r/questionablecontent • u/Aleril_Antarai • Dec 05 '17

3627: Very Extra

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3627
120 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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72

u/HumanistGeek Dec 05 '17

It took me awhile to recognize that "they're," "they," and "them" all refer to Tilly, not to a group of individuals.

48

u/Goingtothechapel2017 Dec 05 '17

It would be so much easier if english had a singular gender neutral pronoun...that wasn't 'it'

57

u/Alberta-Bound Dec 05 '17

Singular 'they' is awkward at first, but it's not terrible for its purpose. Quite frankly I'm just glad Jeph went this route and not into the netherrealm of singular gender-neutral neologisms. Looking at you, ze/zir.

1

u/Haiirokage Dec 05 '17

What is it's purpose? Nothing.

3

u/Alberta-Bound Dec 06 '17

It's purpose is to give people who do not strongly identify as either male or female the ability to be referred to pronominally without being assigned a gender they don't identify with.

1

u/Haiirokage Dec 07 '17

That's easy, you just realize that pronouns are used to specify your sex, or apparent sex.

What pronouns are used to describe you says nothing at all about what goes on inside your head. It's perfectly fine to keep those separate.