Today's post is not really book related, rather writing related, and something that I really wanted to discuss and get other people's opinion on.
So the other day in my religion class, my teacher handed back a writing assignment that we had done. When my friend got hers back, she noticed that she had gotten a mark off next to a word in her assignment: mankind. When she asked our teacher, the teacher told her that she had taken the mark off because she should have stayed gender neutral in her assignment, thus using "humankind" instead of "mankind," because it implies that she is only talking about men. We were all kind of baffled about this because we had never been told this in any other classes before, mankind is just something you put without even thinking about it. I've never taken offence with someone using "mankind." That's when I knew I had to make a blog post on this and get some other opinions.
This teacher in particular is very big on gender neutrality. Even in another assignment that I had done, which was about the legalization of prostitution, I referenced women as being the prostitutes I would focus on, as they are typically the gender that goes into forced prostitution, and typically are more likely to be abused. But she insisted that I change "women" to "people."
This whole debate sparked her to do an entire lesson on remaining gender neutral and insisting that this notion should have been taught to us years before. But the truth was, it hadn't. Literally none of my other teachers in my entire life have even given a second glance at the word: mankind. And I haven't either. It's just one of those words that you obviously know isn't just referencing a man, but just uses man because unfortunately when the English language came to be, it was a male-dominated society.
I can't help but think that there are worse problems in the world. It sounds harsh, but to be honest, all of the females in the room agreed that we were not and probably never will be offended by the word: mankind. It's just something that we're used to. But then I began thinking about the topic further, and thought about what a non-binary, genderqueer or genderfluid person might think about using mankind? Some people do not identify with being just male or just female, so would they prefer using humankind to be inclusive of all gender types? So should we all make the switch?
The point I'm trying to maker here is, that the teenagers of today, or at least all of the ones I talked to about the subject, are not really affected by the use of masculine words in writing. We simply just don't care either way. But that doesn't mean that it's not a problem and really I think you could argue either way.
So please, share your opinions with me because I'm dying to know what other people think about this. And especially if you identify under a different gender umbrella, I'd love for you to educate me.
Emily @ Paperback Princess
This is such an interesting post, Emily! I agree that I'm not offended by mankind. It's just another word that refers to the human population, has been for centuries. I think you need only stay gender neutral if someone has specifically stated that's how they'd like to be addressed, or if you aren't sure on someone's preferred pronouns. But if you're deliberately talking about men or women then there's nothing wrong with not staying gender neutral. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with staying gender neutral in writing either! It's quite a personal thing I think.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree! It is a personal thing that I think could be switched up depending on if the person prefers to stay gender neutral or not. But this teacher was so adamant about never using masculine forms ever again, that it felt a little excessive to me. Thanks Charlotte for your thoughts!
DeleteInteresting! It's never something I've really thought of, I've never seen mankind to be something to be offended by. I'd never have even thought of using a gender neutral term instead. Despite having man literally in the name, it's doesn't really occur to me that it is actually a gender specific word. I would have to say taking points off is pretty excessive and I think it all depends on the context you're using the term in.
ReplyDeleteIt never really occurred to me that it's a gender specific word either! Like I said, I literally never think about what words I'm putting down. It's quite interesting to think about!
DeleteI'm not bothered by the word 'mankind' but would def. encourage a move towards humankind or, I dunno, *people.* I think, as long as you were clear that you were talking about women in terms of prostitution, there was no reason to change it.
ReplyDeleteI would not take a mark away for *not* using gender neutral language, but focus instead on encouraging using it more. That way, people aren't subconsciously associating gender neutral language with a negative experience.
Good point, Cee! I think it was unfair for her to take marks off, because we aren't usually aware and have never really been taught to use neutral language. But she did raise awareness on it, which was a good thing.
DeleteI understand your point, Emily. I definitely do not feel offended by mankind, but I also think it's nice that your teacher is worried about teaching on gender neutrality.
ReplyDeleteI mean, English language and many others were created hundreds of years ago, and it hasn't changed a lot. If we look at words and expresions we use in our day-to-day life, they may seem harmless, but if we take a closer look, we'll realize how "sexist" or "offensive" they can be.
I definitely don't think "mankind" is this type of word, but I think this thought opens a discussion on how we should look at these expressions that don't fit our reality anymore. For example, if someone around me uses the expression "man up" to ask for a braver attitude, I'd feel offended, because it is inferring that woman are not brave enough then.
I think the same goes for "gender neutral" words. Although we are already used to it, as you said, others can feel offended.
I'm sorry for the long rant, but I was thinking about this recently, since there are a lot of words in Portuguese language with an offensive background and how I've decided not to use them anymore. It's a hard exercise, I have to say, because we're so used to them already, but I think it's important!
Thank you for such an insightful comment, Lais! Don't apologize. I definitely do not like phrases like "man up." Those are explicitly sexist phrases and I choose not to use them. You're right, if we look deep in the English language, we can see how offensive it actually could be. I give a lot of credit to people who study it lol! I'm sorry that it happens in Portuguese as well! I guess there's really no escaping it in any language.
DeleteI don't exactly feel offended about mankind because I'm used to it, just like you. Most people don't care because like you said, most people aren't gender fluid, but I think a gender fluid person would think very differently about this matter. It's also hard to correct something that has been a specific way for so long, but small changes, like what your teacher is trying to teach your class, are how you start a bigger change.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Thank you for your comment! I definitely agree that it's hard to make changes when this has been the norm for so long, but it is starting up a conversation :)
DeleteWhat an intriguing topic for thought- it's something I haven't really paid attention to at all too. I guess if you're willing to make the change, humankind would be a rather better choice compared to mankind, though I personally wouldn't take offense at anyone using the latter.
ReplyDeleteI would be very willing to make the change, however I think it would be very hard for everyone to. I don't think our society has fully grasped the concept of equality between the genders, and so this this change would not have a hold. It helps that we're talking about it, though! Thanks Ruzaika :)
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