I'm sure you can't tell

DIANE BENNETT (Diane.Bennett@VUW.AC.NZ)
Mon, 30 May 1994 08:28:50 +1200

Oh, bullshit, Daniel. {assumption that ... " "work...[deleted] off"
isgender-neutral, when it just might be gendered male [or indicative of
masculinist bias in usage by women"].} It seems to be your bias that men
have butts and women have buns or fannies, or that women think that men
have butts and women have buns or fannies, or that women don't use what YOU
consider to be masculine or vulgar or whatever in reference to themselves
unless they are imitating men. It's your bias that what you, or other
men--I'm taking the handle at face value--use to describe yourselves is
thus taken over as masculine, leaving the fairer sex with an emasculated
version of common English vocabulary. Just as it seems to be your bias
that there is some subset of humans usefully described as "Normals" and
your vanity that you are too special to be in that group.

Oh my! How unladylike. I must have gotten out of the wrong side of a bed.

I realize that whatever my response you will reconstruct your
presentation--or understanding--of your meaning to cast my meaning as a
naive misunderstanding of your true depth. But, hey, I'm getting to like
my naivety--it's such a nice feminine quality.

Yours as always,

Diane



Dr Diane Bennett
Chairperson and Senior Lecturer
Department of Anthropology
Victoria University
PO Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand