How important are words?
Very.
The topic of how language can undermine women has been discussed extensively. This is why there is an effort to change our language, and make it more unbiased and inclusive for everyone. This is referred to as gender neutral language.
There are many tutorials on the web on how to write and express oneself in this politically correct way.
Government offices have information on how to write gender free.
Work descriptions have been changed to be more neutral.
We now have a mail carrier instead of a mailman, a police officer instead of policeman, a flight attendant instead of a stewardess.
Most of the trades job titles are not gendered: Industrial mechanic, welder, millwright, fitter, machinist, electrician, carpenter, plumber.
The dilemma comes when I’m asked if I’m an apprentice or not. I’m not.
The accepted term for someone like me is journeyman. That doesn’t seem right for me, after all I’m not a man. Am I a journeyperson? It’s no good if I’m the only one using the term. A journeywoman? Nope, don’t like that.
I usually just tell people that I have my ticket.
Descriptive words can also be tricky. One woman wrote of an incident where her boss described her as contrary. There's an interesting way to describe someone. It brings up memories of the old nursery rhyme: Mary, Mary, quite contrary. Not very professional, is it? You wouldn’t describe a man with that word.
I have been described various ways. My showing up in mostly male worksites and camps to work was considered brave (or maybe just dumb). One of my co-workers used to say I had moxie. I didn’t mind, but I always thought a man wouldn’t be described that way. Another co-worker described me as: she has balls. Which I find particularly funny, since if I did there would be nothing unusual with my working there. But I understood what he was getting at, as moxie or spunky or feisty were not strong enough words.
I was also once described as abrasive. I was an apprentice, and I had made some smart-aleck remark to one of the journeymen. I don’t remember the remark, but I do remember one of the others who heard me calling me abrasive.
At least it is gender neutral, and much better than being called contrary.
Come to think of it, he was quite politically correct.
On the contrary this is quite funny. In Greece we have a saying "If my grandma had balls she'd be grandpa". Gender equality just like rascism and sexism is not something that is hidden in words. A person who has these kind of perceptions of the world can use any word and twist it into something negative. This is one of the reasons why I always found the p.c. movement rather off the point and silly. Changing false perceptions should only be as easy as finding p.c. words to replace old terms. I must say here that gay, faggot, black, and even nigger were not always derogatory terms. Gender neutrality is a different issue altogether though. So, journeyman you, could just say "I'm qualified" until something better comes up.
ReplyDeleteps. I think moxie is much more courageous than having balls. Ballsy is also a term I have heard used in a gender neutral way. Do we need p.c. terms when a comment is said to make us feel good?
I love that Greek quote. I'm going to use it one day at work.
ReplyDeleteI used to scoff at the gender-neutral wording myself, but the more I read about it, the more I think there is more to it than I originally thought.
Except, of course, when they tried to change "manholes" to "personholes"