Never too old to learn

[yesdnil]

It was not a reply to your post at all and I have not insinuated that you said anything at all. My post was solely in response to @ww52 and his statement that I quoted. It seemed to me that he thought that the term was not a noun. It is. I merely pointed that out. And yes, I realize I am being rather pedantic regarding the matter.

I believe he was being colloquial and his intention was correct - that "female" shouldn't be used as a noun to substitute for the word "woman"

 

[DaretoDis]

Well then.......Chicks and Babes it is. Descriptive enough for me.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I worried that this would turn into a debate of some sort.

I simply hoped the person I blocked would see it and understand I appreciated learning something I didn't know.

It reminds me of decades ago when I tried to explain to my parents why the term "colored" was offensive. They weren't prejudice (by 1960s standards) but they didnt' see it.

To me, I don't get to decide what is and isn't offensive to a group I don't belong to.

You can't ever determine what anyone else finds offensive. But the fact is even most women don't find the term "female" offensive or sexist in and of itself, " As such, it is not a sexist term. Certainly, the context it is used can be one of sexism. If you ever hear YOU FEMALES, well what follows is very likely going to be some sexism.
This contrasts with the racial term you used. Colored refers to clothes, not people and well everyone knows it these days.

 

[ww52]

Yes - it was me that said it shouldn't be used as a noun. ("It was me" is correct, right? As opposed to "it was I"?)

I rather lazily read an article that objected to using it as a noun and even more lazily assumed it was never correct to use it as anything other than an adjective.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Well then.......Chicks and Babes it is. Descriptive enough for me.

You forgot Dudettes.

 

[ww52]

This contrasts with the racial term you used. Colored refers to clothes, not people and well everyone knows it these days.

The key words are "these days". Back in the 60s "colored" was still considered "polite" in many circles. In the 40s and 50s, not racist at all.

Language and attitudes evolve. Think of the whole "Washington Redskins" issue.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm sorry, I'm a female. Why am I supposed to be offended?

 

[scrhsa]

As a female, lady, girl, woman, chick etc, etc...I'm going to quote my Dad. " You can call me anything you want. Just don't call me late for supper"

 

[BrianL]

Yes - it was me that said it shouldn't be used as a noun. ("It was me" is correct, right? As opposed to "it was I"?)

Well, if you really want to know, I can tell you.

"It was I that said it," is correct. Simplify it to, "I said it" to understand that it wouldn't be "me said it."

The point I was trying to make is that even if the term is found to be offensive, it is not because it is or is not defined as a certain part of speech. The definition of a word is not a matter of opinion and I wouldn't want someone to think that it is never correct to use said word in a certain way. Whether or not it is appropriate to use it in a specific way is a matter of personal discretion.

 

[disykat]

I remember the other posts about this a few months back. I still don't quite get what the issue is, but I'm certainly willing to change my terminology if it offends people. I would also describe myself on occasion as "a female" (used as a noun) and I guess I'm supposed to say I'm a woman? I also use the word "male" as a noun sometimes. Is that offensive too?

It's hard to keep up with everything that is offensive sometimes. I'm still not clear if it's offensive because some people feel like you're only supposed to use it as an adjective or if they're something more inherently offensive about it.

I am still friends with my high school grammar teacher. I wonder what she'd think about the fact that people are having "you called me an adjective but used it as a noun" arguments all over the internet? I did a bunch of googling and I certainly see that lots of people are in on the argument, but I also find quite a few dictionaries that list definitions of male/female as a noun.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

The key words are "these days". Back in the 60s "colored" was still considered "polite" in many circles. In the 40s and 50s, not racist at all.

Language and attitudes evolve. Think of the whole "Washington Redskins" issue.

Yes but one person on a social network site being offended doesn't mean the term "female" has evolved into a sexist one.

 

[Allison]

I won't worry about someone getting upset about the use of the word female.

 

[arminnie]

Just because some nutcase decides that a word is offensive doesn't mean that it is.

I could sit here and declare that the word pistachio is offensive. Might be to somebody (those first three letters are pretty close to a word I wouldn't use here). But that doesn't mean anyone but other fruitcakes would agree with me.

And yes the words nutcase and fruitcake are offensive, but they were meant to be in my post.

 

[Skywalker]

No, I am not going to let anyone tell me the word "female" is offensive lol. Not gonna happen. I think for myself, thanks.

 

[monarchsfan16]

It's times like these where I'm glad I live in a rural area. Being offended by a term like "female" is the least of anyone's concerns.

 

[superme80]

I get why it is offensive. I tend to use it when I am at my wits end with a group of women.

 

[low-key]

being on the DIS I have found out I have used many sexist terms, but IRL none have ever got mad

 

[Southernmiss]

Well then.......Chicks and Babes it is. Descriptive enough for me.

Just don't call me a Broad!

 

[smokeyblue]

If I heard someone use female as a noun it would make me cringe a bit. It's just an icky way to refer to someone or a group of people. Obviously there are words that are way more offensive to refer to women. I think the reason I don't like that word being used is the way I've heard some men use it in the context of a woman being their inferior, their property or a woman being an object and not a person. For the most part, I've only heard men use the word female in this context on TV (news interviews or fictional shows) or movies and usually it is a man who is part of a cult or a religion where woman are viewed as inferiors, members of groups like the KKK or from uneducated persons.

Do I think someone is a bad person because they use the word the way you used it, no, unless they've proved otherwise.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Ya'll are just joking, right?