In the week that 'they' was declared an acceptable singular pronoun in order to avoid using male/female alternatives:
Did you know you’re now “them?”
Me?
Yeah. If you don’t want to pinpoint gender in writing, you now can use “they.”
No kidding.
Washington Post says so. It’s part of their style now.
Can you refer to non-people as they?
What do you mean?
Well, you just did.
Huh?
You called the Washington Post “they”.
Oh man. Are you gonna nitpick me on that?
I can’t believe they want to toss out gender pronouns.
And there you go – you’re using they!
Think they’re gonna come get me for it?
One never knows, do one? It’s definitely gonna save time
Eric Smith added this comment:
I saw that article, Amy. After all those years trying not offend anyone; pluralizing things to avoid him or his or his/her; watching helplessly (what goes around comes around?) as people decided all editors are women--who cares, I thought—they referred to themselves as she and her. I even read articles in the seventies in which people devised new pronouns, such as izer and ir, so nobody would get pissed. Now this. It doesn't matter after all. My elementary school teachers (all women) used to say, "Does everyone have his pen?" Now it doesn't matter. They're dead anyway, right?
Did you know you’re now “them?”
Me?
Yeah. If you don’t want to pinpoint gender in writing, you now can use “they.”
No kidding.
Washington Post says so. It’s part of their style now.
Can you refer to non-people as they?
What do you mean?
Well, you just did.
Huh?
You called the Washington Post “they”.
Oh man. Are you gonna nitpick me on that?
I can’t believe they want to toss out gender pronouns.
And there you go – you’re using they!
Think they’re gonna come get me for it?
One never knows, do one? It’s definitely gonna save time
Eric Smith added this comment:
I saw that article, Amy. After all those years trying not offend anyone; pluralizing things to avoid him or his or his/her; watching helplessly (what goes around comes around?) as people decided all editors are women--who cares, I thought—they referred to themselves as she and her. I even read articles in the seventies in which people devised new pronouns, such as izer and ir, so nobody would get pissed. Now this. It doesn't matter after all. My elementary school teachers (all women) used to say, "Does everyone have his pen?" Now it doesn't matter. They're dead anyway, right?
