acrimone
The Red Queen's Court Assassin
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 4,049
I am not a professor at all, despite what I say.
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« on: October 14, 2006, 10:37:27 AM » |
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Does anyone else dislike the way this word is used?
Whatever happened to sex? Sex is a perfectly good, useful word for describing one's... uh, sex.
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"All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"
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crazybatlady
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« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2006, 11:00:06 AM » |
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Nope, I prefer "gender" to describe my femaleness.
Gender is an act, a "performance" as Judith Butler calls it.
Sex is an act, too, but one we restrict to bedrooms, kitchens, hallways, elevators....
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As always, CBL rules! All hail the CBL!
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gennidad
Kinda, sorta, maybe a
Senior member
Posts: 674
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« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2006, 12:35:52 PM » |
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It keeps the smart a$$es from putting occasionally, frequently or not often enough.
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Run. Run while you still can.
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voxprincipalis
Foxaliciously Cinnamon-Scented (and Most Poetic)
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,438
Has potentially infinite removable wallets
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« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2006, 12:46:01 PM » |
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It keeps the smart a$$es from putting occasionally, frequently or not often enough.
When I read this at first, my brain spontaneously added the word "out" after the word "putting." That changes the meaning entirely! My understanding of how the terms are meant to be understood is that "sex" refers to purely biological characteristics (in other words, which organs one has), but "gender" incorporates issues of what it means to be a particular sex. There was an interesting article in the Chronicle awhile back (a First Person, maybe?) about someone who went to a school for an interview and dealt with a bunch of students who introduced themselves by name and by what gender they identified with. So, some female students wanted to be referred to as "him", and vice versa. VP |
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gennidad
Kinda, sorta, maybe a
Senior member
Posts: 674
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« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2006, 01:10:35 PM » |
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*blushes* Sorry VP. I will try to be more concise with my comments from now on.
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Run. Run while you still can.
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crazybatlady
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« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2006, 01:15:25 PM » |
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I think it would be more interesting to stay on topic and not make crude and childish comments. This isn't 6th grade here.
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As always, CBL rules! All hail the CBL!
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graphiteta2s62
New member
Posts: 1
Gender: Me
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« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2006, 02:54:28 PM » |
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have you ever paused when filling out and submitting (voluntarily) the card for "statistical purposes only" when you see the question: what is your sex? and only two options? what would you do? do you make a stand and grab your pen creating a box for other? or just buckle under the pressure and mark the one most closely identifies you even though you don't really feel in sync with that narrow definition.
Gender, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation....are the complexities of us, but the paperwork is lagging behind
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Stella: We've become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change. Yes sir. How's that for a bit of homespun philosophy?
Jeff: Readers Digest, April 1939.
Stella: Well, I only quote from the best.
Rear Window (1954)
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inadvertant
New member
Posts: 5
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« Reply #7 on: October 14, 2006, 04:34:56 PM » |
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Ugh. Yes, I also am so tired of forms asking for our "gender" when they really mean "sex". As in, are you male or female, anatomically/genetically? My take on it is that they are too PC or delicate to just say "sex", and feel that "gender" is a gentler way to refer to the same thing. But they're not, and most people, alas, don't understand this. Very tiresome.
Trust me, they do not want to actually want to know your "gender", especially if it diverges from the few societally approved variations. Of course, I only noticed this after my spouse realized that zie was transgendered. Then I got it. Now I'm very sensitized.
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adhoc
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« Reply #8 on: October 14, 2006, 04:47:06 PM » |
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Oh, come on. "Gender" and "sex" are synonyms, in this context. They refer to physical body structure, no more and no less. They have nothing at all to do with any act, much less one's preferences for one set of acts over another.
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« Last Edit: October 14, 2006, 04:48:28 PM by adhoc »
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,565
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2006, 05:42:16 PM » |
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As in all word battles, the important thing is that each of us defines only one use as correct, and violently attacks anyone who disagrees.
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adhoc
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« Reply #10 on: October 14, 2006, 06:03:17 PM » |
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As in all word battles, the important thing is that each of us defines only one use as correct, and violently attacks anyone who disagrees. Larry, if you are referring to my last post, I would assert that I am not arbitrarily picking a definition. In fact, I double checked with a dictionary before posting because I have found that to be a wise course of action in discussions such as this. But, really, if one is filling out a form with "Sex: M ___ F ___" or a form that asks for "Name," "Age," "Sex," etc. is there honestly any confusion about what is meant? |
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,565
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #11 on: October 14, 2006, 06:17:02 PM » |
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No my friend I was not referring to your last post at all, but to the general direction of such discussions as this, and their basic silliness. I think either term is just fine so long as the meaning is clear.
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,764
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #12 on: October 14, 2006, 08:12:21 PM » |
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If you have never seen someone answer the question the way Gennidad described, count yourself lucky. He wasn't making a childish or crude comment. He was being serious. We have some people in this country that have read the question the way he described and wrote one of the above answers. Of course, the only example where you might be able to find this is in one of the Reader's Digests, in the "Life in these United States" section, or maybe it was Paul Harvey?
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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drfreud
Somewhat Sane
Member
Posts: 163
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« Reply #13 on: October 14, 2006, 08:43:00 PM » |
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Ich notice zhat zhis fellow Acrimone hands out zehr expensive zigars to zhe male members of zhis forum, and now he zeems obzessed mit toughts of zex. Hmmm, interesting...vhat ist "up" mit zhat?
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Who passed me the exploding cigar??
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prytania3
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« Reply #14 on: October 15, 2006, 10:05:43 AM » |
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I never even noticed. That's how much it means to me.
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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