Hello Ellie,
I am not sure about the boys, but it's funny you bring up this topic as I
have been thinking about it lately. I also am a woman who has never felt
really bothered by the He/mankind prevalence in the English language;
until recently. I am in law school, and the modern editions of case
books have she/he distributed equally throughout when refering generally
to a person. I must admit that I notice it every time when "she" is used.
I am annoyed at the fact that I just took this "he" usage for granted for
so long; that I was complacent (I am not much of a complacent person, mind
you). I have been thinking how good it is that the usage of he/she is
becoming more common - I hope that it will be a subtle way to counter the
male dominance prevalent in our society. And, I hope that this equitable
language is being used at the elementary school level, for future women
should not be complacent like me. Equitable use in language could be
a small and subtle step in doing great things for equality amongst humans
in general. I would be curious about the boys too.
Jenn
