Should Boxer refer to Condi as "she"?

[sabra]

Poll question: Should Boxer refer to Condi as "she"?

All the repugs referred to Condi as the honorable Doctor, Boxer refers to her as "she"...

What do you think? :-)

[davidinalameda]

1. call her Mrs. Bush

after all, her husband is the president

:bounce:

[Benhurst]

2. It would be disrespectful to use "it." NT

:spank: typo corrected

[sabra]

3. Just heard Boxer call Condi, Dr. Rice...

Maybe her ppl saw the poll? :-)

[American Tragedy]

4. English only has three third person singular pronouns.

Would "it" be more appropriate? :evilgrin:

[sabra]

11. I know... I guess the question was more the way Boxer was saying "she"...

[kuozzman]

5. Dr. Evil would be appropriate. n/t

[imenja]

6. Gender and respect

It's not possible to use "Dr. Rice" all the time. "She" is a pronoun, comparable to "he." Boxer also refers to her as "Dr. Rice." You can't use a formal term six times in a sentence. "Honorable," I believe, is unnecessary. Boxer likely questions whether Rice is in fact honorable.

I agree with showing the respect her position deserves, but I must point out "Condi" reveals a kind of gender bias itself. We call women by their first names: Hillary, Condi, Barbara--but use last names for men--Conyers, Bush, Cheney. This isn't meant as an accusatory comment. It is something I do myself. But we should be aware of it and try to treat women, however beloved or despised, with the same respect we do with male officials.

Thank goodness for Barbara Boxer! At last, a real Democrat!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. I Never Saw The Word Honorable Precede The Word Doctor In Academia...

I wonder where the Republicans get that little chestnut...

[imenja]

12. certainly not

No student has ever referred to me as the "Honorable Dr. . . "
I'm happy if they avoid "Miss" or "Mrs."
I assumed it was some political convention.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. I Never Called My Professors Mr. Or Ms. Unless They Didn't Have A

Doctorate....


Dr. Rice has a pretty resume but a resume is not a substitute for wisdom, judgment and independent thinking...

[imenja]

20. it's a leftover from high school

and a sort of internalized sexism students don't think about. It bothers women professors a fair bit. To be fair, it doesn't happen that often. There are generally one or two each semester who do it. I correct them if it happens more than once.

[tk2kewl]

7. how bout Miss Rice?

[imenja]

25. No, that is blatantly disrespectful

If you are to address her with a title, you must use Dr. Regardless of your views about her political actions, she earned a PhD and should be addressed accordingly.
In a general sense, unmarried women or those whose marital status you are unfamiliar with should be addressed as "Ms." It's 2005.

[Telly Savalas]

26. Would "that mendacious shrew" be more respectful?

[imenja]

28. if you desire is to demonstrate your distaste for women in general

then shrew is an appropriate choice, just as a white supremacist might use the term "darky" or "n----r."

Note this passage from Ros Coward, author of _Language and Materialism_ (with John Ellis) and _Female Desire_.

"There are endless terms which stereotype or dismiss women. Words like ‘bitch’ and ‘shrew’ imply that women are in some way transgressing their feminine role; such women are too strong and stroppy, not considerate and attentive in the way women are meant to be."

http://www.newint.org/issue191/kicking.htm

Another passage makes a similar point: "In English, animal terms tend to be used for people. Shrew, a mouse-like animal, means a "scolding, nagging, evil-tempered woman" while shrewed means a "keen-witted businessman", according to Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language. Dog is another term that can be both positive or negative. A man can be a lucky dog but a woman is considered a bitch. The term bitch never used to be a bad thing when refering to a female dog, but now kids are taught not to use that word because it is a swear word. Even now I still don't use the term bitch in front of my parents because it has such a negative connotation. I say "witch with a B". Also, the terms vixen and vampire (vamp) have negative meanings for women. This shows how males are considered the "better sex" because all of these terms refer to a promiscuous or nagging woman."

[Telly Savalas]

31. Sorry.

Due to the fact that nobody has used this term in their everyday speech for a few centuries, it's easy to ignore its gravity. I was merely trying to invoke the image of Sen. Boxer insulting Dr. Rice in the pompous manner of a bad Shakesperean actor.

[imenja]

34. that's cool

I wondered if it was intentional, but I'm glad to know it wasn't. It is used in modern-day language, but not as often as other terms.

[jdonaldball]

8. No. Call him "he"

[Up2Late]

9. I'd prefer "That Bitch..."

or "That lying Bitch...", but that would be in a perfect world.:evilgrin:

[babylonsister]

13. Sure. We all know who Boxer is talking about.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. I prefer she stay on message ...... Beeeyatch would be perfect

[pbartch]

15. Call CondiLIAR ----Ms. Anti-Christ

Conde is truly evil....just like her master Heil Bush.

[Disturbed]

19. Honorable Dr. Rice?

Not in my alternate universe.

[Bridget Burke]

21. It would work with the correct amount of sarcasm...

They are all, all honourable men.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

17. huh? ...should call her bush*s wife...isn't that what she wants?

[Laurab]

32. If it is, that in itself shows

that she's totally insane. Not that I had much doubt.

[Hand]

18. "That lying sycophant" works for me! nt

[yurbud]

22. are rethugs implying "she" is an insult?

What's wrong with being a woman?

[sabra]

23. I would say, more of the tone, and how Boxer was saying it...

Boxer wasn't putting Rice on the pedestal that the repubs perceive her...

[cestpaspossible]

24. I object to the form of the answers.

Calling her 'she' does show respect.

[Democrat Dragon]

27. What about "It"?

[Shalom]

29. How About Ugly Fucking Bitch ?

[genius]

30. Call her the Bush slut.

[Skittles]

33. that f'ing Bush whore deserves not one bit of respect

NOT A SHRED