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Hawaiian God, Pele, Is Apparently Angry (Original Post) MineralMan May 2018 OP
Pele is a goddess uppityperson May 2018 #1
OK. I'm not that familiar with Hawaiian deities. MineralMan May 2018 #2
Is it male privilege to consider a male term to be gender neutral when pointed out the being uppityperson May 2018 #4
For example, Igel May 2018 #5
No, I don't think so. MineralMan May 2018 #6
True, that. I hesitated before posting as didn't want to start something up as too uppityperson May 2018 #8
sure, but it is still common practice in english, and also the vast majority Voltaire2 May 2018 #7
And used to be one heck of a footballer, too. Pope George Ringo II May 2018 #10
let's hope santa claus keeps calm this year nt msongs May 2018 #3
Pele is Brazilian. guillaumeb May 2018 #9

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
2. OK. I'm not that familiar with Hawaiian deities.
Thu May 17, 2018, 01:15 PM
May 2018

Thanks! Anyhow, I consider the word "god" to be gender neutral.

uppityperson

(115,674 posts)
4. Is it male privilege to consider a male term to be gender neutral when pointed out the being
Thu May 17, 2018, 06:52 PM
May 2018

they are referring to is female?

Igel

(35,197 posts)
5. For example,
Thu May 17, 2018, 07:08 PM
May 2018

Is it male privilege to consider a male term like steward to be gender neutral when pointed out that the being they are referring to is female?

Or perhaps "actor"?

"Priest"?

The tendency has been to use the unmarked term as gender neutral except when there's great political hay to be made.

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
6. No, I don't think so.
Thu May 17, 2018, 07:51 PM
May 2018

The gender usage trend these days is to avoid appending suffixes like -ess to indicate female gender. When referring to omnipotent supernatural entities, I use the word deity, as a rule, but also refer to them as gods sometimes.

The word endings -or and -er mean simply "one who" (verbs). Server, for example.

The word actor is now standard for both sexes. Actress is rarely heard these day from people of that profession. Airline passengers are assisted today by flight attendants.

As a professional writer, I have to be very conscious of such usages.

God is a gender neutral word. It carries no meaning with regard to sex. In the movie, Dogma, for example, Alanis Morisette played God.

Thanks for your interesting question.

uppityperson

(115,674 posts)
8. True, that. I hesitated before posting as didn't want to start something up as too
Thu May 17, 2018, 08:38 PM
May 2018

easily can happen but decided to anyway, hoping you saw who was asking. I've used "actor" for yrs, to have people look at me funny. Same with waiter. I don't know why calling Pele a god struck me as wrong, will have to think on this. Could be from past trips to Hawaii and hearing her portrayed as such.

Matt Damon played Loki in Dogma, and the part of Loki in the play in Thor Ragnorok, which has nothing to do with this but my mind wandering.

I liked Dogma.

Voltaire2

(12,629 posts)
7. sure, but it is still common practice in english, and also the vast majority
Thu May 17, 2018, 07:58 PM
May 2018

of gods are actually male gendered, which is itself another facet of the same problem.

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