Catman on 22/3/2006 at 18:04
There's a postmodernist/feminist trend toward using 'she' where we've used 'he' in the past.
Considering the use of second person elsewhere in the article, it's rather surprising and even a bit offputting.
Yametha on 22/3/2006 at 22:16
And then again to could just be a typing error... :cheeky:
demagogue on 22/3/2006 at 22:54
Good article.
The "she" is definately refering to the 3rd person generic "player", not to the 2nd person author or to Garrett; and I'd say it's definately intentional, IMO.
I don't think it's so much a hard-core postmodernist agenda as just part of the emerging standard stylistic practice in a lot of contemporary journalistic and academic writing to mix "she" into generic 3rd person usage, even at the cost of it being somewhat arbitrary case-by-case (hence it being "standard practice", i.e., whatever the context ... so it can look odd in situations just like this, where there's a built-in ambiguity in "P.C." between the player and the character) ... so as not to alienate half of one's readership on the whole, or more likely they did the marketing research and found the usage helps readership more than it hurts it (it's a business after all; I'm sure they care a lot more about readership than whatever feminist political agenda), or whatever the reason.
The point is: I don't think it was a conscious choice as much as just part of the boilerplate style for writers for that magazine, that is, general editorial policy which writers are expected to follow.
ZylonBane on 23/3/2006 at 00:06
Considering that Garrett is most certainly not a "she", it was at best a fairly dumb choice of pronoun.
Gestalt on 23/3/2006 at 00:23
It's pretty clear the author was talking about the player, not Garrett. Think of it this way:
Quote:
"For a stealth-minded player, each uninterrupted conversation is a reward for quality quiet - proof that Garrett's a masterful sneak."
It doesn't really work. It's the player that's sneaking around, not Garrett.
Blue Sky on 23/3/2006 at 04:06
In an attempt to not appear sexist, it is often considered acceptable to use the term "she" when a gender is not specific.
God knows why, though.
SlyFoxx on 23/3/2006 at 13:24
Doesn't this belong in Com Chat now?
jermi on 23/3/2006 at 20:36
It does.
Technical manuals, specifications, standards, etc. written using "she" instead of "he" exclusively, are the best. My mind's eye can see ... a high-tech world populated entirely by women. What a beautiful vision.
