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Re: : Korean Shamanism
Rotholz (jrotholz@WSUNIX.WSU.EDU)
Mon, 6 Nov 1995 09:40:53 -0800
If anyone is guilty of "ranting" it is you, dear Ruby, who time and again
critique list postings according to your feminist agenda. One can't help
but get the impression that it is you who are the angry one. As to the
issue of power, I would say that you have assumed quite a bit of it in
terms of this list and the dialogues that take place.
On Sun, 5 Nov 1995, Ruby Rohrlich wrote:
> PC LANGUAGE can no more force anyone to change their language than any
> other non-coercive, powerless method. And the people who generally get
> so mad when they think someone is telling them what to do are rednecks,
> who are usually too stupid to recognize non-power, but think they have
> power when they froth at the mouth and rant. Ruby Rohrlich
>
> On Sat, 4 Nov 1995, Martin Cohen wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 4 Nov 1995, Allan Dunn wrote:
> > >
> > The "grammar police"
> > >have two crossed purposes; one group wants to maintain the language
> > >conservatively, the other wants to make it "better." Both are misusing
> > >the concept of language, which is an evolved process drawing on old
> > >usages that are adapted for new ideas, and subsequently changed by
> > >communication of these ideas. It starts with the ideas.
> > >
> >
> > The real problem (and this is where the facist implications of the term
> > "language police" are appropriate) is that it is OK to say how you wish the
> > language was being used; but even if you are on the side of the angels, you
> > have no right the tell a language community how to speak. To insist that I
> > use gender neutral terms (which I generally do, but that is beside the
> > point), is as wrong as insisting on "English only" laws or stigmatizing
> > Black Venacular English. It is the extremes of Whorfianism to believe that
> > we can eliminate gender discrimination by cleaning up the language. Better
> > to seek change in laws, institutions and workplace, and of course in how we
> > raise our children. Language will follow, it won't lead. "PC" language is
> > creating an irrational and dangerous backlash among people who
> > understandably balk at being told how to speak and think. The moral is
> > that you should chose your fights carefully.
> >
> > Martin
> >
>
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