by Kris Harrell
Firstly, I would like to state that these stances might be controversial due to where we live. However, I believe that to those who find it controversial would benefit the most from this.
It will not kill you to use the correct pronouns for someone. It does not make you less manly, less religious, less anything. The only thing it will make you less of is less of a jerk.
The main pronouns that people have a problem with are the “gendered” pronouns, when there are a ton of others that they do not bat an eye to.
Either have a problem with all of them or none of them. It’s so much more fun that way; I would much rather talk with someone that completely boycotts the use of “you” and “I” rather than someone that just avoids the pronoun “they” because “it’s plural”.
BrainPOP is a popular elementary educational tool that many might be familiar with. Its videos help students with grammar and English. It, alongside other websites, including the Merriam-Webster dictionary, state that “they/them” can be used as a singular pronoun.
If an English teacher that’s using BrainPOP can adjust, so can you. Also, have fun arguing with one of the biggest dictionaries in the world, it will not end well for you.
I personally believe that a human’s main goal in life is to make other humans happy (within reason, of course). And if the price of making someone happy for even a second is to call them what they want to be called, then that’s honestly a bargain.
You might not agree with the use of pronouns, but I really could not care less. What I do care about is intentionally making someone upset over something that’s literally one syllable long.
Now, accidentally using the wrong pronoun because you simply didn’t know or forgot for a second? That’s OK. Things change and people forget; any reasonable human being can see that and won’t get upset at you for it.
But purposefully using the wrong ones when you know the correct ones? Not OK.
Words have meaning, and your blatant misuse of them will have consequences. Please think before you refuse to speak.
