Atlas Ministry of Purity Crimes Self-Reporting Thread

[angus]

I had an impure sexual thought about a new coworker who said she liked my shirt in the elevator today.

Nothing says "Do me!" quite like a shirt compliment.  Did you rub one out when you got home?  Well, that's a silly question.  Of course you did.  What I mean is, was she the subject of your fantasy when you engaged your libido that evening?  If so, then you have purified yourself.  Now go in peace, my son.

[angus]

I thought Mattress Girl, from Columbia, was serving that purpose for you fairly effectively.  I wonder what ever happened to her.  Do you think she still lugs the bed around everywhere?

[angus]

IMO, they works much better than he and should replace he in that context, as it has already done in speech.

It has done so in some speech, but it is awkward owing to the disagreement in number between the plural personal pronoun and the typically singular antecedent.  I check myself if I find myself ready to create such an awkward construction.  I really don't have a problem with referring to male authors as he, female authors as she, and unknown ones as "he", or "he or she", or, as is done in some texts, s/he or (s)he. 

Also, the argument that nautical terms are racist on the basis that "underprivileged minority kids have never sailed a boat before" is specious at best.  I have never visited Saturn, how can I possibly be expected to know that it has crystalline ammonia in its upper atmosphere?  Or that its surface winds are faster even than those on Jupiter?  (which I also haven't visited) 

[angus]

AFAIK all Germanic languages have neutral pronouns.

The three with which I am familiar all do.  I've worked in Germany and Netherlands and although I have forgotten most of what I have learned, I still remember er, es, sie, etc.  What I don't know about is cultural norms.  We say he, she, and it, but "it" rarely refers to humans.  I tend to call babies "it" and I know others do as well, but once a person is big enough to have an instantly identifiable gender--assuming Nathan doesn't show up here to point out that this is a societal misapprehension and a great cultural wrong in need of correcting, let's agree that by age 2 or 3 it becomes possible with most children to label them "boy" or "girl" with confidence--then we stop calling them "it."  Addressing a university lecture hall, for example, an instructor might say that each student should submit "his or her" exams at a certain time.  

Of course, you do make an interesting point regarding physical development.  Languages have had longer to evolve--even relatively new languages like English--than reproductive microbiology studies.  Maybe one day our languages will catch up with our understanding of science, but for now we still say that "the sun rises" and such.  It doesn't seem to inhibit our understanding of astrophysics when we do that.  Similarly, our choices in personal pronouns needn't inhibit our understanding of developmental biology.  

[angus]

So now it's a contest.  It's MU verses NOAA versus whatever "European Model" means.  Go Millersville! 

[angus]

each is only a four course online program!

An on-line degree!  From the University of Phoenix, perhaps?  That's the Harvard of on-line universities, you know.  How could you possibly turn that down?

[angus]

the ability to check it out at zero risk is unique.

Indeed!  We look forward to a detailed analysis.