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[kitmonk]

The original post was provocative for just this reason: why persist in using a term that is defiantly, truculently obscure.  Given the casting of many of the posts, I rather doubt that adjusting the phrasing would have had much of an influence over what followed.

Trevor, isn't it fairly obvious that being "truculently obscure" is the whole point of 'hu?"

I first encountered "gender-neutral" pronouns, most commonly 'ze' and 'hir,' in the LGBT community, where trans-identified folks use them to assert their nonconformity to any gender binary.  Being, as you put it, "truculently obscure" was rather the point.  I respect that, though I could never bring myself to use the new pronouns myself, mostly because they just sounded ridiculous to me.

Here on the fora, 'hu' seems to be merely a stand in for "s/he" when posters attempt to preserve anonymity by obscuring the genders of those described in their posts.

Either way, I don't use them, but I understand the impetus.


<sigh> Why am I even bothering with a serious response?  You clearly just want to stir up trouble.  I'll shut up now.

[prof_mom]

My thoughts on this matter have been expressed in several places.

Take a look if you wish. I am done with the debate.

All of the following threads address the question.

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,33774.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,30784.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,31419.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,31976.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,30092.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,31272.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,32553.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,32618.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,30134.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,32856.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,30360.0.html

[neutralname]

Trevor sounds just like the cranky conservative member of our English Dept.  He's a real curmudgeon, and a bully, although you can have a nice conversation with him if you catch him on a good day.  I wonder if Trevor is him.

I only use hu here, and I revel in it. Hu is fun.  Long live hu.

I spent most of my grad school time talking about gender neutral pronouns.  Those debates are so old.  Don't we know what everyone is going to say before we start?

[husqvarna]

When I first saw "hu" I thought it was just a spelling mistake- then after encountering it a few times I caught on.  At first I avoided it- I thought it was awkward.  But after a while it was more of a pain to restructure sentences around it so I just gave in.  No strong feelings one way or the other about it at this point.

[francie_]

Would it be unreasonable to ask forumites to terminate using the dreadful "hu"?  Illiterate nonsense.

Trevor

Okay, that does it.  I am officially pissed off.  No more Dr. NiceFrancie trying to explain politely and with hu-mor why I like the idea of "hu."

Trevor, I have special Two-Way Viewing Software.  I know what you look like.  And recently, I was charged by the Mod Squad with beta-testing the new Forumite Facial Recognition Software module, so now I know who you are by matching it to CHE's secret database of student and faculty photos gleaned from Facebook, MySpace, and RateMyProfessors.

Just for starting this thread, I am going to sneak over to your bridge abode and release the Giant Mutant Killer Hamsters that I've been breeding.

You have been warned.

[neutralname]

Would it be unreasonable to ask forumites to terminate using the dreadful "hu"?  Illiterate nonsense.

Trevor

Okay, that does it.  I am officially pissed off.  No more Dr. NiceFrancie trying to explain politely and with hu-mor why I like the idea of "hu."

Trevor, I have special Two-Way Viewing Software.  I know what you look like.  And recently, I was charged by the Mod Squad with beta-testing the new Forumite Facial Recognition Software module, so now I know who you are by matching it to CHE's secret database of student and faculty photos gleaned from Facebook, MySpace, and RateMyProfessors.

Just for starting this thread, I am going to sneak over to your bridge abode and release the Giant Mutant Killer Hamsters that I've been breeding.

You have been warned.

realfrancie

I stand corrected.  I never anticipated you were going to say that!

[francie_]

realfrancie

I stand corrected.  I never anticipated you were going to say that!

Ha!  Never underestimate the irritation level of someone who 1) spent a whole week preparing (i.e. "cleaning") for the arrival of eighty-something ILs from FLA the day after Easter, 2) had to cast desperately about for ways to entertain both the eighty-somethings and the ten-somethings during their so-called "Spring Break," so-called because the weather wasn't anything remotely Spring-Break-Like, and 3) was ready to tear own hair out after departure of eighty-somethings because the ten-somethings had a SNOW DAY tacked on to the already-too-long "Spring Break."

Neutralname, I'm rededicating my "Hu-Song" to you.  LarryC did not appreciate it when I dedicated it to him.

I love Hu,
Hu loves me.
We're the CHE Hu fa-mi-ly,
With a great big Hu-g
And a kiss from me to Hu,
Won't you say you love Hu too?

[prytania3]

realfrancie

I stand corrected.  I never anticipated you were going to say that!

Ha!  Never underestimate the irritation level of someone who 1) spent a whole week preparing (i.e. "cleaning") for the arrival of eighty-something ILs from FLA the day after Easter, 2) had to cast desperately about for ways to entertain both the eighty-somethings and the ten-somethings during their so-called "Spring Break," so-called because the weather wasn't anything remotely Spring-Break-Like, and 3) was ready to tear own hair out after departure of eighty-somethings because the ten-somethings had a SNOW DAY tacked on to the already-too-long "Spring Break."

Neutralname, I'm rededicating my "Hu-Song" to you.  LarryC did not appreciate it when I dedicated it to him.

I love Hu,
Hu loves me.
We're the CHE Hu fa-mi-ly,
With a great big Hu-g
And a kiss from me to Hu,
Won't you say you love Hu too?

I do! I do! I love hu!

[neutralname]

realfrancie

I stand corrected.  I never anticipated you were going to say that!

Ha!  Never underestimate the irritation level of someone who 1) spent a whole week preparing (i.e. "cleaning") for the arrival of eighty-something ILs from FLA the day after Easter, 2) had to cast desperately about for ways to entertain both the eighty-somethings and the ten-somethings during their so-called "Spring Break," so-called because the weather wasn't anything remotely Spring-Break-Like, and 3) was ready to tear own hair out after departure of eighty-somethings because the ten-somethings had a SNOW DAY tacked on to the already-too-long "Spring Break."

Neutralname, I'm rededicating my "Hu-Song" to you.  LarryC did not appreciate it when I dedicated it to him.

I love Hu,
Hu loves me.
We're the CHE Hu fa-mi-ly,
With a great big Hu-g
And a kiss from me to Hu,
Won't you say you love Hu too?

Hooray for Hu!!

realfrancie, I'm truly touched by the dedication. 

Hu Hu Hooray!