Asking you to refrain from calling people “retarded” does not impact my ability to work on other problems.

No, it’s because people use the names for these conditions as a substitute for bad. There’s nothing offensive about your user name. But if we all decided to start saying things like “Man, that guy was a total DJ Dozier” to mean something bad, it would be using it in an offensive way, and eventually you’d probably want…

Simply because strong, direct, or cold women have been mislabeled ‘bitches’ does not negate the existence of actual bitches.

He’ll land a husband someday, I’m sure. It sucks always being a bridesmaid.

So is this:

Years ago, in college, a friend of mine offered me some cream for my coffee. He embellished his offer with the phrase “fresh from the udder”. Never got over that gagging sensation. But now, I’ll hear “secreted fresh from the udder” every time I use cream. And I can’t escape my hell by using almond milk on my cereal,…

Jesus Fucking Christ. My only comment was asking where the math was a problem. Look at your responses, and tell me if they seem balanced.

Huh? I asked where the statistics were unclear to you. I have no idea what any of this reaction is about.

How doesn’t the math add up? Are you assuming that each of those men raped exactly one women, and that each woman has been raped exactly once?

At a lot of schools, you don’t need to declare a major. You can still get a degree as soon as you hit a magic number of credits (~120 or so), no matter what they’re in, as long as you’ve satisfied the school’s core requirements. It’s typically called a degree in general studies, and it’s getting more popular, but I…

Well, if it makes you feel better, she didn’t say ALL, nor is it implied. Even if only 1% of small businesses are affected (it’ll be higher, surely), then her statement is perfectly correct.

It depends on the job, but often you don’t have to. If you’re a salaried bank teller, for instance, you might have to actually clock in and out and show you were there for 40 hours, making up shifts as needed. If it’s a creative job, it’s more likely that you just need to get the work done, and no one pays attention…

Oh, I’m sure I’ll continue to harm our gender with my proximity to college students that use the word “girl”. Thanks.

I never argued that it was a correct usage, only that it’s used without intentional sexist implications.

I’ve said a number of times that I agree with you - that women should be called “women.” There’s really no need to be insulting and imply I haven’t thought about this. I’ve also said repeatedly that I’m just reporting on observations of my students.

It isn’t a cop out, it’s the truth. Words do change meaning and become more broadly applied. I’ve heard people address a group of women as “ladies,” when that term had a very specific meaning years ago that has been lost. I’m not trying to defend anything, either, just pointing out that my students, a generation…

I just don’t see the sexism in the first place, though. What is the age limit? I’d certainly use “girl” when talking about my 5 year old niece, but I say it talking about my 18 year old students, too. I’m not comparing them to a 5 year old, it truly is just a catch all term like “guys”. I call male students “boys,”…

It’s evidence that the current intent of the word is not sexist, even if its origins are. There’s a distinction, and one that would keep me from criticizing people who say it, because frankly it’s everyone I know.

I just don’t really get that vibe from it. When my mother used to say she was “going out with the girls” I never took it as infantilizing.

The first amendment does not mean that you can say anything you want, whenever you want. I doubt many people would be charged for swearing, but it would not be a first amendment issue.