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Because "they" is still grammatically incorrect. That's pretty much it. And on the internet, on 90% of the sites you will visit, "he" will be accurate. It's like... like... like a metaphor I can't think of that involves assuming a someone in a nearly-homogeneous group is going to be part of the homogeneous part. Or something. Pretend I was more eloquent.

And "shield the ears of children" is a really really dangerous idea. Mostly because it makes it incredibly easy for the group doing the "shielding" to decide anything they don't quite agree with ought to be kept out. Also, we all know how well children deal with things they aren't supposed to know- sex, swear words, books their parents try to keep away from them, etc.

Personally, I figure it's best to just let them see as many sides as possible, and let them choose. If they're gonna hate, they're gonna hate, mind controlling them out of that would be pretty twisted.

"He or she" takes up more space than "they" or "he," so when you're trying to get to a certain number of pages in a paper or something, it's the way to go.

I'd rather gave grammatically incorrect than backwards, disrespectful thinking like "and on the internet, on 90% of the sites you will visit, "he" will be accurate" despite the fact that there are females on the internet and it is precisely that type of thinking which promotes sexism on the internet and within internet culture. I know women who reddit, 4chan, gamefaq, WOW, facebook, ITL, whatever -- we exist, we do shit, we're part of the conversation, and we matter.

Defaulting to "he" is what you want to use because you prefer it. Period, end of sentence. Stop trying to justify it with any other explanation, especially ones that involving assuming you are speaking to a man. For decades the "grammatically incorrect" they has been acceptable. Guess who defines grammar use? People. Common usage enables and dictates the rules. They are not unyielding forces of nature dictated to use by the gods on high. They are conventions established by collective usage over the years. They are changeable, and they should change.

Right. One of the most irrefutable arguments for singular they is its utility, which is what ultimately undergirds "correct" word usage. If people have a use for it, it's going to end up in common parlance, and this = correct.

No one decided what English is, it depends completely on the speakers. Which is why they're called dialects and not simply "wrong."

If "they" is one day determined to be officially correct in our new english, then I will not object. Also, Kino, I think I hit a landmine. Please don't get really angry at me.

@Doktor_Q

I will murder you and rip out your spine to use as a coat rack.

No, my sincere apologies -- you did hit a nerve. I've been spending too much time at reddit and it's made me bitter and hateful. I think it's actually worse than 4chan, because at least 4chan acknowledges that its the asshole of the internet. reddit thinks highly of itself even when its spewing sexist, vitriolic snobbery.

I need to remember that ITL is the only safe haven on the internet, and behave myself in its holy presence.

You're most welcome here, Jubels ^_^

How does a spine even make a coatrack? Seems impractical.

I've never been to reddit, myself. Been to 4chan a few times, decided they were bastards, moved further away. Truth be told I've still got some knee-jerk reactions to feminism, mostly because I've met the extreme, blunt end of that stick (I.E. perfect women are superior to stupid men) a couple times.

Equality is an awesome idea, but most attempts to enforce it seem to end up discriminating the other direction, eventually. And two wrongs don't make a right. Three do, but only technically, and honestly who does that?

I think everything related to gender can be explained through aliens.