Try As They May, Companies Just Can't Win In Their Pushes To Please The "Woke"
At the WashEx, Debra Soh explains the problem with "the growing trend of declaring one's gender pronouns at work":
Indeed, the practice has become ubiquitous, with pronouns popping up in the least expected of places, from email signatures and social media bios to professional name tags and video conferencing calls.Corporations have rolled out these initiatives as a way to show support for transgender colleagues and those who identify as nonbinary, but these policies are, in many ways, counterproductive.
Transgender people identify as the opposite of their biological sex (for example, someone who was born female and identifies as male). Nonbinary people identify as a third gender, either male and female or neither, and typically use pronouns such as "they/them," a mix such as "she/they," or nonsensical creations such as "xe/xem."
For transgender people, who constitute 0.6% of the U.S. adult population, having to state their pronouns explicitly can be offensive because it implies their gender isn't obvious and, to some extent, that their transition to the opposite sex wasn't successful.
Can. Not. Win.
Debra continues...
At best, announcing one's pronouns to the world may stem from a genuine desire to bring awareness to the cause. At worst, it is no different from other social justice fads, such as posting a black square during the George Floyd protests or using popular hashtags.As a journalist, I frequently receive messages from readers who question the utility of these pronoun initiatives but fear disciplinary action from their employer if they vocalize their concerns.
If you are skeptical, resist the pressure to follow everyone else. By leaving your email signature free of pronouns, you'll attract the attention and respect of those who are similarly minded.
An employer's threats of reprisal in the name of diversity and inclusion bear little resemblance to requests made by everyday transgender people in the name of equality. If disclosing pronouns in the workplace is mandatory and you disagree to the extent that this is the hill you'll die on, be prepared for an uphill battle that is entirely worthwhile and, most importantly, seek social support.
That's because "woke" isn't about fixing societal problems, fairness, or any of the things it claims to be about. It's about claiming moral superiority. "Woke" is a religion, and a fanatical one at that.
Conan the Grammarian at September 21, 2021 5:36 AM
Nothing the woke do has anything to do with helping those the "represent", only Marxist activists bent on tearing down the system.
That's why Democrat cities are horrible and getting worse.
The 'Redskin" name was changes even though Naive Americans took it as a compliment.
Latinx is considered a racial slur by many in the Hispanic community.
Joe J at September 21, 2021 8:17 AM
The pronoun thing is impossible to comply with. In any large organization one encounters hundreds of people. One is lucky to remember their names. It is not possible to keep track of pronouns, especially when there are non-standard ones and they are allowed to change daily/hourly. Are we supposed to be psychic now?
It gets worse. When you introduce two people, you say "meet Mr. Smith", you don't say "meet they smith". Pronouns are for referring to someone in the third person, usually when not present. You can say "Mr smith", "Ms smith" or "smith"--there are no special titles of address. It is simply bullying to insist on special treatment. It is extra bullying to insist we call someone who looks female by a male title or pronoun (or visa versa).
cc at September 21, 2021 9:24 AM
There is a pronoun substitute that will accomodate everyone, deluded or not, about their gender and relative worth:
Comrade.
The preferred salutation of many leftists.
See how easily the solution arrives with me?
Radwaste at September 21, 2021 10:29 AM
The big problem with pronoun complaints and the view that produces them is that it puts normal people in a catch-22 situation.
Suppose I am just meeting you -- at the office for example, and that you are one of those who expects others to use unique or un-obvious pronouns to refer to you. If the situation is one-on-one, you can begin by introducing yourself with pronouns, or I can begin by asking about them. But most of the time the meeting will not be one-on-one or I'll be thinking about more important things, so I won't get told.
Then later, I refer to you. At that point I must either guess your pronoun from your grooming or mode of dress, the way normal people do, and you will snap at me for "assuming your gender"; or I'll evade the issue by wording my remark in a way that avoids using any pronoun at all.
It seems to me that it is your attitude that has created this problem at all. People should either dress and behave such that the sex others will naturally assume is accurate; or they should accept responsibility for, and live with, the fact that the rest of us are going to guess wrong.
And if this becomes any more of a source of disagreement than it is now, I can always just use "he/him" for everybody and make public the fact that I refuse to take responsibility for knowing the sex of persons who choose to make it impossible for me to determine by looking.
jdgalt1 at September 21, 2021 10:51 AM
And if this becomes any more of a source of disagreement than it is now, I can always just use "he/him" for everybody and make public the fact that I refuse to take responsibility for knowing the sex of persons who choose to make it impossible for me to determine by looking.
jdgalt1 at September 21, 2021 10:51 AM
One of my most embarrassing moments occurred when I was a student teacher at a large high school in Oklahoma. One student in class, very feminine with an ambiguous name was absent one day. I asked where she was, and the entire class looked at me in horror until one of the students blurted out that this student was a boy.
Pronouns might have helped, but…. The student seemed pleased that he was passing as the sex he most resembled.
Isab at September 21, 2021 10:59 AM
At some point it became obvious we're just being fucked with.
NicoleK at September 21, 2021 11:17 AM
The other day at the gym there was a rather shapeless plump person lifting weights. Sort of brownish skin with fairly short hair as some black women do. I would have guessed male except I had seen her come out of the women's restroom. There was no way I could have guessed right.
cc at September 21, 2021 12:41 PM
"My name is Lee, and my pronouns are -- "
(delivered in a warm, reassuring manner) "Lee, we're not going to get to know each other that well. Anyway ... "
Kevin at September 21, 2021 6:28 PM
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