(no subject)

[sapote]

1) DONE! DONE WITH MY GREs! I don't get the writing score for two weeks, but I realized on that section that analytical writing more or less equals telling people how they are wrong on the internet, and hey, I do that a lot.

Um. Thank you blogs?

2) Pressing question for a girl from the South: what is the proper honorific for a transgendered person who prefers their pronouns vague? I keep freezing up when it is sir or ma'am time, and I do not know the person well enough to ask. Maybe I should just be a Le Guin nerd and say "Thank you, honored person."

Comments

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

1) Hooray! WELL DONE YOU!

2) I have just the link (http://nixwilliams.blogspot.com/2008/10/getting-pronouns-right-guide-for-spoken.html)!

[sapote3.livejournal.com]

1) Thanks! It was not too bad! I seriously loved the analytical writing bit. I was all I SEE NO WELL-DESIGNED STUDY CITED. THE FDA WOULD NEVER APPROVE THIS. It was great.

2) The internet knows everything! And yes. That would probably be the best option. I have never talked to anyone who hasn't told me that just asking is the best thing - I just feel kind of bad making other people educate me all the time. It's probably better than assuming! One would guess!

[rydra_wong]

Re: 2) Well, how do you know they prefer their pronouns vague? The source of that information might be the appropriate Gender Oracle to consult.

But I'd guess that asking politely how they'd prefer to be addressed may be a good option anyway. They're likely to have fielded the question before, and asking may be better than stumbling over it every time.

[sapote3.livejournal.com]

I am actually making a supposition based on the commonest pronouns among said person's friends, which is probably rude. I think I'm just hung up on the fear that if I ask this question of someone who unbeknownst to me considers their pronoun to be obvious they will be offended - which hearkens back to the transphobic cultural idea that gender confusion is the worst possible thing ever, probably. I should probably get over that!

The local alternative is to refer to everyone of non-dichotomous gender as "those kids" or "that kid" or "yeah, they're a really good kid". I don't know what is going to happen when said acquaintances get to an age that makes this difficult?

[synecdochic]

You could always emulate Benton Fraser with "thank you kindly". ;)

[sapote3.livejournal.com]

This may be the most workable idea when you barely know someone! I will try this.

It is also regionally appropriate, actually. Old people are always saying it to me!

[thingswithwings.livejournal.com]

many congrats! it is true that telling people they are wrong on the internet is a v. useful skill.

*confetti*

[lurkmuch.livejournal.com]

1) HUZZAH!!!! Telling people they are wrong, wrong, WRONG on the internetz = Lifelong Skill.