As soon as something is cool, the monoculture comes to devour it. Burning Man is no exception. In my camp’s pre-burn Zoom acculturation meetings, members are prompted to give their pronouns “if they want” in their introductions. Most capitulate (some jump at the chance!) The majority of the leadership isn’t woke, some are opposed, and yet they do this anyway. But at least there was the fig leaf of not being required to “give your pronouns,” and several people politely ignored the demand.
Maybe part of helping the Nietzscheans be über is giving them a variety of language to use as a response?
I’m thinking: “I don’t impose pronouns,” “I’m a man,” “I’m a woman,” “I have no pronoun preference,” “I choose not to tell you my pronouns,” “I only use pronouns to describe people behind their back,” “I use all pronouns,” “I use third person pronouns only when I describe people,” “I don’t declare or prescribe words for people to refer to me,” or simply give no information and remain silent. Or: “use any pronoun you wish.” Any other examples?
This feels like a different position than you previously had (on binary pronouns); has there been a change, re: people who use she or he and would like others to use them, but whose current gender presentation might not cause people to assume the ones they want?
Fwiw, events I run have pronouns optional, not to fight against "woke power grabs", but because I have several close friends who are of the position "being forced to give pronouns by an enthusiastic cis ally when I'm possibly privately figuring out transition in practice means I either out those complications to a room of strangers, or am forced to misgender myself."
How far back are we going? I believe my most recent position on pronouns was that they are assigned based on perceived sex, and therefore are almost always very obvious. The cultural fight right now is whether people obviously on cross-sex hormones should be assigned natal or crossing pronouns.
Maybe part of helping the Nietzscheans be über is giving them a variety of language to use as a response?
I’m thinking: “I don’t impose pronouns,” “I’m a man,” “I’m a woman,” “I have no pronoun preference,” “I choose not to tell you my pronouns,” “I only use pronouns to describe people behind their back,” “I use all pronouns,” “I use third person pronouns only when I describe people,” “I don’t declare or prescribe words for people to refer to me,” or simply give no information and remain silent. Or: “use any pronoun you wish.” Any other examples?
This feels like a different position than you previously had (on binary pronouns); has there been a change, re: people who use she or he and would like others to use them, but whose current gender presentation might not cause people to assume the ones they want?
Fwiw, events I run have pronouns optional, not to fight against "woke power grabs", but because I have several close friends who are of the position "being forced to give pronouns by an enthusiastic cis ally when I'm possibly privately figuring out transition in practice means I either out those complications to a room of strangers, or am forced to misgender myself."
How far back are we going? I believe my most recent position on pronouns was that they are assigned based on perceived sex, and therefore are almost always very obvious. The cultural fight right now is whether people obviously on cross-sex hormones should be assigned natal or crossing pronouns.