Chairman? Chairperson?

[Deleted member]

I wonder how the French cope with feminine and masculine nouns?

 

[TonyHancock]

I wonder how the French cope with feminine and masculine nouns?

They will run away very quickly and surrender I suspect.

 

[medhead]

Partner is more a ageist thing. There comes a certain point where girlfriend invokes images of school and the back of the bike shed. Whereas "life partner" sounds more serious and mature.

Personally, I find the anti-PC crowd to have questionable values. So many comments about the ADFA commander during the ranting about PC-ism; saying things like boys will be boys, the military is different. Ignorant IMO, stamping out sexual exploitation, demanding respect of others, self-discipline and responsibility is not PC-ism gone mad!


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[Deleted member]

Partner is more a ageist thing. There comes a certain point where girlfriend invokes images of school and the back of the bike shed. Whereas "life partner" sounds more serious and mature.

Personally, I find the anti-PC crowd to have questionable values. So many comments about the ADFA commander during the ranting about PC-ism; saying things like boys will be boys, the military is different. Ignorant IMO, stamping out sexual exploitation, demanding respect of others, self-discipline and responsibility is not PC-ism gone mad!


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No doubt you have spent some time in the military then ?
I like the term girl friend.
Life partner evokes images of same sex relationships to me. ( not that I am biased one way or the other).
Live and let live I say.

You know he whole PC debate here raises some issues that have not been mentioned.

How many men here wear a suit and a tie To work? Does any one wear jeans to work ? Is comfort and ability to do your job well more important than how you dress?

If your qantas captain wore jeans and a polo shirt to the office. Would it render him/ her less capable?

I do accept that certain professions are slow on the uptake here but in reality does it make a difference?

I have had the better part of a nice sav blanc. So if I appear to be rambling. I apologize in advance.

Hic!

 

[ohm]

This stuff does actually matter to a lot of women (and men), and rather than say "hey I don't give a **** so neither should you", perhaps it would be more productive to say "I'm really not sure why this matters to you but I acknowledge that it does and am willing to change if that would help make it better".

Agree - but given the amount of debate here one can only imagine what wil occur when Qantas board next has a female Chair and one on that occasion, unlike Ms. Jackson, that does not wish to be referred to as Chairman. They may want the name of "their" lounge to reflect that. Chair's Lounge just doesn't do it on any level or as Mal said:

If "Chair" is used though - should we call the lounge the "chair lounge" or the "chair club"?

That just seems weird....

 

[JohnK]

Partner is more a ageist thing. There comes a certain point where girlfriend invokes images of school and the back of the bike shed. Whereas "life partner" sounds more serious and mature.

Why is it an ageist thing? What is wrong with referring to someone simply as girlfriend or boyfriend? When someone refers to "partner" I am thinking what are you trying to hide? Even worse if you are actually married?

And "life partner"? Are you serious? Most people today go through at least 2 "life relationships" in their one shot at life these days.

And yes I am playing golf in the morning and I am wondering which of the 3 guys I play golf with every Saturday will be my partner for the day in the match play for the chips. Well, you see the loser pays for a plate of hot chips and has bragging rights for a week.

 

[medhead]

No doubt you have spent some time in the military then ?

Yes. I'm not saying it isn't different, just that difference does have limits. Also it is not PC to expect the future leaders of the ADF to keep within those limits.

I like the term girl friend.
Life partner evokes images of same sex relationships to me. ( not that I am biased one way or the other).
Live and let live I say.

There is that, just feel like a silly school boy using it. Had someone who call herself my mistress once and got upset that I was cheating on "my mistress" with another mistress (must be since the second one wasn't my girlfriend at the time). I just thought your not my girlfriend what do you expect, not to mention wondering how the first mistress felt about about me cheating on her with my girlfriend. confused? I was. At least it all finished well, it lead to me meeting SWMBO.

 

[Flying Fox]

Re: Virgin to open exclusive lounge for high yield VIPs

Maybe it does-

OK this is very disturbing to me.

 

[dfcatch]

Medhead - maybe I missed it - when did PC get involved in the ADFA thing??

Perhaps your view of anti-PC and mine are very different.

On ADFA - I'm 100% in agreement with you.

On PC - my view is simple, I'm against tokenism and "trendy modern views and terminology for the sake of it". And I don't like the groupthink mentality that average run of the mill people feel pressures to comply with such new "trendy" views for fear of being castigated if they don't.

That doesn't make me an archaic dinosaur, it just means that I don't fall over myself clamouring for social acceptance by insisting that everything we do must be purified in the name of PC.

Eg. Xmas plays in school, I'm not Christian, but I have no problem with kids performing a Xmas play in school. Now, if my kids go to a state school - I don't expect them to receive RE, but I accept that Xmas is a normal part of society and of course they will be exposed to that.
I'm tolerant, accepting, and understanding of the status quo of the society I live in - my choice also is to send them to a private school if I don't like the way the public does it.

You don't see me calling for PC censorship.

Same goes for the other issues discussed in this thread.

I'm not sure which "anti-PC" crowd you refer to that has questionable values????

But I do question the "tolerance" of the pro-PC crowd quite often. It seems to regularly come across to me that they who shout the loudest for "tolerance", are in fact the least tolerant of anyone who doesn't agree with their PC world view.

On the "partner" issue - I think it's up to the individual - just like the use of the term "Ms" is an individual choice. I know plenty of 20-something's that use the term Partner.

Uniforms - up to the individual workplace to decide.

But I think there is very much a place for uniforms / appropriate / professional work wear.

I want my pilot looking professional. How one dresses for work is a reflection of personal character in my opinion. The pride you take in appearance. If my doctor shows up in t shirt and jeans are they any less qualified? No, of course not. But it does communicate something different to the doctor in slacks and collared shirt.

Professionalism is important. If I walk into the Apple Store next week, I expect to see t shirts and jeans, if I see Mr iEmployee in a suit - I will be suspicious.

Horses for courses as they say.

And school uniforms are immensely important IMO.

Does that make me an old traditionalist fogey?

No - it just makes me sensible enough to realize that not everything "has to be changed or updated" just because someone thinks it should be.

And Chairman - I maintain my position - when you're the Chairman - you can elect how you are addressed.

I accept some think the term is archaic or sexist. I am in the camp of people who don't see it as anything other than a neutral title.

And I certainly don't see the term as influencing the success or otherwise of women.

 

[medhead]

Medhead - maybe I missed it - when did PC get involved in the ADFA thing??

Perhaps your view of anti-PC and mine are very different.

On ADFA - I'm 100% in agreement with you.

On PC - my view is simple, I'm against tokenism and "trendy modern views and terminology for the sake of it".

I'm referring to a few comments from the public posted on The Australian website that claim the whole event is PC-ism gone mad, or words to that effect. Guess I'm just think there are people who push an anti-PC message who clearly don't have a clue. Definitely not including anyone posting this thread in that group.

Glad you raised the Christmas in schools thing. I've heard about this from facebook friends but I don't think it's correct because no one can point to an actual school that bans Christmas. I also know that many schools discuss a range of religions, so to ban Christianity only, would just be strange. PC says you discuss all, not all except 1.


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[drron]

Certainly in LOTFAP Christmas is frowned upon by the PC brigade-it is the holiday season and you go out to see the holiday decorations etc.That really is going too far.
Just like dfcatch I take exception to the thought that the anti PC brigade have questionable values.A fair proportion of the Anti-PC brigade are older social conservatives(and that does not imply they are right wing,many are old fashioned workers who previously were rusted on ALP voters).Quite frankly I am more accepting of their values than the PC brigade.Isn't ageism just as bad as sexism?

 

[medhead]

You're missing my point entirely. The people with questionable values are screaming anti-PC words to support their questionable values. They aren't truely anti-PC because they clearly don't even understand what PC is, in the first place. So just step back for a second and realise that I didn't say the anti-PC brigade have questionable values, but intact said the reverse. People with questionable values are jumping (wrongly) on the anti-PC bandwagon. Those 2 positions are not the same thing.

fortunely, the LOTFAP is not the standard for what happens with Christmas in Australia. So it is just a bit irrelevant. Different societies.

 

[dfcatch]

Interestingly though - Australia is a much more secular (non-religious) society than the States.

In the US - religion is more prominent in day to day life and culture than it is in Australia.

Plus - depending on where you are in the States is like being in different countries - both on a cultural and PC debate level

PS - I get what Medhead is saying.

 

[mr_osborne]

One thing I notice, which is sorta related to chairman/chariperson, but more relevant to me is the difference between spokesman and spokesperson...

I write for a publication (sorta, not in the media or anything), and a lot of the time I have to talk about what someone said. possible related to the fact that I am younger, but it is my habit to write spokesperson as opposed to spokesman, but I have to use the exact term they use in the press release or article, so often I have to change it to spokesman.... I guess this is just part of that change...