Words hurt us, but languages are much more than the words in their vocabularies. They are systems of rules, rules which speakers find useful for saying what they want to say . . . What's more, most women remain mostly unconscious of how English forces us to repeat the structures that deny us stature and agency in the world and of the role of language in our oppression. Thinking about how we think is hard. Though Penelope's language itself may seem ideologically harsh to some, her basic message is a valid one.
Language effectively proscribes the parameters within which individuals are able to think.
Hence, biased language capably reinforces the prejudices upon which it is founded. Human beings are only able to intellectually analyze and process those thoughts that can be effectively communicated with words. Therefore, if language itself assumes a certain ideological or cultural perspective, ideas discussed with that language automatically ground themselves in those presumptions. If the language purports an innacurate view of the world, then ideas can never be truthfully explored in full, and this type of exploration necessarily lies at the heart of any good scholarly or academic work. Gender inclusive language need not be rooted in radical feminism or perceived male bashing.