Hey You Guys

The Thanksgiving holiday rendered me speechless – literally. I have laryngitis and have lost my voice. That got me thinking about sexist language.

According to those who study feminism, we live in a world where male-based language reinforces a system where women are folded—linguistically speaking—into a male society. According to many feminist scholars, this makes women invisible and turns them into objects.

Sherryl Kleinman, a professor at UNC, writes about this in an article for a rape crisis center newsletter. There are the obvious “man” words, like “fireman” and “freshman” (and all those other words that end in “man” that we tend to stumble over). Then there are what she calls male generics like “manpower,” “man-made lakes,” and “oh, man.” Her point is that when we use these words, we reinforce the reality of a sexist world, and that by being aware of how we use them is an action we all can take right now to start to create a new reality.

In an accompanying article, The Politics of Naming by Dale Spender, we studied how those who hold the power to name influence reality. When one group holds a monopoly on naming, it is able to enforce its bias on everyone. Since men have predominantly controlled language, they have created a sexist reality.

The Bible is a good place to demonstrate this theory. I don’t know about you, but I grew up believing that God is male. While there are many versions of the Bible, ultimately, the men who wrote it created a male God. God could have made women and men equal in his image. But “God the Father” made Adam in his image and Adam “gave birth” to Eve by using his rib (I won’t even get into the issue of man giving birth). There is no doubt that from “the beginning” males play a superior role. The article also points out that not only did Eve come from man, but she is also his downfall. Both male supremacy and the superiority/inferiority dichotomy are deeply embedded in our language.

The pattern is also seen in how we talk about women’s sexuality (or the lack thereof). Here’s one example: A man who frequently enjoys sex is described as being virile and potent. What is a comparable description for a woman who does the same? Nymphomaniac? Baller? Then there are “frigid” and “impotent.” Frigid is defined as failing to become aroused, while impotent is defined as unable to engage in sex. The use of “frigid” makes a woman a non-participant – as in she failed to become aroused when a man tried to arouse her. What if she just didn’t want to?

Male supremacy also carries over into the language of reproductive biology. In The Egg and The Sperm, Emily Martin writes about how scientists describe the remarkable process of men producing hundreds of sperm versus a woman’s degenerating supply of eggs, of which only one is shed during menstruation. Then there are the descriptions of the thrashing and thrusting sperm on a mission that swims through the darkness to penetrate the egg. Like Sleeping Beauty, the egg awaits rescue by the superhero sperm or it will die. In actuality, recent research has found that the sperm’s tail is very weak and that the stickiness of the lining of the egg plays an active part in not only capturing the sperm but judging which one to hang on to. In other words, just like sex itself, reproduction is an equal endeavor. Based on the historical “sperm as aggressor” language of science, it is easier for me to understand how we have a popular culture that glorifies male domination.

What I have learned is that women have an option to reclaim language – either by choosing to not use male generics like “you guys,” or by replacing patriarchal names with ones that reflect a woman’s reality. By doing this, women can be liberated and find their own voices.

I’m going to try to be more aware of this when my own voice returns.