The Dictionary Is Sexist

Language, and certainly the English language, is a tool used by men to make maleness and the male worldview the norm  and put femaleness into a secondary position in society. This profoundly encodes misogyny into the very fabric of our society and does so in ways the layperson does not see. That's what makes the dictionary so dangerous. Let me give you a few examples of how the English language is misogynistic and needs to be reformed.

It makes False Gender Neutrality

People often claim that the term "man" can be a gender-neutral term meaning 'humankind.' It's not a gender neutral term, though. In fact, use of 'man' as humankind is yet another tool of making maleness the norm.

For example, let me use the term 'man' as humankind in a gender-neutral term. You'll see how awkward it sounds:

Man breastfeeds his young

Man has two sexes. Some men are male, some men are female.

Not only that, but the use of the term "man" as a 'gender neutral' term makes women INVISIBLE. Why? Because, when using 'man' and 'he' in a 'gender neutral' way, English-speakers tend to think of males more than they do females.

It Makes Maleness The Norm

Lions are a species. A male lion is a lion, a female lion is a 'lioness.' Clearly maleness is the norm and women are once again cast into a secondary position.

There's been some progress here, because we no longer say things like 'postman,' only 'postal worker.' 'Postman' and 'mailman' have been abolished from public life thanks to feminist efforts. With any luck, we can continue abolishing words from the English language.

Sex Marking

English, like most - but not all - languages, tends to inject sex into a sentence when one does not need to know the sex of the person to finish the sentence.

If I'm writing a book review, the use of personal pronouns to refer to the author creates a need to know whether that person has a penis or vagina. Give me a break. The act of talking about a person's gender when it does not at all need to be mentioned is generally the mark of a sexist. Sex marking is disgusting.

Encodes The Male Worldview

Think of the words 'foreplay' and 'sex.' Sex refers to the sex act that gives males an orgasm (which is, by the way, often due to RAPE!). 'Foreplay' refers to other things before sex that gives females an orgasm. Yet another way to encode the male worldview as normal, and consign women to the margins of society.

The conclusion is obvious: The English language serves as a tool of sexism, misogyny and oppression for women. In my opinion, it also serves as a tool of racism and making whiteness the norm. More on that in other posts. 

The English language is sexist and it needs to be seriously reformed for children at a young age. A lot of words need to be banned. Some words already have been banned, but we need to do a lot more. Even more important, perhaps is the definition of some words. For example, many people think of 'racism' as discrimination against a person for his or her skin color. Of course, that can make POC's 'racist' against "white" people. We all know this can't possibly be true. Therefore, as Feminists, we understand the word 'racism' to mean discrimination + privilege.

As a Feminist, I decide the meaning of words, not the dictionary. 

Oh, you think I'm just a 'fringe' radical feminist? Well, let me assure you, I'm a MAINSTREAM feminist and this is my MAINSTREAM feminist view. Just ask the department of philosophy at Stanford University, the number 1 university on the west coast. Stanford University puts forward the idea of maleness as the norm in English.