Rob Bryson & Ruth Jones

[CaveMum]

Just listened to the latest episode of Rob Brydon’s podcast where he interviews his long-term friend Ruth Jones.

I thought this exchange at the start was interesting - they know.

Ruth: “It's a lovely intro. Very, very nice. It always makes me interested when people describe me as an actor, because I think of myself as an actress.

Rob: I am being very politically correct.

Ruth: You are, but I always correct people's political correctness when it comes to describing me as an actress.

Rob: I'd rather say actress. I would naturally say actress.

Ruth: Thank you. And it's funny because sometimes I've been introduced or I've read an introduction to something I've been doing and they've called me an actor. I said, oh no, I'm an actress.

And they go, well, no, it's our policy to call you an actor. I go, I know, but I identify as an actress.

Rob: Once you decide to identify, won't be tied anybody who gets, I identify as five foot 10.

Why is that funny? That's what I'm identifying as. How tall am I, Ruth?

Ruth: Oh, maybe you are five foot 10. Are you?

Rob: No, I'm five foot seven. Maybe five foot six and a half now. But I'm identifying as five foot 10.

So I'll ask you again, how tall am I?

Ruth: You're five foot 10.

Rob: Thank you. We're too old for all this, aren't we?

Ruth: Oh, I don't understand it. Anyway, you can't even talk about not understanding anything, can you? You just have to go, I'm old.

I can't hear very well now. So just leave me out of the conversation. Thank you.”

From Brydon &: Ruth Jones, 13 Jun 2024
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brydon/id1687943454?i=1000658813656
This material may be protected by copyright.

The New York Times still does it - very quaint. "Mr Pop and Mr Bowie" in an article about Iggy taking David Bowie to meet his parents.

The New York Times still does it - very quaint. "Mr Pop and Mr Bowie" in an article about Iggy taking David Bowie to meet his parents.

How do they refer to celebs who are always referred to by one name? Or from other cultures which don't use these titles?

Haha the Economist can be like that too in house style and will add occupation for the High Court Judges amongst its readers who may be uncertain… eg Ms Ciccione, a singer…

The whole thing is a bit weird. I used to know a Chairperson who would refer to herself as “Chairman,” which I always hated because she was in a prestigious role and it seemed to deny somehow that a woman could do the job even though she was doing it fantastically. She probably hated the neologism of Chairperson but I wished she’d just shorten it to Chair…

I remember hearing ages ago (the then) Puff Daddy referred to as 'Mr Daddy'!

which to me suggests that they see "customer" as an organisational role, too,

I get (mildly) irritated when perfectly good words are elbowed out in order to lessen the information available in language.

"Customer" replacing existing words is a good example. Why change "passenger" to "customer" ? And if we are "just being honest with language" (which was the excuse U heard in the 1980s) then why are "patients" now not "customer". Or "students" ?

The reason why papers tend not to use titles is that it's simpler. It's a pain having to check whether a woman prefers Ms, Miss or Mrs (though some papers do use Ms for all women), and then there's always the risk of offending someone if you call them Mr/Ms when they should be Dr or Rev or whatever.

More prosaically, it also saves on wordcount, though perhaps that isn't the main consideration!

Colleague is one that gets me too when it is being used to refer to shop assistants. Nope, they are not my colleagues. Feel free to use job titles that accurately describe their jobs if shop assistant isn't adequate but colleague is not a job title.

Students may not be called customers but many act like very demanding, totally unreasonable, customers. It would be amazing if they went back to recognising that being a student requires effort on their part too.

I think sometimes words that describe roles are changed because the original is deemed to suggest a more lowly status. So instead of actually improving working conditions, making efforts to increase respect for all roles, they rename them and carry on treating people the same way.

Students may not be called customers but many act like very demanding, totally unreasonable, customers.

If they are paying, then they have that prerogative - I have no problem with that.

In one sense this entire election is the public being asked if they are happy with the service they are receiving in return for the money taken from them at gunpoint. And - shockingly - it seems many aren't.

I have a massive problem with it. They are paying to avail of an education. Nobody can educate someone else. We can provide them with the resources necessary but they need to work to get that education and to take responsibility for that education.

They are paying to avail of an education.

Which means they are entitled to consumer protection, just like humans

The first universities were set up in the city-states of Italy where students clubbed together to hire lecturers, arrange accommodation, courses and facilities.

If - as the UK has done - you make education a commodity to be traded in (we have) then don't be all faux upset when the consumers want some value. I know it's a quaint idea and all that. But paying pipers and all that.

See also: health. Roads. Waste collections. Water. Electricity.

Whoever mentioned Seamstress vs Tailor; Seamtress and tailor are different jobs. A woman would be a Tailoress ( meaning they design clothing and make original patterns not just follow an existing pattern like a seamstress).

Firstly, I am not in the UK. Secondly, I have no issue whatsoever with students being provided with consumer protections. I also have no issue with appropriate supports and facilities being provided. In fact, I think it is essential they are provided with those.

I do have an issue with students expecting to be handed a degree with next to no effort on their part. Many students expect to be completely spoon fed. That is not education. In order to obtain an education, you need to actually engage with the subject and be proactive in your learning.

I have some amazing students who recognise this and who achieve highly. I also have students who regularly whinge that the grade they achieved is lower than they deserve when they have made no effort to engage or even attend lectures/labs.

Edited to say - value for their money would be them leaving after their 4 years at university with an ability to learn through self-direction. Spoon feeding is not value for their money, despite what many think.

Generally I prefer the neutral terms, but actress feels slightly different, I probably still use actress.
Royalty still seems to have sexed terms, what would the neutral king/queen be? Ruler (thinks 30cm😆)?

Monarch would be the neutral king/queen.

In Dutch the word for a male nurse is 'brother' (broeder), still in use as is the neutral "verpleegkundige" literal meaning 'person knowledgeable about nursing (in the taking care of sick people meaning)".

Yeah, but which actor played King Lear on the stage in 2016. Trick question!

Don’t go to Disney - all workers are Cast Members!

Yeah, but which actor played King Lear on the stage in 2016. Trick question!

Probably quite a lot of them! Including Don Warrington and Glenda Jackson. Many Shakespeare roles can be played well by either sex (though of course it's almost de rigeur for many productions recently to gush about 'gender' with that special twinkly emphasis as if men playing 'female' roles and vv was unusual )

Which more or less defies the idea that you can infer the sex from the character played. Yes, I was referring to Glenda Jackson.

Head and Chair will do for anyone and avoids risk of offending . Mostly .

How about Act-person?

Jewess isn't a nice way to refer to someone, it has a ring of the Reich about it. Jewish is better .

We have a lady roofer round our way, and a handylady.

Nice. I bet they get plenty of work, too. A handylady would be very popular with other women.

There an & Daughter window cleaning company where I live.

The etymology of 'nurse' is from the one inherently sexed occupation in existence - it's derived from the same root as 'nourish', and of course we still refer to 'nursing mothers'.

www.etymonline.com/word/nurse

Does that overlap with wet nurse then, @ErrolTheDragon ? Now there’s a job that could only be advertised for women!

Sadly not. Just get the right blend of hormones and a natural born man can produce something that resembles human milk.