Current Events > Have you learned to stopped calling women "female"?

(+) Yeah! (+)

No, I will not stop singing Baby Got Back.

Nah

Im not a Ferengi.

I never called women "females" in the first place.

I never really used the term males or females like that. Just feels weird grammatically.

whenever i hear the word i still remember the girl that chastised LUE while closing her account that theyd chased off another user and "this time, a female one"

lol those were good times

Women implies adult females.

Girl implies child females.

Female is a good way to refer to all age groups as well.

AbsolutelyNoOne posted...

it's fucking weird

now when people use female as an adjective ("a female teacher", "they're female"), yeah generally that makes sense and im probably not going to care. unless they're like being double weird and saying "female girl". what the fuck are you doing.

[okay, people have brought up the idea of using it to refer to females that they can not immediately tell (or don't know) are adults or not. okay that's actually fair. i'm tired and angry and only thinking of the incel definition i will admit to that.]

What about a female who taught?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


This. In human context, female should only be used as an adjective.

Giblet_Enjoyer posted...

I use it as an umbrella when I'm talking about girls and women both. Less cumbersome that way

this

My cat is a woman apparently.

If you say males in the same sentence, then there's nothing wrong with females. Calling women girls is stranger/more offensive than females imo.

how many wizards itt just curious

Broads

C_Pain posted...

If you say males in the same sentence, then there's nothing wrong with females.

No, they're both wrong.

Not something I usually call women, but would someone care to explain what the problem is? Why would this be an issue?

TheOtherMike posted...

No, they're both wrong.

wrong about what

So a question that can also apply to saying, "males."

Which, yes depending on the nuance I use both the terms. Male and female.

It's a little odd how calling women female is seen as a red flag nowadays, but calling men males is pretty normal

ArsGoetia posted...

wrong about what

Using male/female as nouns in a discussion about people.

Incidentally, no one actually says "males" when they mean "men." This is a one-sided phenomenon that is only ever used to describe women.

TheOtherMike posted...

Using male/female as nouns in a discussion about people.

Incidentally, no one actually says "males" when they mean "men." This is a one-sided phenomenon that is only ever used to describe women.

are you a male

If someone refers to men as "males" and women as "females", I find it a bit weird but not particularly bad or anything. Also in the UK there's a large contingent of gen X and boomer women who will also regularly say "female", even referring to themselves as females.

It's when men expressly go out of their way to call men men but women "females" is when there's a problem. As for me, I've tried to stop calling women "female" but sometimes still do out of cultural habit.

ArsGoetia posted...

are you a male

I am a man. (Noun)

I am male. (Adjective)

TheOtherMike posted...

Using male/female as nouns in a discussion about people.

Incidentally, no one actually says "males" when they mean "men." This is a one-sided phenomenon that is only ever used to describe women.

Can you prove that?

Revelation34 posted...

Can you prove that?

Can't prove a negative.

TheOtherMike posted...

I am a man. (Noun)

I am male. (Adjective)

high school english bullshit that doesnt respect language as an everchanging tool
if you can't differentiate sentiment on a use-case basis then the one lacking in language skill is you

ArsGoetia posted...

high school english bullshit that doesnt respect language as an everchanging tool
if you can't differentiate sentiment on a use-case basis then the one lacking in language skill is you

Bro, that's literally how the words are defined and correctly used. Not my fault if you refuse to accept that.

TheOtherMike posted...

Bro, that's literally how the words are defined and correctly used. Not my fault if you refuse to accept that.

again, high school english bullshit lol
language is descriptive not prescriptive, and the vast majority of linguistic scholars agree

Revelation34 posted...

Can you prove that?

He can't.

As there's definitely those that say things like, "the male species" in a derogatory way.

Like anything, it's all in the context. Because "female" isn't always derogatory. Just like when some people say "men" they aren't always neutral in their context.

TheOtherMike posted...

I am a man. (Noun)

I am male. (Adjective)

Literally look up any online dictionary and you'll see the second usage of male is as a noun to denote a male creature.

C_Pain posted...

Literally look up any online dictionary and you'll see the second usage of male is as a noun to denote a male creature.

Dictionaries have information about words that we use. You can look up slurs and all sorts of stuff. This is absent some context.

The point being missed is that in many or most context, using female as a noun is frequently dehumanizing and othering towards women or girls, and perpetuates misogyny. This is not every context from the usage of a word, like a biology teacher talking about animals or creatures.

ArsGoetia posted...

again, high school english bullshit lol

Your need to insult people over trivialities isn't useful, it just makes you look childish.

ArsGoetia posted...

language is descriptive not prescriptive, and the vast majority of linguistic scholars agree

It's necessarily a combination of both.

NatsuSama posted...

As there's definitely those that say things like, "the male species" in a derogatory way.

Sure, but those are exceedingly rare by comparison. And "the male species," while wrong for different reasons, is a different context from something like "I'm going to the bar to find a male," which no one actually ever says.

C_Pain posted...

Literally look up any online dictionary and you'll see the second usage of male is as a noun to denote a male creature.

Specifically, plants and animals.

SecretBase posted...

I'm tempted to start exclusively using male and female * out of pure spite. Too many whiny, easily offended fucks these days.

* Obviously I would not use those terms in reference to non-binary people.

Onion article headline be like: Man changes entire vocabulary because he's offended that others are offended.

Revelation34 posted...

My cat is a woman apparently.

Women aren't cats, so don't call them females

TheOtherMike posted...

Your need to insult people over trivialities isn't useful, it just makes you look childish.

lol guy that went hard telling other people they're wrong now feels insulted being told he's wrong

TheOtherMike posted...

Can't prove a negative.

So in other words it's bullshit.

ArsGoetia posted...

lol guy that went hard telling other people they're wrong now feels insulted being told he's wrong

Correcting a point of fact is not insulting. Outright telling someone they're posting bullshit and lacking language skills for understanding the difference between adjectives and nouns is. Get back on topic or stop responding to me.

As others have said, it is clinical, and awkward, but its not like it is a slur or outdated slang. Ladies, save your outrage for the guys that call you dame, as if anyone that doesnt remember rationing coffee during the war would use such an outdated word.

McMarbles posted...

Im not a Ferengi.

Funny that it took Rom, of all people to realize that prohibiting half the population from making profit is bad for the economy.

TheOtherMike posted...

Correcting a point of fact is not insulting. Outright telling someone they're posting bullshit and lacking language skills for understanding the difference between adjectives and nouns is. Get back on topic or stop responding to me.

your understanding is lacking, as i and others have pointed out
if you cant deal with being told so, block me or shut the fuck up lol

Normal people: "Calling women "the females" is weird and clinical"

Weirdos: "Oh so we should call it the woman anatomy and woman dogs?"

hockeybabe89 posted...

Women aren't cats, so don't call them females

What's wrong with calling cats female?

TheOtherMike posted...

Specifically, plants and animals.

Humans are animals

Revelation34 posted...

So in other words it's bullshit.

No, if you have evidence of people misusing "males" in the same way people misuse "females" I'm happy to see it. I mean, I did know someone about twenty years ago who did that, but she is literally the only person in my life I've heard say that. I've never seen it online, either. It absolutely doesn't happen at a statistically significant rate by comparison. If you're saying it does, that's on you to prove.

TheOtherMike posted...

Sure, but those are exceedingly rare by comparison. And "the male species," while wrong for different reasons, is a different context from something like "I'm going to the bar to find a male," which no one actually ever says.

Says you. As there's definitely people who use it negatively. You either don't recognize it, don't care to recognize it, or don't even hear it.

TheOtherMike posted...

No, if you have evidence of people misusing "males" in the same way people misuse "females" I'm happy to see it. I mean, I did know someone about twenty years ago who did that, but she is literally the only person in my life I've heard say that. I've never seen it online, either. It absolutely doesn't happen at a statistically significant rate by comparison. If you're saying it does, that's on you to prove.

The burden of proof is always on the original claim.

Revelation34 posted...

What's wrong with calling cats female?

men are cats, women are kittens. get with it, daddy-o (combs back pompadour)

this time, a male one

I personally think its weird that ppl get offended at it. Things I have heard. "It makes us sound like a different species" no one is going to hear the word female and think of centipedes or seahorses. "Its usually accompanied by other misogynistic feelings" okay so you are upset at misogyny, not a word. Its not the n word we're talking about.