Canada: A "She"?
Just checking out some of the latest on the Globe and Mail website re: the census and population concentrations. I gotta say, they have some nifty graphics and powerpoint presentations.
Was settling in to watch "Where We Live: Canada" presentation, when a funny thing happened: the voice over and the footnotes to the slides, kept referring to Canada as "she". Wow - when did we decide Canada's gender?.. anyone who has insights on the history - please share, it'd be greatly appreciate...
Now, I am a big proponent of using gender neutral language and nothing exemplifies the ridiculousness of non- gender neutral language more than the phrase: "population concentration in her southern regions". (Sounds like the Globe and Mail is getting a little racy there.) Oh and the phrase: "Man is a mammal who breastfeeds his young" is another classic example of the ridiculousness of non gender neutral... but thankfully, the Globe refrained from using that one.
posted by JJ @ 11:56 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I think it has to do with "mother country" - last I heard mothers were "she's".
Yeah, but that usage is sort of passe. Usually a country is referred to as an it.
Anyways, thanks for a laugh. "Man is a mammal who breastfeeds his young" hahaha!
Countries, like ships, are always she's.
uhuh - and what about cars - i thought those too.. what are the he's? though...
(oh and so sorry red jenny for not getting how your comment section worked and sending you that comment like 15 times)
I know a woman who refers to her car as her boyfriend. So, I can't entirely see why a country is a "she" but then, I don't work at the G&M either.
In today's world, I wouldn't think it mattered, or it shouldn't at least. We're all equal now aren't we? ;)
It started in America where society repeatedly refers to the metaphors of family to describe their society. The founding fathers, sending sons into battle etc.
Anything that is seen as caring for you in a non authoritative way is considered "motherly" and therefore is referred to as 'she'.
Its a romanticized type of language that is used less and less these days. You certainly cannot refer to the nation as 'he', but more and more people are preferring the nation to be referred to as a eunich.
"It started in America..."
Haw! A Merkan must o' sed that. They had Mother Russia before Chris Gumbo discovered Merka. Merkans try t' say they invented the telephone, too.
The earth and the land are nurturers and have been characterized as Old Mother Earth in one way or another since prehistoric times. When it gets used for a nation, I reckon that's just an extension of what's been happenin' fer a few thousand years.
Quaint? Maybe. Offensive? Hardly. I see it as a term of reverence.
JimBobby
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