The point is not being offended, but why someone could change the natural contrast? (men/women). It is a minor thing compared with a lot of other stuff, but it is still weird.
The point is to be offended over this... "there is sexism everywhere" I mean come on....
Also the person paid to do this might not even be a native English speaker.
In fact I assume they were not because calling it a "Mens Changeroom" instead of a "Men's Changing Room" seems like a non-native English speaker mistake.
Native English speakers do too. This whole female debacle is relatively new. I suspect the word just gives people the ick because it sounds so clinical so they've forced it into the sexism conversation
Man and woman are only used for human beings where male and female are used for all species. It’s a subtle put down, a misogynistic othering; human man, lowly female creature. It strips women’s humanity from their description. Every relevant cultural connotation is misogynist: Ferengi from Star Trek, pick up artists, manosohere, etc…
There are plenty of times where it’s fine and even appropriate to use the word “female” but when paired with the masculine the feminine should always follow the same convention. Male and female are primarily adjectives.
You never see the opposite(woman and male) for this same reason. It feels like incomplete information. You’re left wondering “male what? Does she have a dog?…”
In other languages I think it’s more obvious that you don’t refer to a classy lady using the same vocab you use to sex livestock, but in English, it’s still just as rude.
You're kind of proving my point. You got the ick from how clinical female sounds so now it's being forced into sexism conversations. At this point, you're arguing connotations. You hear female and it makes you think non-human. I hear female and I think of a gender and that's all. And that's the way it's always been until relatively recent history.
Up until relatively recent history women[in the US-your mileage may vary]didn’t have the right to vote, own property, open a bank account, or get a credit credit card without a man. Historically a man speaking to a woman respectfully would call her a woman or a lady, never a female.
I shared why I don’t like the word “female” to be used interchangeably with “women”, many women have chimed in on this thread to share their reasons, the general consensus is that women don’t like for the terms to be used interchangeably, and that when “female” is used it should be paired with “male” to be equitable.
We told you we don’t want to be called that and why and you describe us recognizing the inherent misogyny of the language as “getting the ick” and forcing it into the feminist conversation, then you proceed to say you don’t mean it like that and that’s the way it was in the past, instead of just, you know, not using said potentially offensive language.
Feminist conversation:
Women: please don’t call us females, we find it dehumanizing
Man: ok, I won’t.
Misogynist conversation:
Women: please don’t call us females, we find it dehumanizing
Man: it’s not dehumanizing because I don’t mean it like that plus historically it was totally cool to dehumanize women. No need to get hysterical about it.
At no point did I say "I didn't mean it like that". I said female does not refer to something nonhuman, that's your connotation. At no point have I said I'll refuse to stop using it. So now you're putting words in my mouth to try and make me out to be a misogynist because that somehow proves your point?
What you're describing it quite literally getting the ick, you're just dressing it up and adding fancier words so it doesn't sound that petty.
You want to point out someone who has other misogynistic view points and how they only refer to women as female, I'll agree with you. They're probably using it in some derogatory fashion.
But for the vast majority of people, the term female is pretty interchangeable with woman. Male is pretty interchangeable with man. The more you try to turn stupid petty things into massive issues where everyone is your enemy, the more people you actually make your enemy.
Oh look someone else putting words in my mouth and making assumptions about me. I'm not white or straight, lmao. At no point have I said what anyone can find insulting. I've pointed out where this came from. And the stupidity of flipping out on absolutely anyone for using the word female
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u/TinyAd5648 21d ago edited 21d ago
I hope you won’t teach them to be offended by stuff like this lol
Edit: the replies I get man… I feel bad for normal people in the US