[Python-Dev] Vagaries of "their" in English (was Re: Support the /usr/bin/python2 symlink upstream)

[Daniel A. Welty]

I'm sorry, but I can't just "get used to it", nor do I think it's the "least
bad of all available options".

I'll just summarise briefly what the incorrect ways of addressing this
problem are, and why:

*  "he or she" and "his or her" are cumbersome constructions introduced by
politically correct zealots who are trying to politicise something that's
not political. It's grammatically acceptable, but cumbersome and pointless.
Please avoid doing this. If you really absolutely have to bow to the
pressure of politically correct idiocy though, this might be the best choice
since at least it's grammatically sound.

*  "they" and "their" are plural, and should never be used in the singular.
This has become the leading contender thanks to the same politically correct
zealots named above (and also because it's not cumbersome), but that makes
it no less wrong. Please don't do this. Ever. In addition to being
pointlessly (and annoyingly) politicised, it's grammatically incorrect.



The correct way to address this problem (that is, how it had always been
addressed before politically correct zealots started butchering the
language) is for the speaker to assume that the person of unknown gender is
the same gender as they are. In other words, if a woman is speaking or
writing, she should use "she" and "her", and if a man is speaking or
writing, he should use "he" and "his". This is the correct usage, and always
has been.

In the event that it is necessary to avoid giving the wrong impression about
gender, it might be necessary to make a different substitution. For example,
it you've witnessed a hit and run, but only saw the car and not the driver,
and you're trying to tell the police what you saw, you don't want to give
the impression that you know the gender of the driver when you don't. Thus,
instead of saying "and then *he* took off down Maple street." or "and then
*they* took off down Maple street." (which also would give the possibly
erroneous impression that multiple people were in the car), you should say
something like "and then *the car* took off..." or  "and then *the driver*
took off..."

As this relates to Python and it's documentation (which I'll assume is where
this is discussion originated, not having read the originating thread),
given that there are multiple authors, some male and some female, we should
just standardise on either "he" or "she" (or, if you prefer: "the
programmer"). I don't care which one, as long as it's used consistently
throughout. But please, please, whatever you do, don't use "they" and
"their" to refer to a singular. Out of all the possible options that's the
one that's actually *wrong*. Far from being the "least bad of all available
options", it's actually the worst of all available options.
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