Nonsexist language - Empowering women, dethroning men

Journal of Psychiatry and Law

Volumn 35, Issue 1, 2007, Pages 77-104

  Slovenko, Ralph ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EMPOWERMENT; FEMINISM; HUMAN; LANGUAGE; LINGUISTICS; NOTE; ROLE CHANGE; SEXISM; SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY; SOCIAL STATUS;

EID: 34250612617     PISSN: 00931853     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/009318530703500110     Document Type: Note

References (96)

1. Crystal, D. (2006). How Language Works (New York, NY: Overlook Press), p. 313.
2. Miller and Swift wrote "Words and Women" published by Doubleday and in 1991 by HarperCollins, and "The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing" published in 1980 by HarperCollins. They also wrote many articles on sexism in English that appeared in national periodicals and in more than 30 anthologies and textbooks. Miller passed away in 1997. An obituary appeared in L. Van Gelder, "Casey Miller, 77, a Promoter of Using Nonsexist Language," New York Times, January 8, 1997, p. 13. Miller and Swift apparently never married. Miller was the daughter of Walter Siegrist and Laura Casey (Geddes) Miller - she took her mother's name. She served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, active duty, 1943-46, and became lieutenant junior grade. Swift too saw military/wartime service in the U.S. Army, Women's Army Corps, 1945-46.
3. Rosalie Maggio, with whom I have had an extensive correspondence, has carried on with the campaign to achieve nonsexist language. See, e.g., Maggio, R. (1988). The Nonsexist Word Finder: A Dictionary of Gender-Free Usage (Boston, MA: Beacon Press);
4. and (1991) The Dictionary of Bias-Free Usage: A Guide to Nondiscriminatory Language (Phoenix, AZ: Oryx).
5. See also Schwartz, M. (1995) and the Task Force on Bias-Free Language of the Association of American University Presses, Guidelines for Bias-Free Writing (Bloomington, IL: Indiana University Press).
6. Bodine, L. (March, 1989). "Foot-in-Mouth Disease," American Bar Association Journal, p. 1.
7. See Eckert, P. & McConnell-Ginet, S. (2003). Language and Gender (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press), pp. 251-253.
8. Bem, S.L. (1974). "The Measurement of Psychological Andgrogyny," Journal. of Consulting & Clinical Androgyny 42:155.
9. Clotaire Rapaille of Archetype Discoveries Worldwide says that Italian men have a strong feminine side, so they connect very easily with women. Rapaille writes, "Even foreign women respond differently to Italian men than they do to men of other cultures. While in their home country, women might be offended if men whistled at them (think of an American woman passing construction workers), they are often charmed if the same thing happens on an Italian street. Largely, this is because Italian men make it clear that their attentions are in fun and neither threatening nor salacious in any way; their strong natural connection to women makes it easy for them to convey this." Rapaille, C. (2006). The Culture Code (New York, NY: Random House), p. 45.
10. Dowd, M. (September 6, 2006). "New Themes for the Same Old Songs," New York Times, p. 21.
11. Tyrangiel, J. (May 29, 2006) (cover story), "In the Line of Fire," Time, p. 60 at 62.
12. Mansfield, H.C. (2006). Manliness (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press). In Manliness, Mansfield urges a reconsideration of the merits of male protectiveness and assertiveness.
13. See Sommers, C.H. (April 10, 2006). "Being a Man," Weekly Standard, p. 37. Mansfield is regarded as a foe of feminism because of his opposition to women's studies.
14. Nussbaum, M.C. (June 26, 2006). "Man Overboard," New Republic, p. 28;
15. see also Richardson, L. (October 16, 1999). "The Mentor Conservatives Turn to for Inspiration," New York Times, p. 17.
16. Barzun, J. (Summer, 1974). "A Few Words on a Few Words," Columbia Forum, p. 19.
17. Quoted in Crumm, D. (November 14, 1994). "Scholars make Bible politically correct," Detroit Free Press, p. 1.
18. The premise of Dan Brown's (2003) controversial The DaVinci Code (New York, NY: Doubleday) is that Jesus of Nazareth was a "great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal." The Brown theology holds that Jesus was a proto-feminist married to Mary of Magdala, his favorite disciple and the mother of his offspring. This Jesus, writes Peter J. Boyer, preached a message that was in harmony with goddess worship, and the early Christians practiced a life-affirming faith devoted to the "sacred feminine" until, in the fourth century, a Catholic power play replaced this true Christianity with the patriarchal, sin-and-atonement version.
19. Boyer, P.J. (May 22, 2006). "Hollywood Heresy," New Yorker, p. 34.
20. Lawler, P.F. (April 1, 1997). "Our Father, by Popular Demand," Wall Street Journal, p. 18. Dr. Sally T. Knight tells me that when she started attending a Methodist Church in New Orleans about ten years ago after an extended absence, she found that "Our Abba who art in heaven," had replaced "Our Father who art in heaven" in the Lord's Prayer. (One elderly male traditionalist shouted out "Our Father . . .") A few weeks later, the minister opened his prayer with, "God, our Mother and Father. . ." Further, she found that a few hymns had been "neutralized." Most did not lend themselves to this alteration, but some did. As Christmas approached, she wondered if the phrase "Peace on Earth, good will to men" would be changed, and if we would all be singing, "God rest ye merry gentlepeople," but the traditional versions were left intact. After hearing "Abba" for a few weeks, Dr. Knight looked it up and found that it was a title given to bishops in the Coptic Church. Wondering why the Methodist Church she attended had adopted it, she learned from the minister a few weeks later that Abba is the first sound a baby makes, regardless of its gender. Thus, Abba was considered genderless. Personal communication to Ralph Slovenko from Dr. Sally T. Knight (November 8, 2006). Donald Hook and Alvin Kimel "demonstrate that the divine title 'Father' possesses privileged and foundational status within Christian discourse" and that alternative nomenclature, specifically the use of "Mother," is illegitimate. They argue that this result follows from the fact that Jesus authoritatively invoked God as "Abba" or Father with a causal account of reference according to which current attempts to invoke or refer to God do so to the extent that they figure on a causal chain which originates in Jesus' authoritative act of dubbing.
21. Hook, D.D. & Kimel, A.F. (1995). "Calling God 'Father': A Theolinguistic Analysis," Faith and Philosophy 12:216;
22. criticized in Baber, H.E. (1999). "Abba, Father: Inclusive Language and Theological Salience," Faith and Philosophy 16:423. Not too long ago, some Catholic women urged Pope John Paul to infallibly declare Mary, the mother of Jesus as "Co-Redemptrix," meaning that Mary cooperates with Jesus in his redemption of the world - sort of a co-pilot. Interestingly, John Paul applied this title to Mary, but never elevated his declaration to formal infallible dogma.
23. Waltz, J.R. & Park, R.C. (2005). Evidence/Cases and Manterials (Westbury, NY: Foundation Press), p. 645.
24. Ravitch, D. (2003). The Language Police (New York, NY: Knopf), p. 48.
25. Rooney, A. (2006). Out of My Mind (New York, NY: Public Affairs, p. 210.
26. Transsexuals challenge the idea of a person's sex as an either-or-category - as reflected in everything from binary bathrooms to "he" and "she" pronouns. Goldberg, C. (September 8, 1996). "Shunning 'He' and 'She.' They Fight for Respect," New York Times, p. 10.
27. Elliott, C. (1996). The Rules of Insanity (New York, NY: State University of New York Press), p. 6.
28. Rothstein, P.F., Raeder, M.S. & Crump, D. (1997). Evidence (St. Paul, MN.: West 3d ed).
29. Lilly, G.C. (2006). Principles of Evidence (St. Paul, MN: West, 4th ed.).
30. Personal communication (May 4, 2006).
31. Gostin, L.O. & Gable, L. (2004). "The Human Rights of Persons with Mental Disabilities: A Global Perspective on the Application of Human Rights Principles to Mental Health," Maryland Law Review 63:20.
32. Erlich, L.B. (2001). A Textbook of Forensic Addiction Medicine and Psychiatry (Springfield, IL: Thomas), pp. 94-95.
33. Dressler, J. (2006). Understanding Criminal Law (Newark, NJ: Matthew Bender, 4th ed.), p. 375.
34. Mueller, C.B. & Kirkpatrick, L.C. (1999). Evidence (New York, NY: Aspen, 2d ed.), p. 283;
35. Mueller, C.B. & Kirkpatrick, L.C. (2005). Evidence/Black Letter Outlines (St. Paul, MN.: West), p. 94.
36. Friedman, R.D. (2005). "Grappling with the Meaning of 'Testimonial'," Brooklyn Law Review 71:241.
37. Calandrillo, S.P. (2005). "Sports Medicine Conflicts: Team Physicians vs. Athlete-Patients," St. Louis University Law Journal 50:185 at 190.
38. Glasser, W. (1998). Choice Therapy (New York, NY: HarperCollins, p. 17.
39. Haroun, A. (April, 2003). "Delusions of Psychiatrists," Clinical Psychiatry News, p. 14.
40. Associated Press news release (May 22, 2003). 'Some State Constitutions Are Going Gender-Neutral," New York Times, p. 28.
41. Audi, T. (September 22, 2006). "Gender-neutral charter is sought," Detroit Free Press, p. B-3.
42. "Guardians of Grammar," Reader's Digest, November 1999, p. 104.
43. Yalom, M. (1997). A History of the Breast (New York, NY: Ballantine Books,), pp. 122-123. Meema Spadola writes: "Our breasts empower us. . . . Ah, power, I have power with these things."
44. Spadola, M. (1998). Breasts (Berkeley, CA: Wildcat Canyon Press), pp. 41, 60.
45. Dowd, M. (2005). Are Men Necessary? (New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons).
46. Kuczynski, A. (2006). Beauty Junkies (New York, NY: Doubleday,);
47. reviewed in Mead, R. (November 13, 2006). "Proud Flesh," New Yorker, p. 88;
48. Wolfe, A. (October 13, 2006). "Alas. It's Still Only Skin Deep," Wall Street Journal, p. W-8.
49. See also Gilman, S.L. (1999). Making the Body Beautiful (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press);
50. Haiken, E. (1998). Venus Envy/A History of Cosmetic Surgery (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press).
51. Then too it is now popular for parents to name their daughter by a traditional male name. See Slovenko, R. (1986). "Unisex and Cross-Sex Names," The Journal of Psychiatry & Law 14:249.
52. Online excerpt, reprinted in Newsweek, August 21-29, 2006, p. 4.
53. Dowd, M. (September 27, 2006). "Another Clinton Seduction, New York Times, p. 9.
54. See also Green, J. (November 2006). "Take Two," The Atlantic, p. 56.
55. Estrich, S. (2005). The Case for Hillary Clinton (New York: HarperCollins), pp. 57, 59. Estrich was Michael Dukakis's national campaign manager in 1988 against George H.W. Bush. Her most recent book is (2006).
56. Soulless/Ann Coulter and the Right-Wing Church of Hate (New York, NY: HarperCollins).
57. The proposition that "sexist language" has a negative impact on women is debunked in Levin, M. (1988). Feminism and Freedom (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction), chapter 12;
58. reprinted in Benatar, D. (2002). Ethics for Everyday (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill), pp. 82-95. Levin argues that terms like "man" and "he" are not insulting to women. As he points out, an insulting word is one that is used with the intention of causing feeling of shame and inadequacy, and since "man" and "he" are not intended to have these effects, he concludes that they cannot be insulting.
59. See also Benatar, D. (2005). "Sexist Language: Alternatives to the Alternatives," Public Affairs Quarterly 19:1.
60. In an article titled "Take a Memo, Mr. Smith," Robin Morgan wrote, "Take a memo, Mr. Smith. Like every other oppressed people rising up today, we're out for our freedom - by any means necessary." Win magazine, (November, 1968),
61. quoted in Kurlansky, M. (2004). 1968/The Year That Rocked the World (New York, NY: Random House), p. 306.
62. See also Friedan, B. (2000). Life So Far (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster), pp. 191, 231.
63. The publishers of the magazine Bitch defend the title: "When it's being used as an insult, "bitch" is most often hurled at women who speak their minds, who have opinions and don't shy away from expressing them. If being an outspoken woman means being a bitch, we'll take that as a compliment, thanks." Quoted in Spence, G. (2006). Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power (New York, NY: St. Martin's Press), p. xi.
64. See Epstein, J. (November 27, 2006). "Cleaning Up My Act," Weekly Standard, p. 4.
65. See Garcia, R. (1992). "Rape, Lies and Videotape," Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review 25):711.
66. C. MacKinnon, (1988). Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law (Cambridge, NY: Harvard University Press) p.59.
67. Quoted in Charen, M. (2004). Do-Gooders (New York, NY: Penguin), p. 125.
68. See Acocella, J. (1999). Creating Hysteria (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass);
69. Johnston, M. (1997). Spectral Evidence (New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin);
70. Pendergrast, M. (1996). Victims of Memory: Incest Accusations and Shattered Lives (Hinesburg, VT: Upper Access Books, 2d ed.);
71. Wright, L. (1994). Remembering Satan (New York, NY: Knopf);
72. Lief, H.I. & Fetkewicz, J.M. (1999). "Casualties of Recovered Memory Therapy: The Impact of False Allegations of Incest on Accused Fathers," in Friedman, R.C. & Downey, J.I. (eds.), Masculinity and Sexuality (Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press), pp. 115-141.
73. Althouse, A. (1992). "Thelma and Louise and the Law: Do Rape Shield Rules Matter?" Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review 25:757.
74. "The term 'prosecutrix' stems from [the] time in English history when a female had the burden of instituting a civil suit in order for a rape trial to take place. . . . Much of legal language is archaic, but in this instance it is hard not to conclude that the word is favored for the harsh, vindictive quality of personal prosecution that it plainly connotes." Brownmiller, S. (1975). Against Our Will (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster), p. 19.
75. See Slovenko, R. (2002). Psychiatry in Law/Law in Psychiatry (New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge, pp. 739-763.
76. See Schuller, R.A. & Jenkins, G. (2007). "Expert Evidence Pertaining to Battered Women: Limitations and Reconceptualizations," in Costanzo, M., Krause, D. & Pezdek, K. (eds.), Expert Psychological Testimony for the Courts (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates), pp. 203-225.
77. "Battered women" testimony is defended in Kinports, K. (2004). "So Much Activity, So Little Change: A Reply to the Critics of Battered Women's Self-Defense," St. Louis University Public Law Review 23:155.
78. Dershowitz, A.M. (1994). The Abuse Excuse (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, p. 312.
79. Evans, R.W. (letter) (May 1978), Ms., p. 15.
80. English courts "have permitted Chinese to break a saucer, a Mohammedan to bow before the Koran and touch it to his head, and a Parsee to tie a rope around his waist." United States v. Looper, 419 F.2d 1405, 1407 n. 4 (4th Cir. 1969).
81. Wondering why ships are called "she," Dr. Sally T. Knight looked it up on the internet and found that initially all ships were named for women, e.g., Columbus' Santa Maria, Pinta, and Nina. Here are some reasons: "A ship is always referred to as 'she' because it costs so much to keep one in paint and powder" (Admiral Nimitz). "Because it takes a good man to handle her right." "Because she shows her topside, hides her bottom and when coming into port, always heads for the buoys."
82. Caldwell, C. (February 25-26, 2006). "The taboos that undid Summers," Financial Times, p. 7.
83. Althouse, A. (1992). "Beyond King Solomon's Harlots: Women in Evidence," Southern California Law Review 65:1265.
84. Tyre, P. (January 30, 2006). "The Boy Crisis/At Every Level of Education, They're Falling Behind. What to Do?" Newsweek (cover story), pp. 44-52.
85. Tiger, L. (1999). The Decline of Males (New York, NY: Golden Books). In an essay in Time, it is noted: "The shift in power between the sexes has nowhere been greater than in romantic comedies. The men are about as useful as a pitcher of spit, while the women have careers and well-furnished apartments and vast freighters of wisdom. In Julianne Moore's movie, 'Trust the Man,' she plays a successful actress, while her husband has no remunerative employment."
86. Luscombe, B. (August 7, 2006). "Where Have All the Cary Grants Gone?" Time, p. 78.
87. Seventeenth Annual Interdisciplinary Conference in Pasadena, CA. on November 3-5, 2006.
88. See Gaylin, W. (1992). The Male Ego (New York: Penguin);
89. Heston, C. (1997). To Be a Man (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster);
90. Schlessinger, L.C. (2004). The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands (New York, NY: HarperCollins). Women who sacrifice their own needs in order to over-mother men, as J.M. Barrie's Wendy mothered Peter Pan, are ridiculed as martyrs.
91. See, e.g., Golden, S. (1998). Slaying the Mermaid/Women and the Culture of Sacrifice (New York, NY: Three Rivers Press), p. 170.
92. The "sexual revolution" has had its impact on naming. The breakdown of the family, the breakdown of sex roles, the women's liberation movement, and the unisex philosophy have found expression in naming, thus Donna Cooperman changed her name to Cooperperson, Jackson to Jackchild, Manning to Peopling, and Carmen to Carperson. See Slovenko, R. (1986). "Unisex and Cross-Sex Names," The Journal of Psychiatry and Law 14:249.
93. Friedan, B. (2000). Life So Far (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster).
94. New York, NY: Sentinel/Penguin (2006). See also Sommers, C.H. (1994). Who Stole Feminism?/How Women Have Betrayed Women (New York: Simon & Schuster).
95. Kreeft, P. (2005). Socratic Logic (South Bend, IN: St. Augustin Press, 2d ed.), p. 36.
96. Ibid.