On Thu, 2003-03-13 at 23:42, Sourangshu Bhattacharya wrote: > Gender bias is very *bad*. > > But talking about gender inequality where there isn't any is actually > *increasing* the inequality.
i think what runa meant was that words have a history. they are never sterile entries in a dictionary. the word 'witch' has a partcularly shameful patriarchal history. remember the witch-huntings, the burnings at stake. remember joan of arc. most of that was directed against women, and it continues to happen in rural india. therefore if a woman objects to a value-loaded word like that, i for one will not feel very sure that gender is irrelevant in this context. it's a sneaky bias, you know; it gains on you while you aren't noticing. that's why we got to notice it all the time. this has been my fist and last mail on this OT thread. - t. -- cogito, ergo es. -- To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the body "unsubscribe ilug-cal" and an empty subject line. FAQ: http://www.ilug-cal.org/node.php?id=3
