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Graphic/Gauntlet

Letter(s):

Bury “The Island Way”?

Editor:

In my opinion, the organization which calls itself ‘‘The Island Way” should change its name. The name ‘‘Island Way”? is not a reasonable name for organization.

First, this name implies that the majority of Islanders are in sup- port of that organization. Unless an referendum were held and the results turned out in favor of that organization, it would be pre- sumptuous and improper to assume that most Islanders do support ‘‘The Island Way’’.

Also, the peace movement does not have a monopoly on the name “The Island Way”’. For instance, the pro-abortion movement on the Island has just as much, if not more, right to the name ‘The Island Way’? as Islanders have recently closed down the only abortion committee on the Island.

In itself, the name is also pre- posterous. No _ self-respecting group would call itself “The Catholic Way’’, “The Saskat- chewan Way”, or “The Nuclear Way”. The name “The Island Way” suggests that there exists serious egotism among the organi- zation’s leaders.

Since Litton is no longer a con- cern of Island people, I think the anti-Litton organization ‘The Island Way’ should be dissolved.

Kevin McLean

a peace

Smoker Reacts

Dear Editor,

This summer, I worked on a tobacco farm and became aware of the current plight of tobacco farmers. All the tobacco farmers 1 know are all nice, church-going people. I don’t know why people are making such a fuss about tobacco smoking. Don’t they have anything better to do?

I heard that some people want to ban smoking outright at UPEI. There is no conclusive scientific proof that tobacco smoking is harmful to people’s health. Smoking one pack a day is per- fectly fine. Even the Japanese government says smoking is good for one’s health in their advertise- ments. Smoking may be detri- mental to some unfit people, but it is a healthy habit for most of us.

There are deep-rooted reasons why people smoke. A cigarette is an adult substitute for a pacifier. If one smokes cigarettes, one won’t have to see psychiatrists often. I know of several friends who became overweight and miserable after quitting smoking.

The people who are anti- smoking are anti-everything. They would be anti-pornography, anti- abortion, anti-nuclear, and even anti-Litton. I hope that they will instead adopt a more positive attitude towards life and leave us smokers alone.

Kevin MacLean

The Gem

September 1, 198

Man, Woman, and

By Jim W. Lai

For some time, many feminists have argued that the word ‘‘man’’ in its various forms is sexist. As a result, common terms such as “‘weatherman’”’, ‘“‘postman”’, ‘“‘re- pairman”, and ‘‘garbageman’’ have been replaced by “‘meteroro- logist’’, ‘letter carrier’, ‘“‘service technician”, and ‘sanitation engineer’’, much to the dismay of illiterates, who compose up to 20% of the Canadian adult popu- lation.

This had led to the decline of modern English. For example, a new museum in Ottawa has re- cently changed its name from “The Museum of Man’’ to ‘‘The Museum of Civilization and Humanity’. Another example of this deterioration can be found in the UPEI calendar: ‘‘persmission of the chair’, ‘‘aproval of the chair’’, “consent of the chair’’, “in consulation with the chair’. Do you know what these phrases mean? Perhaps intelligent furni- ture are in control of UPEI.

This haphazard method of re- vision spells disaster for English literature. For instance, the saying “all men are created equal”’ is interpreted by to mean women are not created equal; “a man’s home is his castle’? may be interpreted to mean that women have no share of the home; the term ‘‘madman’’ does not include women. If ‘‘man’’ had to be re-

* placed by ‘‘human’”’ of “thuman- ity”, the result would be the destruction of many poems, say- ings, and prose works; a colossal amount of novels, plays and son-

some

nets would have to be corrected, as would the Bible, in this monu- mental overhaul of English literature.

I propose a less drastic solution to this problem. The term ‘“‘man”” should refer to both the female and male Homo spaiens; the term “woman”? will refer to a female man; the term ‘thuman”’ will refer toamale man.

The word ‘“‘woman”’ came from the words ‘‘wife’’ and ‘‘man’’, so it is logical that the name of the male Homo sapiens should be derived from ‘‘husband’”’ and “‘man”’, therefore “‘human’’. One side effect is that the humanities should be referred to as the mani- ties, but this is not a serious problem.

One reader proposed in a re- cent letter to the Globe and Mail that the term for the male Homo sapiens should be “‘penman’’. This proposal is unacceptable: the etymology is incorrect and is also unsuitable to be taught to children, dut to its anatomical origin.

Pronouns must also be made regular. The pronous “‘she’” and ‘ther’? would be used with “‘woman’’; “‘whe’’ and “‘hir’” used with ‘thuman’’; ‘‘he’’ and his’’ used with “man”. The plurals would be “women”, “shumen’’, and “‘men’’.

Young children in particular, as well as illiterates, would find the English language more regular and therefore easier to learn. The any who delivers mail is the mail-

man; the man who announces the

Human

weather is the weatherman; the) head of the department is a chair-|

man and should not be confused).

with a piece of furniture. Educa-| tion of the young should not be bogged down in petty details such| as weather or not “‘businessman’’ is sexist and) should be replaced by “‘business- person”.

Christian churches have re-| cently been challenged to remove sexist. language from church rituals. By adopting these pro- posals, these rituals would no} longer contain sexist language and would remain unchanged

Perhaps the word ‘‘son”” should be neuter as well. Thus, when a) person says Jesus is the son of God, feminists cannot say thal person is making a sexist state. ment. With these changes, the| passage .“‘Happy are those who] work for peace among men; God] will call them, his sons!’’ (Matthew 5.9) is now perfectly acceptable. Also, the word, ‘‘person’? is now non-sexist.

In summary, I have proposed) that by changing the world “man” and its corresponding pro- nouns and making the word| “‘son’’ neuter, most of the sexist overtones found in the English} language and English literature] can be eliminated. As a whole, this approach is better than the| current revision advocated _by| most feminists. A side effect | my proposal is that the male Homo sapiens will temporarily lose their identity, but who cares about them anyway?

De ee eS

OFFICE HOURS

Office hourse for the editor of the * Gem will be: i

Monday: 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM Tuesday: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Wednesday: 10:30 AM to *:00 PM

If the editor is not in the office, submissions or messages may be left by placing them through the slot in the door.

Submissions for the Gem should be made no later than 1 PM Monday on the week the submission is to be published. Submissions should be typed and doubled spaced.

Editor: Production Editor: Contributors:

Photography Editor:

Jim W. Lai Lori Anne Heckbert

Don Lane ; Brian Linkletter

Robert Bodrog-Goodland Danny Mullen

Michelle Cottreau

Oliver Twi t

Robert Kelley

C.W.J. Eliot

Kevin McLean

Anne Shirley

Shelli Wheaton

the terms},