscious
sexism.  I don't know the gender of the writer, but I must assume
that it was male.  I don't believe a female would have this attitude
in her subconscience.

What can be done about this terrible, sexist attitude??  This is a 
more blatent version of the he/she issue.  One small consolation is 
that solutions need not violate traditional standards of grammar :-)!

				Arghhhhhhhh!

				Anne Chenette
				ihnp4!umn-cs!digi-g!anne