From: boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: D&D and political correctness
Date: 1 Oct 92 15:02:55 -0500
Summary: Using generic pronouns when writing, catching flak..
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Keywords: pronouns, flak, political
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Oct1.131820.804@cs.tu-berlin.de>, lum@cs.tu-berlin.de (Lutz
   Hofmann) writes:
> In article <1992Sep30.162635.3253@aa.cad.slb.com> jackson@ess43.Berkeley.EDU
>   (Jeff Jackson) writes:
>>|> In article <65927@cup.portal.com>, Tagi@cup.portal.com (Tagi Mordred
>>|>    Nagashiva) writes:

   Odd, this paragraph below looks awfully like my style of writing.. are you
sure that Tagi wrote it?  This is how I run it in my world as well.  Sorry to
harp, but I think I wrote this section...

>>|>    Enscribing a scroll requires the mage to essentially memorize the
>>|>    spell from hir book, have material components at hand, and essentially
>>|>    'cast' the spell into the scroll as sHe inscribes it, which is why
>>|>    the process takes (in my world) one hour/spell level, plus the
>>|>    required inks, parchment, and quiet area to work....
>>
>>    Well, I see that even fantasy worlds are not immune to the PC effect.
>>
>>       - JWJ
> 
> Hey you! What is this PC crap? Can't you write straight?
> The paragraph above should read:
> Enscribing a scroll requires the mage to essentially memorize the
> spell from HER book, have material components at hand, and essentially
> 'cast' the spell into the scroll as SHE inscribes it, which is why the
> process takes (in my world) one hour/spell level, plus the required
> inks, parchment, and quiet are a to work....

   No, it shouldn't, since you are referring to a person whose gender is
unspecified, so hir and sHe are the generic terms (possessive and subjective)
for male/female/unknown person.

> 1st Alternative: Use HIS and HE.

   *sigh* I catch flak if I do it that way, have before.  It seems it doesn't
work either way I try it.  Somebody always gets upset.  My apologies.

> 2nd Alternative: Give this mage a distintive name and work from there
>                  on with the appropiate gender!

   If the original article specified it, I would be happy to do that.

> Yours Sincerely  Lutz Hofmann
>                  lum@cs.tu-berlin.de
> -- 
> Ob. Disc: Dies ist kein Flame.   ---   This is no flame.

   As this has nothing to do with adnd, I have re-directed the followups.

                                        John "Nightwind" Boelter

--
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* John Boelter        a.k.a. Nightwind            boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu *
* Organizational Manager and contact person for everything and then some.     *
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* The individual who said we only use 10%  * The first 90% of a task takes    *
* of our brain's mental capacity, was      * 90% of the time, and the last    *
* probably 90% incorrect.                  * 10% takes the other 90%.         *
*            -Unknown comic on A&E-        *   -99 rule of Project Schedules- *
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