Stupidity or Lack of Gender Neutral Pronoun?
Senavene April 2008
A year ago, I took Senavene to the post office. She was strapped to my front wearing all pink, half covered in a pink blanket, with a pink pacifier in her mouth. Why? We were given LOTS of pink, I swear. I put “yellow please” on the registry, but I don’t think anyone paid attention.
Anyways, what did the teller ask me? “How old is he?” How old is HE?
After 14 months of this, I can honestly say I don’t care that people continue to call her a boy. I’m told it’s common for babies with very little hair. Most moms tape a bow to their daughter’s bare heads. But honestly I don’t care. I simply respond by telling them how old she is. I’m more fascinated by how someone’s brain would ignore all the social clues in the form of pink paraphernalia and use the male pronoun. Not only that, they quite often also say that “he is really beautiful.” I can’t blame them. I mean she is gorgeous.
Sent image to Wilhelmina kids, but no response...sigh, there's goes her College Fund
But again, I digress. My question is: are most people stupid or are their brains on auto-pilot and make errors because there is no gender neutral pronoun? People can’t say “how old is it?” That would piss any parent off. So, they either need a gender neutral pronoun or come up with some convoluted phrasing that sounds weird — “how old is your baby?” “Pardon me, have you any Grey Poupon?”
So to continue the sexism, SNL came up with a skit focusing on MALE bald babies. Because don’t we all feel bad for the bald male babies?
Pay no mind to creating something for the poor, misunderstood FEMALE bald babies. Well not any more, thanks to the mental prowess of the fine people at Baby Bangs. So, which one do you think we should get? We’re taking votes. I think I’m liking “Fairy Tale Flowers.”
Maybe your infant is dressed in pink to show his/hers/yours support for gay marriage? Maybe your male infant is dressed in pink, in reference to the victorian and edwardian preference for pink as a masculine colour? Maybe the teller you’re busy sneerin’ on has just got a broader mind than you.
May be…may be…or maybe its just because “he” is the most common pronoun used and it has no meaning what so ever, its just common nature to say it.
“Sneering”? I guess you missed the part where I said “I can honestly say I don’t care…But honestly I don’t care. I simply respond by telling them how old she is.” I actually smiled when the teller asked; a smile, I’m told, is a very nice smile not at all one that could be confused with a sneer.
You do raise a good point though. So the next time someone asks, I will simply smile and assume they are a gay marriage supporting, edwardian scholar and I shall respond by saying, “Down with Proposition 8! Cheerio!” Yes, that shall work out nicely. Did they say “Cheerio” during the Edwardian Period? Probably, right? That was only as far back as the early 1900’s.
Annnndddddd that pretty much sums up that. Thanks for playing, “Z.” 🙂
FANTASTIC!