The new pronouns ze/zir and ze/hir

[mikey3000]

"Ze" Pronouns

Ze/hir pronouns: “Ze is a writer and wrote that book hirself. Those ideas are hirs. I like both hir and hir ideas.”

Ze/zir pronouns: “Ze is a writer and wrote that book zirself. Those ideas are zirs. I like both zir and zir ideas.”

https://www.mypronouns.org/ze-hir

Are you going to use these in your every day communications?

 

[SeaCore]

Ze/Zir/Zim really hasn't gained much traction so it's a set of pronouns that has largely fallen out of favor outside of a small group of people.
Personally, I doubt it'll be adopted by the popular consciousness because the terms sound largely unnatural. They/Them/Their as a singular, non-gendered, pronoun has existed for a long time now and we have a tendency to build upon what already exists. So that is likely to be the non-binary option that wins out.

I didn't like their page on explaining why pronouns matter. I think it rests on assumptions about its audience that it shouldn't; which is horribly ironic. It would be worthwhile for them to present the reason that we use these pronouns at all.
Though I do appreciate how on the page you linked to that the site acknowledges that pronoun usage can be an act of cultural disruption.

I no longer use gender pronouns unless its a quote so the answer to your question has to be 'no.' I don't even know what these words mean. You might not even be intended to know what they mean and I have a problem with that. But that's a separate conversation.

 

[Latimer]

I guess we'll have to forget about using languages where nouns have a gender.

 

[Croft85]

The whole thing is stupid in my opinion.

 

[Draven]

I guess whatever it takes to make yourself feel more special.

 

[rareboy]

Ze/Zir/Zim really hasn't gained much traction so it's a set of pronouns that has largely fallen out of favor outside of a small group of people.
Personally, I doubt it'll be adopted by the popular consciousness because the terms sound largely unnatural. They/Them/Their as a singular, non-gendered, pronoun has existed for a long time now and we have a tendency to build upon what already exists. So that is likely to be the non-binary option that wins out.

Pretty much covers it all.

 

[SeaCore]

The whole thing is stupid in my opinion.

Okay. Why does it come across as stupid? There's a lot to disagree with but I think there's a lot of people that don't necessarily understand the motivation behind stuff like this.

I guess whatever it takes to make yourself feel more special.

I don't understand the uncharitable interpretation. That this is just to feel special.

Couldn't there be earnest reasons that people are convinced that these pronouns are useful and should be adopted by the culture at large?

 

[Cormac135]

Sweet Jesus.

 

[gsdx]

Okay. Why does it come across as stupid? There's a lot to disagree with but I think there's a lot of people that don't necessarily understand the motivation behind stuff like this.


I don't understand the uncharitable interpretation. That this is just to feel special.

Couldn't there be earnest reasons that people are convinced that these pronouns are useful and should be adopted by the culture at large?

I've never heard of them and I doubt if I will ever use them. I don't even know how to pronounce them. To me, it's a way for people to stand out from the crowd. It's not unlike all the new words used: akse, mines, etc. They're acceptable, but they certainly aren't adopted by the culture at large.

 

[mbamike]

People have trouble using she/her when referring to me. They'll pop a vein on these pronouns.

 

[EJMichaels]

Even though it is sometimes awkward, I understand the desire and need for gender-neutral pronouns. However, it's more of a challenge to appreciate the chosen pronouns being independent of gender. The site explains that a person choosing to use "she" is not necessarily identifying as female, for example, and that gender is a private matter.

An interesting post on the matter by a teacher -- Why asking everyone their preferred personal pronoun is not a good idea

 

[Essex Boy]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and there is no escape from the law of unintended consequences.

A cautionary tale:

The story of Jane and the master of all masters.

 

[luckynumbah7]

Even though it is sometimes awkward, I understand the desire and need for gender-neutral pronouns. However, it's more of a challenge to appreciate the chosen pronouns being independent of gender. The site explains that a person choosing to use "she" is not necessarily identifying as female, for example, and that gender is a private matter.

An interesting post on the matter by a teacher -- Why asking everyone their preferred personal pronoun is not a good idea

I severely dislike getting asked in those types of contexts. I get asked at almost all medical appointments, barring Mazzoni's clinic, which makes no goddamn sense when I know the information has been updated everywhere else. At this point I'm pretty sure Penn & Jefferson have been using me to train their staff & students because they keep trotting them in and I'm tired of it. Nine times out of ten I don't even get asked if it'd alright. They started out asking - they don't anymore. They stopped asking years ago. Now I get "I'm Dr. ----- and 'these are the five interns (or the occasional colleague, the last one was a woman whose facial expression I was actually close enough to see and it looked like she was standing next to 4-days-in-the-summer-sun roadkill, and what a pleasant pinch of the face that was. Clearly didn't want to be there. White cane doesn't mean no vision, and boy do cis people let their expressions slide). And it's always phrased the same way, 'preferred', with many pairs of eyes peering at you as if the info isn't listed in the chart and hasn't already been clearly indicated in my medical file with the plethora of other possible deliberate presentational cues used by, oh, just about everybody.

And it is clear in the records. It's been in there for years and years and years. The next time I'm just gonna go around the room individually, starting with the students, and ask all their 'preferred pronouns'. I've already inquired whether my information was correct and if my pronoun was listed at the end of an appointment several times and gotten an "Oh, yes.", once complete with a very quick and rather unsurprising scuttle out of the room by the doctor after, since I'd waited to ask until the students had left (different appointment). Seems odd to me that the majority of my medical appointments still involve cis people gawking at me and claiming 'Respect!' Fuckers.

 

[Alnitak]

I wonder what the Anglo-Saxons thought when the Vikings introduced they/their into the English language.

 

[Thad1527]

I can imagine the "hilarity" in middle school classrooms if students were asked their pronouns. Middle schoolers are not often discerning and can be unkind. And the vast majority of people visually represent their gender identity.

BUT I believe it's important to treat people with respect and to refer to them by the names and pronouns they prefer. It's common courtesy.

I'm dealing with the singular use of "they/their." English is a changing, adapting language.

 

[USEDCAR]

I can imagine job applications having a list of "new genders". This is getting out of hand

 

[rareboy]

I can imagine the "hilarity" in middle school classrooms if students were asked their pronouns. Middle schoolers are not often discerning and can be unkind. And the vast majority of people visually represent their gender identity.

BUT I believe it's important to treat people with respect and to refer to them by the names and pronouns they prefer. It's common courtesy.

I'm dealing with the singular use of "they/their." English is a changing, adapting language.

Just sayin'.

It costs me nothing to do it.