soldier = sailor

[Jonathan Lighter]

Anyone who thinks "warrior" is gender-based is a sexist.

JL

On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 1:10 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: soldier = sailor
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 2/4/2010 11:39 AM, Jesse Sheidlower wrote:
> >This is clearly why we need to adopt "warfighter".
>
> I thought it was to eliminate gender-biased terms.  :-)
>
> Joel
>
>
> >Jesse Sheidlower
> >
> >On Thu, Feb 04, 2010 at 11:37:14AM -0500, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>  > > Weve already discussed whether or when marines are ever soldiers.
>  But the
> > > following ex., obviously written by someone with professional-level
> > > skills, shows that "soldier" now subsumes sailors too, at least for
> some
> > > people:
> > >
> > >
> > > 2007 _Moviefone_ [
> > > http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2007/03/07/feature-page-5-1-films/]:
> > > German director Wolfgang Petersen's U-boat drama realistically captures
> the
> > > claustrophobia and uncertainty of a fighter sub and portrays the German
> > > soldiers as real people, not Aryan monsters.
> > >
> > >
> > > Perhaps, as skeptics will chuckle, this is merely a slip. Maybe. But if
> so,
> > > it is a bizarre slip IMO. The writer obviously knows what the movie is
> > > about.
> > >
> > > Consider too the peculiar phrase "fighter sub." That supports the idea
> that
> > > the writer is not very familiar with even everyday military/naval
> usage, at
> > > least as little boys grew up learning it in the '50s.  I've heard Fox
> News
> > > refer to all combat aircraft as "fighter planes."
> > >
> > > (If you don't understand my point, you may be proving it.)
> > >
> > > The explanation (if one is needed) may be that over the past couple of
> > > decades, all members of the armed forces have come to be described in
> > > journalism as "warriors" generally. (There are several reasons for
> this.)
> > > But if "warrior" can subsume "sailor," why can't "soldier"?
> > >
> > > Inglish. Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> > >
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> >
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