Community Chat

[blackhole99]

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@Ms tyrion2 wrote:

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@blackhole99 wrote:

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@jannabelle1 wrote:

@blackhole99, this is not just about transgender. Many schools in this country (elementary through college) are teaching that anyone who identifies with anything other than male/female can not be labeled as he/she. You're right - this is not an issue of proper English. It's a societal issue with our youth and what they are taught, and it's all about being gender neutral.

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@jannabelle1  I can tell you this is not being discussed in any public school in my area. I could see where this is discussed in a college classroom though. I just called my niece who is a student at a local private Methodist college and told her about this discussion and she said they are not making an issue of this at her school. No discussing anything about who is gender neutral at that school. In fact she though it was silly. It would be interesting to know where in the US this is actually being discussed in public school settings.

I don't think a private Methodist school is a public school.  What does one have to do with the other?

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I can't imagine this subject is exclusive to public schools, why wouldn't this be discussed in any private school or college in the US if it's such an important social issue.

 @Ms tyrion2

[RainCityWoman]

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@SXMGirl wrote:

I would not ignore this.  No matter that we live in a changing world, proper grammar is expected from adults and no amount of ridiculous college rules set by professors who have never had a real job is going to change that.  I have been an adjunct professor (business) and I always brought in the real world to my students.  I worry that common sense is going by the wayside.

If I am paying for my child's education, then I have an expectation of certain things to show for my money.  One of those things is that proper grammar is used.  Other than ridiculous social media norms, do businesses really hire people who cannot communicate effectively anymore?  

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Never had a real job???? What's THAT supposed to mean?

[jaxs mom]

It’s common for non binary people to prefer they or them. As the mother of a trans kid I think it’s important to be respectful the same way you would want someone to call you by your preferred name or pronoun. It’s also not hard to do. 

[RainCityWoman]

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

With all of the atrocioius grammar used on this board every day and nothing said about it unless it is to tell someone who brings it up that we don't need the "grammar police" here, it is obvious that this topic isn't about grammar at all, given many of the responses.

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So you think there's a hidden agenda? Perhaps. However, I answered the post from the perspective of an English teacher, and my observations through the years of the constant change in the evolution of our language.

[jaxs mom]

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@dex wrote:

@gidgetgh

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@gidgetgh wrote:

They and them are used for people who are gender neutral. 

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@How would I know if a person is gender neutral...wouldn’t I have to be judging them to get it correct?Cant people be male or female and keep their sexual preference  out of it?I am not judging but I just don’t understand.

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Sexual preference and gender identity are separate things. 

[TaylorBrown]

If you have always known the friend as "her" I would continue that until "it/they/them" says otherwise. 

[jaxs mom]

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@cherry wrote:

I think the term they, when speaking  about a trans, could be useful. There is a young person ,we suspect in transitioning, and I am not sure what to call them. I am afraid either saying he or she, might make people think we are making fun of them , and the term " It "sounds like you don't even consider them ,to be a person

Mr Cherry brought this up to me ,after we had seen them checking out our groceries. I wouldn't deliberately make fun of anyone, and we both didn't know what was the correct way to  use a pronoun in this case ,is.

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@cherry From personal experience they like it when you ask. It’s refreshing unlike so many of the replies in this thread. It also shows that you see them. My child gets regularly frustrated that people don’t quite see them as they see themselves especially when in the process of transitioning but understands that they are to the point of being able to pass. They understand it’s not obvious. 

[vsm]

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@Alison Wonderland wrote:

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@SXMGirl wrote:

I would not ignore this.  No matter that we live in a changing world, proper grammar is expected from adults and no amount of ridiculous college rules set by professors who have never had a real job is going to change that.  I have been an adjunct professor (business) and I always brought in the real world to my students.  I worry that common sense is going by the wayside.

If I am paying for my child's education, then I have an expectation of certain things to show for my money.  One of those things is that proper grammar is used.  Other than ridiculous social media norms, do businesses really hire people who cannot communicate effectively anymore?  

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Proper grammar isn't permanent and changes with time. The singular "they" has been in use for hundreds of years: 
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/singular-nonbinary-they

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You're missing the point.  This isn't about "proper grammar."  It's about ideology -- and using "grammar" to force it down our throats.

[CrazyDaisy]

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@vsm wrote:

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@Alison Wonderland wrote:

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@SXMGirl wrote:

I would not ignore this.  No matter that we live in a changing world, proper grammar is expected from adults and no amount of ridiculous college rules set by professors who have never had a real job is going to change that.  I have been an adjunct professor (business) and I always brought in the real world to my students.  I worry that common sense is going by the wayside.

If I am paying for my child's education, then I have an expectation of certain things to show for my money.  One of those things is that proper grammar is used.  Other than ridiculous social media norms, do businesses really hire people who cannot communicate effectively anymore?  

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Proper grammar isn't permanent and changes with time. The singular "they" has been in use for hundreds of years: 
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/singular-nonbinary-they

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You're missing the point.  This isn't about "proper grammar."  It's about ideology -- and using "grammar" to force it down our throats.

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If there is a group of people wish to use this non-gender referrence to identify themselves, I think we should respect that.  I know a few people who are not transgender who want to use that reference, hurts no one.  I do see your point about removing all gender referrences in general.  In some cases I do believe it has gone to far.  Not everyone thinks of feels that same about issues, but we can respect the others position.

[RainCityWoman]

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@vsm wrote:

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@Alison Wonderland wrote:

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@SXMGirl wrote:

I would not ignore this.  No matter that we live in a changing world, proper grammar is expected from adults and no amount of ridiculous college rules set by professors who have never had a real job is going to change that.  I have been an adjunct professor (business) and I always brought in the real world to my students.  I worry that common sense is going by the wayside.

If I am paying for my child's education, then I have an expectation of certain things to show for my money.  One of those things is that proper grammar is used.  Other than ridiculous social media norms, do businesses really hire people who cannot communicate effectively anymore?  

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Proper grammar isn't permanent and changes with time. The singular "they" has been in use for hundreds of years: 
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/singular-nonbinary-they

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You're missing the point.  This isn't about "proper grammar."  It's about ideology -- and using "grammar" to force it down our throats.

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Hey, the title was a grammar question, and that's how some of us answered it, strictly from a grammatical point of view. As far as misuse of the English language, it happens ALL the time, regardless of underlying circumstances.  As ideologies and circumstances change in society, perhaps people are just asking for guidance as to what to do. As the saying goes, "The only thing that's permanent is change." The choice is to bury one's head in the sand, or accept it and move on with your life.