In both of the readings it focused on pivotal points in society. In identity terms , it broke down the many different kind of terms people use to refer to a group of people or thing. A lot of these terms were based off of history and political references. The term i relate to the most is people of color/ colored people. Another term that I looked into was disabled people vs people with disabilities . There are differences between the two, the word people before the word disability encourages people who don’t have disabilities to actually think of them as people. Some times our minds thinks negatively towards those who may be slightly different than others . Language is important especially when using these specific terms, it will change the way we perceive things and how we communicate with others .
Language is the key to communication , especially when it comes to gender. In the reading Feminist philosophy of language it talks about the barriers and expectations of gender communication. False gender neutrality is a common thing I believe we all face one point in our life. We refer to things as “he” if we are unsure of what it is. For example when ever i see a dog i automatically say ” hes so cute whats his name ?” in my mind i’m not actually assuming its a boy but the term ” he” is common to refer to a person or thing . I see the point on how gender can be used to refer to other things other than just your sex.
Philosophy of language is also known to be called’ individualism ‘ to the worlds view , individualism in philosophy was viewed as a mans mindset. Why ? well because it has been told over and over that men think for themselves, they are distant and very private. What does this subliminally say towards women then ? that women are emotional and dependent on men? It was looked down upon for women to have a ‘mans mind’ . The saying act like a women but think like a man is foolish. The mind has nothing to do with gender , but everything to do with character.
Overall both reading has given me an better understanding on the terms we use day to day. We should be careful on how we use certain terms , when encountering certain people. We should also look deeper into the meanings and reasons on how and why we say what we say when it comes to language in gender communication.
