Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for September 03, 2022

Hard pass

I hope to change my pronouns from male to female as soon as I get presentable.

I’ll pass, at the age of 52 I’m too old to deal with Zoomer trends.

So a pronoun has lost its amateur status?

If someone wants to, or needs to, change their pronoun, it is for them to decide. Not everything is done correctly the first time. People are free to change their names, too. Women have been doing it for centuries when they marry (not always because they had a choice, though).

Every generation has to have their ‘Hair Band’ moments. Hey, I lived through Disco so this too will pass (as will I, I just don’t get it).

I’ve always been pronouns but never trust an adjective.

“Changing pronouns is a thing now, so deal with them.”

Tell me your name and I’ll call you by It otherwise that I don’t care What you want to pretend you are

At the age of 73, I’m beside myself

My pronoun is still “me”.

It irritates the hell out of people who still complain when they see the term “Ms.”

It’s a personal choice whether to show no consideration, and whether or not to be a jerk. As a white hetero male, I don’t have to face the intolerant and hateful people as often, but that doesn’t mean I should join them, or turn a blind eye to them, because such mindsets helped perpetuate the misogynists and racists of generations past.

Being misgendered is not the end of the world either. I get that all the time and I’m CIS gender.

That’s not until next week.

It’s nothing, just “virtue signaling” and the latest fad. Mine are either (Me, Myself, I) or (it, it, its), your choice, and if you forget, I won’t care.

Grand Exalted Glorious Poobah’s pronoun is Grand Exalted Glorious Poobah. Should you use Grand Exalted Glorious Poobah’s preferred pronoun a sufficient number of times, Grand Exalted Glorious Poobah MAY at Grand Exalted Glorious Poobah’s discretion, choose to use your lowly pronoun. However, Grand Exalted Glorious Poobah’s personal pronoun always shows Grand Exalted Glorious Poobah’s greater magnificence over your lowly personal pronoun.

Whatever! I will call you whatever you want me to call you. Doesn’t affect my life

He, she, and it. The rest, I call blobs.

If you are insulted by me not considering your preferred pronouns, bear in mind that I am insulted by you referring to me as Cis…

A while ago some zoomers and others tried to change the terms Latinos and Latinas to Latinx so of course it would not mention the sex of a person which is obviously a no no now that we don’t know who is what but the effort failed…most all of the Hispanics I know thought it was a stupid idea.

So they say

I’m for using whatever properly, especially after prepositions.

A frown under a MAGA hat. But of course. Personally, I don’t get it. Just like I don’t get the resistance to the insistence. When I was growing up, I sometimes heard some older person shrug with the comment, “kids these days.” It usually implied certain doom for the upcoming generation. In my day, it was leaving our shoes untied and failing to tuck in our tee shirts (yes, our TEE SHIRTS). I decided right then and there to never utter those words, “kids these days”. I will not be THAT guy. How anyone prefers to be addressed is their business. I refuse to be insulted by it. I don’t understand it, but I don’t have to. Being a POC, everywhere I went I was reminded that the world I live in is by no means under my control or influence. So maybe I have a head start at accepting the world as it is.

If I know what your biological sex (actually) is and if I call or refer to you by the pronoun that goes with that, it would be nice if you could realize that it is your choice to be offended and it is your choice to make possibly make this into a problem (between us).

While I personally won’t just use your preferred (although once again biologically incorrect) pronoun to provoke you, if it happens you should (better learn to) deal with it.

I’m of the stance, if it doesn’t hurt anybody, break their bones, steal from their pockets etc, it’s firmly in the “none of my nevermind” business.

I consider it all Entertainment, episodes in the long-running Human Comedy.

People are people. Every person is different. Every person is an individual. Anyone that is insulted by differences has serious personal issues to work through. I have never understood why people feel the need to be disrespectful or even insulting to anyone else just because of some randomly selected difference. Or for any reason, for that matter.

Some languages – like Turkish, I think – have genderless pronouns.

Some folks may find this trend a little sus.

This is the same grumpy guy who objected to having his prefered candidate lose an election.

If people want the freedom to decide the pronoun they use for themselves, I want the freedom to choose the pronoun I use for them!

No, but it’s symptomatic of the end of America.

Singular ‘they’ has been a thing since the 14th century. Wikipedia has a great article discussing the pronoun. I’m pushing 70 and figure anyone has the right to be called whatever want to be called. If I use the wrong pronoun, I’ll be corrected if it’s an issue for the person and then use the correct pronoun. I totally get it. About 80% of people pronounce my last name incorrectly even though it’s not all that difficult. The wrong pronunciation is like fingers on a chalkboard. I used to correct people all the time but finally realized it just didn’t matter; I knew who they wanted so who cares if it was said wrong? Same thing here.

Logically, a singular “they” is no more inconsistent than a genderless “he.”

You know what sounds wrong to me now? “Has everyone brought his book?” when addressing a group of both boys and girls. But that was the correct grammar when I was a kid. “Has everyone brought their book?” actually SOUNDS right.

As long as a person calls themself by a name that is not obscene or hateful then it is the business of no one but that person. If it offends another then I will pray that God chooses to remove the hatred that Satan has placed within that person’s heart. I find myself doing that more these days than I did even decades ago.

I so don’t care. Guys and Dolls and Dudes and Dames, lads and lasses and all that have been coming and going for thousands of years.

But, wait. Isn’t the word “Dear” a pronoun? Asking for a friend.

Just convert everything to legal speak, party and parties.

So I wonder what the French and Spanish speakers are doing about this with their nouns being either masculine or feminine?

No … deal with it …

I don’t see how someone choosing their own pronouns is any different from someone choosing their own name. Why are people so opposed to it? It doesn’t affect your life in the least, so why get angry about it?

People have not had the right to tell me what I can and cannot say for a long time. You can call yourself anything you like. I am not obliged to play along with your mind games.

Ran into a friend at the grocery store. He was with his transgendered son whom I have known since he was a little girl.( In addition, the friend’s former son is now his daughter.) During our conversation, I inadvertently referred to the son he was with as “she”, and apologized profusely. The son shrugged, and dismissed my apology. He said “Don’t worry about it. He even misgenders the cats”.

Isn’t this America, home of the free, free to be what we want as long as it isn’t illegal. Freedum, until it hurts your feelings or confuses you.

“I don’t care what they call me as long as they call me to dinner.” That’s a quote from someone, but I don’t know who. ;-)

What someone chooses to call themselves is their business and not mine. Their sexual, gender, and even their religious and political preferences are their own and make no difference to me. If they are content with their life choices then I’m happy for them.

Without braggadocio, I can say that I have always been comfortable in my own skin, my sexual identity, and my preferences.

I’ve managed to peacefully co-exist for almost 78 years on this earth by accepting and reveling in the distinctive differences of others and not trying to force anyone to conform to my belief and lifestyle.

Nope.

Kind of clever.

It’s only Sept 3rd but I have to get the snow blower out to deal with all the hard right snow flakes posting above. So much hate and hurt in this world and this is what sets you off?

I wonder why some people feel threatened by LGBTQ. In what way do these people menace their lives or well-being?

LGBTQ isn’t my thing. It’s just something other people do. In the grand scheme of things there are about 7.5 billion things other people do that have no affect on me and therefore are none of my business.

I have a tough enough time running my own life. I don’t have time to tell other people how they should be running theirs.

Ain’t it great ? All the world’s have been solved,giving us time to make up new ones. Seriously, when has anyone commenting here been taken to task for using the wrong pronoun ? If so how has it affected your well being?

I prefer names…

Who decided that the hat should be red? The colorist, or the cartoon artist? Will those that read old fashioned B/W newspapers “get it”? Nope. Only “dinosaurs” read old fashioned newspapers.

Shame! You should have said “Ix,” not “It.”

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.”

Times have changed.

I don’t have a problem with new words to convey new ideas but repurposing old words can just cause confusion. If I point to a couple of people and say “They want to go shopping.” Am I referring to the group or just one of the two. Just create a new genderless pronoun to make things more understandable.

I changed my pronouns to kryptonian and vulcan. more informative and less antagonistic. Also it helps my avoid klingons and white martians.

Language is a human convention. It can be whatever we want it to be and changes with social currents.

Feel free to do whatever you wish with your body. If you’re in my personal circle of friends and family I will be more then willing to call you whatever. But if you’re a total stranger to me don’t get hysterical If I call you something related to your obvious biological sex. If you want strangers to know what you are now, I suggest wearing a sign around your neck.

I just call everyone “eminence”, and haven’t had any complaints

Quite a few languages don’t use gender-specific pronouns. I’ve listened to enough native Tagalog speakers to get used to it. It really ISN’T the end of the world- just confusing at times.

What’s the purpose of pronouns anyway? Identification.

I’m 62 and confused… when they dress like a girl, was born a girl, wear makeup like a girl but want to be known as “He”? I’m Gay and I get confused.

Not the end of the world; just the erasure of women.

“I am what I am and that’s all what I am.” Popeye

I remember Harold Camping 10 years ago. Total bull. I regret believing the 2012 carp.

You dont have to deal with it – just let people be who they feel they need to be. It’s just not the big deal a lot of people make it out to be. So many people these days feel that if the person doesn’t believe/behave like they do, then they are the enemy. Just let it be and chill, folks!

But it IS an opportunity for you to whine.

It’s a “thing” only for those who deny science.

Meh,

Bruce

Rock/Paper/Scissors

Frontal lobotomies used to be a thing too.

You can call me ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, or ‘$#!+head’. I don’t really care. I’ll try to use whatever pronoun you prefer, but if I don’t it’s not intended as an insult. I just don’t see why you need my affirmation if you already know who you are. It shouldn’t be that important to you.

Wouldn’t be a problem if we were still speaking Latin

It may be your thing, but since I’m grounded in reality, it isn’t my thing. Deal with that.

Ok, I’m 79, not that means anything. I have seen and heard about all of this BS. I will do what I do when blips like this occur, note it and go on with my life.

Wiley, you light the match just to see how much smoke it creates, don’t you.

You deal with it. I like the Webster dictionary. It has all of the words and definitions I need. If I don’t like the latest I will just go back to the one I used in High School.

My opinion: Every person has the right to choose the pronouns they prefer. I have the right to use the pronouns that were proper English usage when I learned to talk and write. If someone is unhappy about my usage of the language, that is on them.

I’m glad to call what him or her depending on your preference, but I’m going to call you them.

I think with some pedantic old bas33rds that may in fact, be the truth. (I’m one).

If in English it’s Missus, Miss and Ms, in German is it frau, frauline and frizz?

No, it’s just a mental disorder that goes untreated and expect the masses to coalesce around.

I think that the 70% of the replies here that are against the accepting of non-binary pronouns represent the same cross section of the country’s feelings towards the LBGTQ+ population. I’m 67 and I just came out as bi-sexual to my family. There were ‘Hoorays’ not ’that’s ridiculous’. My daughter is non-binary and there were “Hoorays” not “that’s ridiculous”. Human sexuality IS quite complex and it’s not just A and B. Your sex organs does not always identify your gender. And it’s not, as someone insinuated in an earlier post, a mental illness. And don’t get me started on how religion plays a major role in the hatred of non-cisgender folks. I believe in science. Period.

MAGAts are losing their tiny little minds right now!

Yes. Yes, it is the end of the world. As we know it, at least. And wait till you see what things are like 4-5 years from now.

ack in the 80’s, when we were arguing over “he” “she” in reference to anyone, I used the American Heritage Dictionary (1st ed.) to look up the root of “he”, from “ko” derivatives are he, her, it. Happy trails!

Though I am good with my pronouns, I can imagine how hard it would be to have to spend your whole life pretending to be someone you are not.

As usual, Wiley Miller manages to play devil’s advocate in subtle ways (and not always as an attorney basher). If your explanation for the utterly unnecessary and postmodernist cliché of changing pronouns to suit a person’s whim is that language changes, you know little about language or language changes.