Re: [PATCH 4/4] CodingGuidelines: recommend singular they

[Phillip Susi <phill@thesusis.net>]

Felipe Contreras <felipe.contreras@gmail.com> writes:

> Derrick Stolee via GitGitGadget wrote:
>> From: Derrick Stolee <dstolee@microsoft.com>
>> 
>> Technical writing seeks to convey information with minimal friction. One
>> way that a reader can experience friction is if they encounter a
>> description of "a user" that is later simplified using a gendered
>> pronoun. If the reader does not consider that pronoun to apply to them,
>> then they can experience cognitive dissonance that removes focus from
>> the information.

Why should the pronoun apply to the reader?  If the documentation wants
to refer to the reader, it should use "you".  If it's using "he" then
it's referring to someone else previously mentioned in the
documentation, not to me.  Just because I am male does not mean I suffer
from confusion when I read documentation like: "Alice wants to
communicate with others securely.  She can do that by using gpg."

> But it's not part of standard English language.

<snip>

> You can use "nucular" if you want (many people do). I will use
> "nuclear".

You can use "nucular", but you will look stupid.

> Both can be valid, and we shouldn't demand the use of one over the
> other.

Sure we can; one is not valid.  You also may not "axe" me a question, or
drink an "expresso".

Also you argued against using they because it is not standard English,
but then argued that it is fine to use non standard English.