soldier = sailor

[Jonathan Lighter]

By now you've figured out that "warrioress" is sexist, like "actress" and
"princess."  (But not "goddess.")

You are also a sexist if you think that WACs and WAVEs had equal status
with male non-WACs and male non-WAVEs, not to mention male non-WAFs. And I
suppose SPARs don't count? See HDAS for BAM, a sexist term.

Remember: "People don't drive people insane. Language drives people insane."

JL




On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 2:15 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 01:39 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >Anyone who thinks "warrior" is gender-based is a sexist.
>
> I meant "soldier" and "sailor", for the females of which we needed
> WAC and WAVE.  I do believe in Xena, who is not a warrioress but a
> princess.
>
> Joel
>
>
> >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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> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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