To not (yet) understand the purpose of pronouns in emails?

[Bobby80]

I'm aware this is a sensitive topic for some but I'm looking for some education on this. I didn't want to post in the gender issues boards as I thought I might come across as very ignorant and maybe I am! I also wanted a broad 'audience'.

Pronouns in emails- what's the purpose? Should I have my pronouns in my work email signature? We have no guidance on it at work so some people do and some don't. I don't feel the need personally to have a pronoun in mine but wouldn't want to offend others. Is the purpose of it for the send ie me or for the receiver or both? Is it really meaningful or a box ticking exercise?

[MyneighbourisTotoro]

I find it all bit confusing, I’ve never even considered myself to have a pronoun, I don’t even feel like I have a gender identity. I am just me which is female, I don’t identify as it as it’s just who I am.
I really don’t want to use pronouns for myself as it seems useless but I can see how it’s helpful to some people.

[DadOnIce]

What did people do about this 'problem' ten years ago, before jauntily aggressive pronoun-flaunting was the latest craze?

What is preventing them from doing the same now?

[UWhatNow]

@VestofAbsurdity

The most tolerant people I know IRL and at work are all men
Who put their pronouns on their emails without all this drama and fuss

That would be because it costs men nothing, it's a piece of piss for them to virtue signal. It's not the language men use to describe themselves that is being enforced, not their single sex spaces, services, sports, etc., that are being threatened.

If the men you refer to were truly tolerant they would welcome gender non conforming men into all their spaces, services, sports, etc., and celebrate them as part of the rich diversity of the male sex.

Well said. Do the posters on this thread who are defending this pronouns bollocks really not understand what is at stake for women? All women. 52% of the population. But not men, and not male bodied people - there is very little at risk for them.

[TheKeatingFive]

Do the posters on this thread who are defending this pronouns bollocks really not understand what is at stake for women?

The type of women most affected by the erosion of sex based rights are not high status. They are prisoners, abuse victims, orthodox religious.

I those defending the pronouns don't think there will be consequences for them personally and (deep down) don't care a whole lot about the type of women who will suffer.

[bellinisurge]

"No one is explaining why you need to know if someone is male or female."
The explanation is this:
All of a sudden we have to participate in people's personal validation . If we don't or, god forbid, aren't interested either way, we are bigots.

[Brefugee]

No one is explaining why you need to know if someone is male or female.

you don't. It is nothing to do with that. It is about being, or appearing to be, inclusive. to allowing people not to have to cover who they are, who may have mental health problems around spending all day answering to Mr Bloggs and doing the man things, then getting home and doing the girl things. Whatever they may be.

[Brefugee]

Poop. Posted when i meant to bold some text.

There isn't anything wrong as such, with wanting to be inclusive and ensuring that people feel comfortable. It only becomes a problem when there is forced participation (we Brits know a thing or two about that this week, right?) and forced acknowledgement of something they personally believe to be wrong.

There is a tension between people who believe that you cannot literally change sex, and those who do. Or don't believe in a gender identity, and those who do.

The real challenge in all this is to get the greatest number of people to experience the maximum amount of comfort, without causing the rest distress. I'm sure it will come with time. Or not.

[NicolaSixSix]

@Clarabe1

I sometimes put Mrs on my work emails because without being too outing I have a name that is considered male in Southern Europe. There are only so many times I can bear being called Mr or Sir! Otherwise it’s utter attention seeking bollocks

Don’t worry about your response being outing - lots of people caller Andrea out there

[MzHz]

@Yucca78

I hate them...when I see them I assume that the person writing is a twat

Me too. Every time

gives me the rage

[Livpool]

@midgetastic

How does pronouns harm women ?

It has been shown that reminding females of their sex makes them underperform.?pronouns in emails reminds females of their sex

It has been shown that making people aware that a person is female causes them to downgrade how they view that person - reject from interview for example a female but not a male with the same cv. Pronouns in emails will make it easier for men to disregard the email

How many examples would be enough ?

I agree with this.

I am a woman who works in IT/Texh and there is no way I want to bring to anyone's attention that I am female. I am one with a feminine name but why would I make it even more clear. It is hard enough for women in Tech

[DaSilvaP]

@UWhatNow

Well said. Do the posters on this thread who are defending this pronouns bollocks really not understand what is at stake for women? All women. 52% of the population. But not men, and not male bodied people - there is very little at risk for them.

Wait a second - pandering to this nonsense affects everyone - not only women.
If you start messing with what most basic concepts mean you make any reasoned discussion about idiotic dogmas just plain impossible - you make it very difficult to oppose nonsense as the meaning of words you want to use have been perverted beyond recognition.
What is at stake is massive gaslighting of the whole population, not only women.

[newsaint]

Dont put pronouns in your email - its a lot of rubbish.

People who do it are trying to make themselves look good.

The whole point is to normalise the nonsense of "transgenderism" and the idea that we can choose our own pronouns.

As someone else said its "bollocks".

[FlirtsWithRhinos]

I'm actually totally OK that some people want to to get together to recognise different types of personalities by specific names, have associated pronouns, and even agitate to have these identities recognised legally and socially. I just don't believe there is any moral justification to appropriate the existing names and pronouns associated with sex for some of these personality types, and I definitely don't see any moral or logical basis for the claim that giving yourself a sex-based label because you use it to mean something other than sex somehow then gives you the right to everything set up for the sex that previously used the same label.

[FlirtsWithRhinos]

Hilariously (in a not-funny-really way) all senior managers at our place have been pressurised into adding pronouns. Uptake in the rank and file is low.

So what declaring pronouns has actually done at our company is really emphasise how many of our managers are He/Hims.

I can't imagine how that weird imbalanace could have happened, can you?

[QuinkWashable]

I work with people who are majority English as a second language, from a variety of places.

They don't care if I'm male or female, I don't care if they're male or female, since most of our contact is digital. If they call me Sir (happens all the time) it really doesn't matter.

The only time my sex has been referred to, it's been in surprise at a woman being in my role. Because it doesn't matter. I'm damned if I'm going draw attention to it.

[Shitzngiggles]

When I get an email with pronouns in, I roll my eyes, mutter

[Shitzngiggles]

Oops don't know what happened there. Anyway I roll my eyes, mutter for fuck sake and think what a muppet.