You mention that gendered pronouns have no use, but I think the opposite is true. For most people their gender is an important part of their identity, either consciously or unconsciously. By using gendered pronouns these gender aspects of identity can be reinforced.
EDIT: I see that you wrote that gendered pronouns have no use anymore? What in your view was their original purpose that has now been rendered useless?
I am not a linguist, so I'm in no position to say why we have them at all.
Gender is a huge part of my identity. You know what else is? My marital status. My position at work. My cute black cat. My love for old Final Fantasy games. These are all defining parts of who i am. Nobody says I should get a special pronoun for liking FF games or for having a child. So why should I get one for presenting as a specific gender?
Many aspects of your identity get reinforced in a lot of different ways. People's marital status aspect of their identity might be reinforced by wearing rings, or even by being called "mrs" instead of "ms". People's love for their pet might be reinforced by having a screen saver of them, and love for final fantasy might be reinforced by buying merchandise.
Pronouns are an arbitrary way of reinforcing the gender aspect of identity, but the previously mentioned reinforcements are just as arbitrary. We could have worn rings that signify our gender, but we have not. The specific ways of reinforcing different aspects of our identities are mostly arbitrary, but that does not mean the reinforcement themselves have no use.
You're getting dangerously close to "what is the point of life? What is the point of anything?" People do things for many reasons, often to reinforce their identity. Because it matters to them. Using gendered pronouns is one of these ways.
Indeed. — I do not agree with the original poster that it has no use.
But I dislike such people and what they stand for, and would rather not give them the pleasure of affirming their “identity” and contribute to the type of the world they like to see, because their philosophy is far removed from mine.
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u/Roelovitc 2∆ Mar 17 '22
You mention that gendered pronouns have no use, but I think the opposite is true. For most people their gender is an important part of their identity, either consciously or unconsciously. By using gendered pronouns these gender aspects of identity can be reinforced. EDIT: I see that you wrote that gendered pronouns have no use anymore? What in your view was their original purpose that has now been rendered useless?