As if grammar wasn't hard enough, here come 'gender-neutral' pronouns

This past Wednesday, Donna Braquet, Director of the Pride Center at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, made some waves. She (assuming I'm using the correct pronoun here) encouraged staff and students to abandon all common sense when it comes to names, pronouns, gender identities, and official school rosters. She writes:

We should not assume someone's gender by their appearance, nor by what is listed on a roster or in student information systems. Transgender people and people who do not identity within the gender binary may use a different name than their legal name and pronouns of their gender identity, rather than the pronouns of the sex they were assigned at birth.

In the first weeks of classes, instead of calling roll, ask everyone to provide their name and pronouns. This ensures you are not singling out transgender or non-binary students. The name a student uses may not be the one on the official roster, and the roster name may not be the same gender as the one the student now uses.

Leaving aside the question of why, given such reasoning, a school would bother having a roster at all, what kinds of pronouns are we talking about here?:

We are familiar with the singular pronouns she, her, hers and he, him, his, but those are not the only singular pronouns. In fact, there are dozens of gender-neutral pronouns.

A few of the most common singular gender-neutral pronouns are they, them, their (used as singular), ze, hir, hirs, and xe, xem, xyr.

These may sound a little funny at first, but only because they are new. The she and he pronouns would sound strange too if we had been taught ze when growing up.

Folks, let me remind you that this is someone holding an influential position at a university.

Imagine if students' personal preferences were allowed free reign in other areas of college life. "Yeah, I know I've been getting Cs and Ds on all my assignments, but deep down I identify as an A student. Come on, professor. Why are you being so hateful and intolerant? Isn't this supposed to be a safe zone?"

Ms. Braquet (I'm using "Ms." because I haven't seen a list of gender-neutral personal titles) concludes:

How do you know what pronoun someone uses? If you cannot use the methods mentioned above, you can always politely ask. "Oh, nice to meet you, [insert name]. What pronouns should I use?" is a perfectly fine question to ask.

The more we make sharing of pronouns a universal practice, the more inclusive we will be as a campus. When our organizational culture shifts to where asking for chosen names and pronouns is the standard practice, it alleviates a heavy burden for persons already marginalized by their gender expression or identity.

She (ze?) then invites anyone wishing to learn more to sign up for a Safe Zone workshop. I'll bet they'll need the large conference room for that.

I don't know what kind of feedback UTK received when people read Donna Braquet's suggestions, but I imagine it was quite critical, especially since the school released the following statement just two days later:

We would like to offer clarification on statements referring to gender-neutral language.

There is no mandate or official policy to use gender-neutral pronouns. We do not dictate speech. Most people prefer to use the pronouns he and she. However, some don't.

The information provided in this week's Office of Diversity and Inclusion newsletter was offered as a resource to our campus community on inclusive practices.

We strive to be a diverse and inclusive campus and to ensure that everyone feels welcome, accepted, and respected.

My apologies to the "we're not happy unless we're offended" crowd, but let me make this clear: I will not use gender-neutral pronouns, no matter how mainstream the practice may become. The world is already complicated as it is. Why must we complicate it further?

Man 'unboxes' his new family in clever video parody

If you've spent any amount of time on YouTube, you've run across more than a few "unboxing" videos featuring people eager to share the joy of opening their latest purchase. This one has them all beat:


(via 22 Words)

New device from IKEA outperforms all tablets and smartphones on the market

No cables, unlimited battery life, and everything you need comes pre-installed. Check it out!

This is what Labor Day should be about

Labor Day should not be about unions or corporatism. It should be about innovative people making their way in the free market. This brief, four-part series from Reason.com on "The Sharing Economy" celebrates just that:

First-World anarchists aren't gonna play by your rules

Society cannot function without rules! These people are destroying civilization as we know it!

More pictures of civilization crumbling at BoredPanda.com.

Minneapolis home to best restroom in America

The 2013 winner of Cintas' America's Best Restroom Contest is Varsity Theater, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From Cintas:

The Varsity Theater, formerly The University Theater, was one of the last vaudeville houses in Minneapolis and hosted everything from minstrel shows, to comedians, to screenings of early silent films. In 2005, the current incarnation of The Varsity Theater opened its doors as a vaudeville house for the 21st Century. The restroom, decorated with ornate, gilded mirrors, sassy text plates, and bricks laid as if by a drunken mason on bender, invites guests into an Alice In Wonderland-like grotto – to relieve themselves and re-live childhood fairy tales. One part old-fashioned powder room one part lounge, this restroom allows concert-goers to take a break in an area from which one can still view and hear the stage. Bartenders even serve drinks over the back counter into the restroom area, offering a VIP experience to every guest. The sinks were designed with shower head-faucets with a foot pedal operation, a la grade school restrooms. The lounge and hand washing area is coed, creating quite a social atmosphere, particularly when concert-goers are trying to figure out how to activate the sinks and they need to ask one another for the tip – use your toes. And of course, the women's side of the restroom features four times as many stalls as the men's side. In addition to hosting both local and national music acts the Varsity is a popular location for wedding receptions, private galas, and dream dates, coupled with dinner at their associated restaurant, Loring Pasta Bar.

Yes, this is how you relieve yourself in style...

You're a man. Time to start smelling like one.

Are you tired of showering with your wife's floral-scented girly soaps? Do you want to smell like a real man? If your answer is "yes," then Man Soap is for you. Here's a sampling of available scents:

Bacon
By far the manliest of meats, Bacon Soap is the only soap meat lovers need to smell like clean sweet swine all day.

Baseball Glove
There's nothing quite like that rich smell of a leather baseball glove. The game is on everywhere you go.

Beer
There is perhaps no manlier smell than the scent of a cold pint of beer. Why wait until the drunk guy dumps it over you in the packed bar?

Bonfire
Only real men can build a bonfire, and only the manliest can smell like one.

Brewed Coffee
Don't worry you won't smell like a Frappuccino with whipped cream, we're talking a manly blend of black coffee.

Cash
There is no smell a young female will be more attracted to, trust us.

Cedar Log Cabin
Relax to the smell of a cozy log cabin from the comfort of your apartment full of smelly sweat socks and rotting food under your bed.

Fresh Cut Grass
Nothing screams man like mowing the lawn, so this smell will remind you of the smell of a job well done.

Top Soil
Nothing says manly like dirt, so now's your chance to smell like you're covered in it without all the worms and gravel.

Urinal Mint
The urinal mint is unique in that usually only men are around them staring down, wishing that smell could be all theirs. But its usually covered in pee. So if you want to smell manly, clean your hands with a soap that smells like a freshly un-pee'd on urinal cake."

There are 9 more manly scents to choose from. Check them all out at Gadgets and Gear.

Replace your usual Super Bowl snacks with bacon

For many health-conscious folks who want to cut out unnecessary carbs and avoid the problems associated with a diet high in grains and processed foods, the "paleo diet" is the way to go. The bad news: such a diet doesn't allow much room for the usual Super Bowl snack fare. The good news: those foods can be replaced with bacon!

Amy Kubal, a registered and licensed Dietitian, provides this handy comparison chart to show you the bacon equivalent of your favorite game day foods:

Olympic medal sweater (for those of us who will never win one)

For people with discriminating style who are also suffering from Olympic medal envy, Markus Lupfer has designed a fashionable wool sweater with sequined silver and gold medals across the chest.

Order yours here. (No, I don't think a Michael Phelps version is available.)

The perfect response in every situation

(via xkcd)

Bacon cologne

Is it real? Yes.

Product Description:

bacōn Classic is designed for men and women. A common question, does this fragrance really smell like bacon? The answer is yes & no. Our Classic formula is a sophisticated spicy maple fragrance with just a hint of bacon and the fun… is in finding it. This artisanal Classic formula is lovingly crafted with the pure essential oil blend of bergamot, orange, lime, grapefruit, black pepper, cedar wood, vetiver, guaiacwood and two pinches of Bacon salty goodness. What on earth could you be waiting for? Available while supplies last.

Also available: bacōn Gold, if a sizzling citrus aroma is more your style.

How I cooked before I had kids

(via)

Urban homesteading

Who would have thought a family of four in Pasadena could live on $30,000 a year? Maybe this urban homesteading thing will catch on.



Check out their web site here.