31–40 of 210 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> He mentions She. Or they, which I recommend when the subject's gender is irrelevant even if you know of it.
He, by definition, is gender neutral and fine for use when the gender is unknown or irrelevant.
Either "they" or "the author" is a much better choice today.
Any recommendation for video conferencing? We are using hangout and it is not reliable at all :(
We decided to try old school - we hosted our own Mumble and while maybe not nice UI/UX, it works perfectly for 20+ people. Also I recommend as well having good headphones (with integrated mic) to avoid potential echo (jitsi echo can be annoying without headphones).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
He, by definition, is gender neutral and fine for use when the gender is unknown or irrelevant.
The English pronouns he and she are gender-specific third-person personal pronouns. The English pronoun they is an epicene (gender-neutral) third-person pronoun that can refer to plural antecedents of any gender and, under certain circumstances, to a singular antecedent that refers to a person. Source: https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21719768-prais...
1. used to refer to a man, boy, or male animal previously mentioned or easily identified.
2. used to refer to a person or animal of unspecified sex
3. any person
"They" is more modern, if a little awkward in some cases, but the english language is fluid and thus "he", alongside "they", remains perfectly acceptable for those who wish to use it in that capacity. The message was able to be conveyed, which is the only requirement of the english language.
I think the key things for me are
- Love your work, motivation then comes for free
- Communicate a lot, as the article says. Personally I'm a fan of written communication, as I find that is frequently more impactful. Easier to share, and so on.
- 1to1s are also great
- Have someone in office you can talk bullshit with over text chat. That helps a lot with the isolation and staying on top of office gossip.
- Being remote naturally encourages a more independent working style. Being forced to solve problems myself and actually think has been great for me. Not being in office provides the calm and quiet to do exactly that!
- A lot depends on your manager. Mine is trusting and accomodating, and I very much appreciate it.
- Finally, having a good internal network in the company is important. Putting in the travels to get some face time is important, as written communication gets a lot better after having met.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
He, by definition, is gender neutral and fine for use when the gender is unknown or irrelevant.
The English pronouns he and she are gender-specific third-person personal pronouns. The English pronoun they is an epicene (gender-neutral) third-person pronoun that can refer to plural antecedents of any gender and, under certain circumstances, to a singular antecedent that refers to a person. Source: https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21719768-prais...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> He mentions She. Or they, which I recommend when the subject's gender is irrelevant even if you know of it.
He, by definition, is gender neutral and fine for use when the gender is unknown or irrelevant.
Not in english.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The English pronouns he and she are gender-specific third-person personal pronouns. The English pronoun they is an epicene (gender-neutral) third-person pronoun that can refer to plural antecedents of any gender and, under certain circumstances, to a singular antecedent that refers to a person. Source: https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21719768-prais...
While you are not strictly wrong, "he" carries multiple meanings (see below). The original commenter is clearly using one of the latter definitions. 1. used to refer to a man, boy, or male animal previously mentioned or easily identified. 2. used to refer to a person or animal of unspecified sex 3. any person "They" is more modern, if a little awkward in some cases, but the english language is fluid and thus "he", al…
> "They" may be more modern, if a little awkward in some cases, but the english language is fluid and thus "he", alongside "they", remains a perfectly acceptable for those who wish to use it in that capacity.
Well. I am not sure of your sources for your statements (1 to 3). But would love to read them, as this is a topic of great interest to me. Especially as they go against everything I did learn during my time studying the history of languages (German and English).
I know of language fluidity and I know of a time around the 14th century where "he" was in some contexts used in a more gender neutral way (and even that is debated nowadays). And even then the neutral "they" (singular and plural) was also in use in cases that were clearly gender neutral.
So looking back into the development and the history of the English language I cannot find (or recollect) indicators for your way of reading "he" as being totally fine and acceptable and really gender neutral (and not just a sign of a more patriarchal society).
Talking about fluidity of language. At least in the last some years there has been a development of "he" being incivil and assuming and therefore should probably not be used in a gender neutral way. Also that other alternatives would be more civil and unassuming regarding others taking part in our conversations.
> The message was able to be conveyed, which is the only requirement of the english language.
Well technically speaking that is true. But aren't there always human beings part of every conversation? And imho our wetware isn't a purely logic parser for information. We are flawed and our flaws should be considered when trying to communicate. Esp. if we try to get an idea across and not wanting to "hurt"/alienate others.
We have different "ways" we process information. The purely informational part of a message is but one of them. Ignoring the others might just hinder our arguments/ideas from getting the recognition they deserve.
One model of communication for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-sides_model
[Edit] Removed unnecessary quote markers.
I've been working remotely for about 8 years, and I have to say it's a challenge. I have great colleagues and a great manager and we work on stuff we care about, so I am in no position to complain. However, all things being equal, I would much prefer to be in the office 3 days per week (not 5!). For all the advantages of working remotely, the social isolation is extremely unnatural and not good for you. Today, for ex…
I seem to thrive with a certain level of interaction. Companies I've contracted for remotely have been great but it has been extremely isolating. Where I felt like I had a good handle on the overall direction of things when I worked in an office, moving this 100% to slack and google docs has left me often feeling more like a cog on one piece than a part of the overall project.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The English pronouns he and she are gender-specific third-person personal pronouns. The English pronoun they is an epicene (gender-neutral) third-person pronoun that can refer to plural antecedents of any gender and, under certain circumstances, to a singular antecedent that refers to a person. Source: https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21719768-prais...
While you are not strictly wrong, "he" carries multiple meanings (see below). The original commenter is clearly using one of the latter definitions. 1. used to refer to a man, boy, or male animal previously mentioned or easily identified. 2. used to refer to a person or animal of unspecified sex 3. any person "They" is more modern, if a little awkward in some cases, but the english language is fluid and thus "he", al…
The singular "they" dates back to at least middle english and Chaucer, its proscription is the recent event (~18th century) and went mostly ignored by informal speakers: https://books.google.be/books?id=Lijcg3vt9yAC&pg=PA93&redir_...
I've been working remotely for about 8 years, and I have to say it's a challenge. I have great colleagues and a great manager and we work on stuff we care about, so I am in no position to complain. However, all things being equal, I would much prefer to be in the office 3 days per week (not 5!). For all the advantages of working remotely, the social isolation is extremely unnatural and not good for you. Today, for ex…