Not totally related to feminism but a fascinating example of academic wokery

Back when I lived a different sort of life surrounded by wealthy Westerners with live in "maids" who were any combination of cleaners or nannies or cooks or all three, I didn't like it when people said "My maid is really annoying." "My maid has such a funny way of doing X." or "My maid is so lovely."

These women were all Filipina and it reeked of colonialism, privilege and reducing the identity of these women to the point of eradication. And it also reflected how they were treated - not directly abusively in these houses, but definitely without regard to the dire life circumstances the woman cooking for their children found herself in in order to provide money for her mother to cook for her own children back home.

I can see where this guy is coming from but he's just got too much time on his hands. (I'm assuming he identifies as male MNHQ). He's taking something and just distorting it out of all sense.

If PhD students are treated with zero respect then he may have a point, but that's not what I've seen (not that academia treats many people well).

So 'my friend', 'my colleague ', 'my mother' are out of bounds too now?

I wonder what he'd make of "Oh my God!"?

'My' often signifies responsibility rather than 'ownership'.

He does have a slightly valid point, but takes it to ridiculous extremes.

There is a feminist aspect to it. For example being referred to as 'my wife', rather than by your name, reduces you to a possession - unless the relationship is relevant.

Mental masturbation is a great phrase!

"My" means associated with, as well as belonging to. Nobody thinks i'm making myself mayor when i refer to "my" home town.

I do hope there is a post - 2010s era of a return to common sense.

Personally I think its a very male point of view, to consider everything in terms of possession rather than belonging.
It wouldn't occur to me to think someone who said 'my student' was being possessive. Its verbal shorthand for 'a student in my class', as in belonging to the group.

I read this and thought Oh My Goodness or should I say Oh, a Goodness That I Think Of

WTF indeed! Creation of pointless clunkier phrasing because he has gazed at his navel so hard that he has turned himself inside out.

Some of the replies are reassuring though. I can't help wondering how much work individuals like that do when they seem to spend most of their time in mental masturbation.

I mean...
It's good to be considerate in language choice but it is tricky to unpick decades of saying a certain thing.

I was told not to say 'that's a good question' as it's condescending.
But how can it be if I know I'm sincere?
Also, what I'm meant to say instead is 'I'm glad you asked that' and sometimes I'm really not glad at all. Sometimes I want to finish early and get a pot noodle.

Fucking hell. That would make conference small talk even more long winded and boring.