Capital M

[UnaCorda]

Just wanted to share that the word "mum", when used as a noun, does not have a capital 'm'.

It particularly doesn't have a capital 'm' when used after the words, "as a"...

(Yes, I'm bored.)

@Fandajji

Is God, God regardless?

I'm sure I was taught in Sunday school to never, ever lowercase God. Ever.

God is great.
I think that believing in a God is outdated.

I just can't risk my soul.

But you'd talk about Greek or Roman gods (for example).

@OnTheFencePaint

This is not an error I remember noticing particularly, but it’s surely an easy mistake to make, given the name ‘Mum’ and the general noun ‘mum’...

I think this is a case of putting 2 + 2 together and getting orange elephants.

Do you have any more concrete examples of ‘pro-natalism’?

orange elephants

Difficult to give concrete examples, as it tends to be subtle insidious things like people assuming that childless colleagues can stay late or won't want to take any time off during school holidays. Childless adults being put on the kids' table at parties, that sort of thing. Not earth-shattering, but potentially damaging to one's self-esteem.

@JammyHands

I used to have a manager who wrote it ‘Manager’.

Yes, she was utterly crap in every way possible.

As in "I am your Manager"? Yes, that rather smacks of self-importance.

@UnaCorda

Do the people who think I'm being unreasonable:

a) Think I'm wrong about the grammar? (I'm not.)
b) Think mothers are more important than non-mothers and should therefore always have a capital letter?
c) Think it's not worth worrying about? (Fair enough, but I did say I'm bored.)

C

Being a childless women is a significant part of my identity, but not the whole of it.

You made what I assume is a typo or autocorrect error here, can we berate you for using the plural of 'woman' incorrectly?
What's wrong with woman, singular? We should be proud to be alone and independent, not tolerate being grouped together with other wome, etc.

My SIL was unable to conceive naturally and I'll never forget the utter anguish she went through. I wouldn't wish what she's gone through on anyone. She is the best Aunt though!

@Ohtherewearethen

Being a childless women is a significant part of my identity, but not the whole of it.

You made what I assume is a typo or autocorrect error here, can we berate you for using the plural of 'woman' incorrectly?
What's wrong with woman, singular? We should be proud to be alone and independent, not tolerate being grouped together with other wome, etc.

You can if you want. It's only fair.

And yes, we absolutely should be proud to be alone and independent.

@NYMM

My SIL was unable to conceive naturally and I'll never forget the utter anguish she went through. I wouldn't wish what she's gone through on anyone. She is the best Aunt though!

Funny how you aren't objecting to the capitalisation of aunt, OP.

"We" being mothers and "you" being not mothers, I suppose.

Honestly, I assumed that poster meant 'we' as in people who agree with me and 'you' as in you and those who agree with you. Which, to my mind, makes much more sense in the context since it's the specific issue under discussion.

I can appreciate that it came across as 'othering' to you, and perhaps your awareness of pronatalism in other areas of your life has heightened your sensitivity towards language around the debate, but I think it is a little unfair to interpret an ambiguous statement in the most negative way possible and use that to accuse someone of 'othering'.

You clearly feel strongly that you are treated less fairly than mothers in some areas, but it seems as though focussing your attention on this relatively minor aspect of that issue might be muddying the waters, when what's really needed is a change in the way society views women because, regardless of whether they have children or not, sex-based discrimination is at the heart of the problem.

You clearly feel strongly that you are treated less fairly than mothers in some areas, but it seems as though focussing your attention on this relatively minor aspect of that issue might be muddying the waters, when what's really needed is a change in the way society views women because, regardless of whether they have children or not, sex-based discrimination is at the heart of the problem.

You could well be right there, yes.

@user1495884620

Funny how you aren't objecting to the capitalisation of aunt, OP.

I am. Just tacitly.

@BoyTree's last paragraph has hit it in one. The same attitude you describe, OP, could as easily apply to being single vs being in a relationship. Are single women looked down upon in our society? Bridget Jones certainly felt so - remember the dinner party scene? WHY are they looked down upon, if they are? WHO looks down upon them? Married women? Men? And who makes these ridiculous rules regarding what's worthy and what isn't? If we could all live and let live the world would be a much happier place.

The patriarchy comment was to show that women - regardless of the usage their reproductive systems get - are still systemically oppressed by the half of the population with the other type of reproductive system. But no, apparently, women can't collectively organise against that because we have to get one over each other about the relative importance of women to one another on the basis of shoddy grammar. This is why Women's rights are taking so bloody long to achieve.

OP, this is the world where some folks use Chester Draws to describe furniture in for sale listings. Try to accept that not everyone does well with spelling and grammar and use your energy to fight the bigger fight.

I'm sorry the capital M makes you feel that way op Especially if you are struggling to have children and probably this is why it's something that you have noticed.
My very close friend is unable to have children and we discussed something very similar recently. I know I probably don't do her much justice in our discussions as I have children and can never fully understand how she ( and you maybe?) Feel.

You've been able to request flexible working since 2014 OP. You could at least do some research rather than making up reasons you feel discriminated against.

Grammatically you are correct, but you are reading way too much into poor grammar...

[quote ArtemisBean]@BoyTree's last paragraph has hit it in one. The same attitude you describe, OP, could as easily apply to being single vs being in a relationship. Are single women looked down upon in our society? Bridget Jones certainly felt so - remember the dinner party scene? WHY are they looked down upon, if they are? WHO looks down upon them? Married women? Men? And who makes these ridiculous rules regarding what's worthy and what isn't? If we could all live and let live the world would be a much happier place.[/quote]
Yes, I think single women are looked down on. Being single isn't nearly as difficult, I'm sure, as being black or being disabled, but still a bit shit to feel you're regarded as being lower down the pecking order.

@beautifulxdisasters

You've been able to request flexible working since 2014 OP. You could at least do some research rather than making up reasons you feel discriminated against.

Grammatically you are correct, but you are reading way too much into poor grammar...

I'm not "making up reasons", I just misremembered how long ago it was. It's still relatively recent when compared with other discriminatory legislation.