labingi: (Default)
[personal profile] labingi
I was just reading [personal profile] veleda_k's great post on gender in The Lego Movie and commenting on how I worry about how messages like this affect my kids, but it put me in mind of a more hopeful recent gender moment with my son.

I've been reading him The Lord of the Rings, and we came across some line (I don't remember exactly) like whoever has the Ring, it will corrupt "him":

Son: Who's "him"?

Me: Whoever gets the Ring, whoever possesses it.

Son: But it could be a woman.

Me: That's true, but this older English from a time when "he" meant any random person, including women.

(Son looks at me like both I and the world are insane.)

Me: One day I will show you the Blake's 7 episode where Avon uses "he" (actually "his") to refer to a group of one man and two women.

(Son looks even more dubious.)

(Mom's heart is profoundly encouraged.)

Date: 2017-07-21 08:21 am (UTC)
lilacsigil: 12 Apostles rocks, text "Rock On" (12 Apostles)
From: [personal profile] lilacsigil
I am also profoundly encouraged! Thank you for sharing this!

Date: 2017-07-22 12:12 am (UTC)
vilakins: (jenna lion)
From: [personal profile] vilakins
You're a great parent!

Which episode was that? B7 was generally (with the egregious exception of the three Steed-written eps) pretty good with their strong women.

Date: 2017-07-22 06:38 am (UTC)
vilakins: Vila with stars superimposed (cross)
From: [personal profile] vilakins
Yet singular "their" has been used since Chaucer. No excuse for that sort of mindless sexism, unless he was being pointed about Vila.

Profile

labingi: (Default)
labingi

July 2025

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 21st, 2025 03:53 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios