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ArticlesYou are in: Oxford > BBC Oxford > Articles > The 'Bill' Board!  The 'Bill' Board!BBC Oxford's 'Silver Fox' is never short of an opinion or two. Every Monday you can read all about Mr Heine's latest musings! A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME? What do the words ‘fireman’, ‘air hostess’, ‘headmaster’, ‘policeman’, ‘salesman’, ‘manageress’, ‘cinema usherette’ and ‘male nurse’ have in common? They are all sexist, according to the European Union. A new pamphlet issued to MEPs and their staff suggests these terms should be banned in favour of “non-sexist, gender-neutral language.” That means MEPs need to replace ‘sportsmen’ or ‘sportswoman’ with ‘athlete’. Man-made becomes ‘synthetic’ or ‘artificial.’ Statesmen are now ‘political leaders’. And Mr or Mrs or Miss are all verboten. But where does that leave ‘The Ladies’ and ‘The Gents’ when you want to spend a penny? Should we have unisex loos? The students’ union did just that at Manchester University. But their argument was even more wonderful. ‘The Ladies and Gents’ not only had class overtones, but these words positively discriminated against trans-gendered people and cross-dressers, who should have their own loo. Since they can’t, on the basis of fairness, all of the loos must be open to all of the people. This saga could come to a cinema or council near you; because it is certainly coming closer to home. Weymouth Carnival Organizers have decided not to hold a beauty queen pageant on the grounds that it was sexist and did not ‘promote equal opportunities.’ Their argument was that "the carnival queen contest is a closed shop that only applies to young, glamorous women and we think it is time for a change." So now they have a ‘Carnival Community Champion’. Our verbal variety is definitely under attack. But what could this mean for man - or woman - kind? last updated: 19/03/2009 at 11:56 Have Your SayRebecca nandini Greg Gerald Alan Answering your plea. David You are in: Oxford > BBC Oxford > Articles > The 'Bill' Board! |
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