Dominion > Dominion General Discussion
Interview with Donald X.
Davio:
Well, imagine that it would be the best card ever, it would be pretty arrogant. And if it were the worst card ever too, it would be a good laugh. And if it were a mediocre card, it would just be... mediocre.
Polk5440:
--- Quote from: Donald X. on January 03, 2013, 01:37:26 am ---
--- Quote from: soulnet on January 02, 2013, 11:12:29 pm ---3. One of the two things that I hate most about Dominion (this sounds harsh, but after reading it, I think this is more a testimony that I love the game) is the fact that the text on the cards is sexist (it refers to individual players as "he"). Did you consider gender neutrality while making the game? Would you (if you happen to call the shots on such a thing) consider a request for gender neutrality for upcoming expansions/games?
--- End quote ---
The prototype said "they." RGG which is to say Jay switched to "he" (and also expanded most contractions).
I think "he or she" is awful. I think "she" is also awful. "They" is where it's at and has been in use for centuries. Evo is an example of a game that uses it.
I would not include this in contracts; it is hard enough getting games published. If I self-published (not likely) I would use "they."
--- End quote ---
Donald's probably right that singular they is where the future's at. But, you know what's so amusing about these claims of sexism? Gender-neutral "he" was introduced by a feminist. e.g. see this NYT article.
Also of note from the article: "It’s a shame that grammarians ever took umbrage at the singular they. After all, they gave you a slide. It began life as a plural object pronoun and evolved into the whole enchilada: subject and object, singular and plural."
(Side thought: I wonder why "one" hasn't caught on? I would think since "one" is already a gender neutral pronoun, its use as a personal pronoun in informal contexts would be an easier adaption than using "they" as singular, but I guess not).
soulnet:
--- Quote from: Polk5440 on January 03, 2013, 10:40:46 am ---Donald's probably right that singular they is where the future's at. But, you know what's so amusing about these claims of sexism? Gender-neutral "he" was introduced by a feminist. e.g. see this NYT article.
Also of note from the article: "It’s a shame that grammarians ever took umbrage at the singular they. After all, they gave you a slide. It began life as a plural object pronoun and evolved into the whole enchilada: subject and object, singular and plural."
--- End quote ---
Its not the technicaly correct what matters in this case, but the impact on society's view. I think if they or one shock someone because of its technically improper use, that's not a bad thing, and its probably a good thing: people ought to think someone did their job to avoid following the usual male-oriented language, and that lead some people as to think why they would do that and that eventually reinforces the important debate over sexism, which of course exceeds language issues by far.
As for the they vs one vs other alternatives, I don't know which alternative is better, for the time being, any gender-neutral or non-sexist way is fine with me.
In any case, this debate, like all ideology ones, may quickly divert from the thread, and I know that can be really annoying, especially in a successful thread, so I don't want to get too into this, unless it entails cool questions for Donald, which does not seem to be happening.
Ozle:
"It"
Problem solved
soulnet:
Are you proposing using It as a neutral pronoun or sending an evil clown to hunt us down so we stop nagging about this?
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