Re: Usenet Legal Problems?

In article <09gc64dg8d7qfesr98esanulcdgtkn3sto@xxxxxxx>,
Chuck Riggs <chriggs@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 27 Jun 2008 19:44:17 GMT, blmblm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blmblm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <X399k.19924$co7.12691@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Maria C. <noname@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Chuck Riggs wrote:

[ snip ]

If we can still call a chairman a chairman, not succumbing to the
prissy "chairperson", why can't we talk about congressmen, if you are
still there, Maria? It is only a word, alter all, not an allusion to a
woman's sexual apparatus.

[ snip ]

Well, a more militant sort might claim that it robs them (men)
of the assumption that by default humans (and especially humans
in positions of authority) are male. I'm inclined to think that
sticking with the traditional "-man" forms as the norm does
reinforce a subtle and possibly not conscious assumption that
the person filling the role will normally be male.

[ snip ]

You know, it hadn't even occurred to me that someone might think the
chairman of a committee was the "superior" member. In many cases, he
or she is the organizer, the notetaker or the person first assigned to
the committee, but not necessarily the prime mover or even one of
major players.

Oh, are we talking about *committees* .... I'm an academic, so
my default mental interpretation of chair/chairman/chairwoman is
"head of an academic department".

Then again, it's not clear that the head of an academic department
is necessarily a prime mover or major player either -- perhaps
it varies from institution to institution, but my perception is
that it may involve more tedious administrative chores than
decision-making power.

For what it's worth, at my current place of employment, I think we
mostly call them chairs. Heads of (at least some) committees are
officially (though not in common usage) referred to as "conveners".

--
B. L. Massingill
ObDisclaimer: I don't speak for my employers; they return the favor.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: sponsored groups
    ... am I the trouble maker? ... I am worried that perhaps I'm causing too much hassle when none is needed, ... No-one on the committee should really be doing anything behind anyone's ...
    (uk.rec.scouting)
  • Re: My local Missouri morons are at it again.
    ... in committee and dies a natural death. ...
    (sci.geo.geology)
  • Re: Please clarify European resistor value notation for me
    ... The EDIF "standard" was created by a committee. ... I love to cook with wine. ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: HR tactic -- never seen before
    ... Towards the end of my time there, I concluded that, since many of the committee members were long-time employees close to retirement, they were primarily interested in negotiating a benefit package for themselves, leaving everyone else to be satisfied with whatever crumbs were provided in the contract. ... they were very aggressive about defending the membership and attacking manangement whenever management tried to pull off some shit on the underlings. ...
    (sci.research.careers)
  • Re: Obesity blackspot towns revealed - Discrimination Against Fat Northern Bastards??
    ... >I can show you much cheaper property than that....very much cheaper. ... Mind you she was not studiously developing a fat northern arse courtesy of copious volumes of 'Pie & Chips' and ale. ... occurrence of pain it would be wise to desist in the banging of my head ...
    (uk.politics.misc)
Loading