James and Caucasian Chris, Perhaps you don't believe me, but I really was trying to help. It's difficult to convey tone in email and apparently, I didn't do a very good job of conveying my intention. And perhaps there was some condescension in my message. I apologize for that. I'm far from perfect. I didn't reply to the original post about looking for a new relationship and I have no interest in making him feel bad. I replied to the back and forth about whether "female" was a degrading term. I think it is. It's not as extreme as many other terms, but compared to "woman", "female" is somewhat dehumanizing because "female" is mainly an adjective that applies without regard to species, so it applies equally to other animals and plants. "Woman" is a noun that indicates only a female human, no other animal or plant. I suggested asking some women which term they prefer. I'll try to remember to do that myself. Perhaps my assumption is incorrect. I don't exclude myself from the suggestion to "...examine your attitudes toward women...". We were all raised in a racist, sexist culture. I find it a continual struggle to treat everyone as equals and to get over the cultural conditioning I grew up with. The words we use matter. Of course, you can use whatever words you want, but they may have effects you don't want. I've noticed that people (like police and some computer geeks I work with) who use the word "female" to refer to women, generally don't connect as well with women. I could be wrong. Best wishes, Eli
________________________________ From: G-List on behalf of James Fraser Sent: Sat 11/5/2005 2:56 AM To: G-List Subject: Re: [G] A request from the List Mom on 11/4/05 10:52 PM, Eli Bowen at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > You might want to examine your attitudes toward women while you are > looking to meet one. Awesome! Thanks for the lecture. You know, from time to time, I fret over the possibility of my being an unfeeling cad. However, after reading your email, I've come to realize that never, even on my worst days, could I write anything like that. I mean, I've heard of kicking a man when he's down, but what you wrote just passes belief. [shakes head in amazement] I thought that the original request put forth by the list mom was a plea for help and understanding and *not* an opportunity for people to deliver condescending "change your attitude" BS. If I had one wish, it would simply be that people who feel they have to save the planet...get a planet of their own to save. Far away from the one everyone else is busy trying to live on. I'm in a right state now. Sorry everyone. [blushes guiltily] James Fraser -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
