Here on the IFC and in the wider circle of the VA / VO community the usage of so called pronouns is a fairly tricky thing to get right. Especially if you´re not native to the English language this can get quite difficult and confusing at times. The Fact that we are often basing people´s existence and gender on a tiny picture and their chosen Community Forum Name doesn´t help this.
So here´s a little refresher:
Pronouns change dependant on who you´re talking or referring to, the most common ones would be, “he” (male) and “she” (female) along with “they” for people that don´t declare as either. As mentioned, it can be quite a challenge to choose the correct pronoun on the internet where you don´t know the people you´re talking to very well. The general trend is to assume a gender based off of looks, manners, username and behaviour along with the generalization of, “he” in the aviation industry.
What can we do to counter this / to not assume genders?
By using (They/Them) you´re politely and respectfully commenting on the behavior of someone, whose gender has not yet been confirmed / disclosed to you.
Take this into account the next time you stumble across such a situation and you´ll make a much better and more polite impression on the recipient(s).
One thing I’m starting to do a lot is using they/them most of the time I speak. That way, it builds a habit of using it and eventually, it will be second nature
JK, as always. Yeah, I agree with that. Most commonly they refer as a “he” when seeing those names. Is much better saying “they/them” if you don’t know what gender is
Considering some of the people I’ve stumbled across on this forum (and other social platforms) that fake their gender, it’s really hard to judge someone by a username on a screen. Brilliant post Oskar, certainly raises awareness for what has become a prominent social issue across the world.
Even then, they/them is a universal pronoun. It doesn’t have to just be used when unsure about one’s gender. It’s a good habit to use even when knowing the gender.
I as well have started to generally use the They Them pronoun if I don’t know their gender. Thanks for this topic it definitely needed to be brought up!!
It’s even more common in real life aviation - more often than not, I’ve heard a fellow pilot/plane being referred to as “he” or “him” by a controller on the radio. Eg:
Traffic moving to your 12 o clock, report in sight.”
Coming from a member of the LGBTQ+ community whilst I’m all in for pronoun awareness, however, this is a relatively minor issue compared to those that can help with users that have certain disabilities ie. ADHD/Autism/OCD/Dyslexia
I throughly agree with this comment. If we are all raising issues I think that this certainly needs to be one of them. As a Dyslexic and ADHD person myself I completely agree that any thing to help and support people on this community would be severely helpful and would make them feel more engaged. Especially within VA’s and community groups.
I think this would definitely be beneficial for awareness, especially if people would rather be identified as certain pronouns. However, I think if this is introduced it should be made optional. Firstly because there could be trolls who abuse the option to make fun of pronoun use, and secondly not everyone in the community may want to use the feature. That way, nothing is being forced upon anyone. That’s just my opinion though. Good post!
I feel like this is more referring to the Aircraft. not the pilots, as a planespotter, I always say, I got her(as a term for the aircraft. but idk if im the only one?
