Florida teacher fired for using gender-neutral honorific ‘Mx.’

YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.worldbanned from sitebanned from site to News@lemmy.world – 398 points –
Florida teacher fired for using gender-neutral honorific ‘Mx.’
nbcnews.com
135

You are viewing a single comment

Like "mix". It's fairly simple to most people who have common sense and aren't actively trying to be offended over nothing.

Your version of "common sense" in this situation only applies to a small minority that naturally extrapolates beyond the meaning of the statement alone.

"Mx." as a prefix is not in any way established in common vernacular, nor does it easily make sense unless you assume they're doing something specific that most people don't do.

However, the law says that anyone is free to do so as they please; you can sexually identify in any way and must not be discriminated against for that in terms of your employment.

And I thought it is m-ex, like reading the letter "x".

It's not immediately intuitive in my opinion, but it does make sense once you remember that other M- honorifics start "Mi". Mister, missus, miss. Then it makes sense to follow, mix.

I think some people use it one way and others the other. I don't think there's one universal correct way.

I've heard it both ways. I'm sure no one would be offended either way you say it.

You're the divisive one here, suggesting people are hateful for having legitimate questions.

It's so simple, just like Mr. Is pronounced merr.

You're very much part of the problem.

I don't remember writing that anyone was hateful. Actively trying to be offended, yes. Legitimate questions ask questions like this "So how is Mx pronounced?". The comment was I replied to intended to mock it, not ask in good faith. But see, you'd have to come to that conclusion by using common sense, so here we are again.

It's not "fairly simple if you have common sense". The known abbreviations have been in use for a hundred or more years and are widely known. Everyone knows how to pronounce them, the only curveball is Mrs being misses since it was originallymistress but that word later became associated with cheating and "ladies of the night".

Mx was made up recently, it stands for nothing AFAIK. They just took the standard M beginning and slapped X on it because X tends to mean "unknown".

It's akin to asking you to address me as "Zf. Cat" because that's what makes me feel comfortable.

Ok, Zf. Cat :) If that makes you feel comfortable it costs me nothing to be considerate of your preference. See?

Now you have to remember that for every interaction with me. If you happen to call me sometime else, I'll grit my teeth and have to correct you or if I'm an asshole, I'll berate you about it, constantly. You will also have to refer to me as Zf. Cat to everyone you know, regardless of whether or not they know me, or are in my presence.

You should be asking yourself why you assume the person would react angrily instead of just politely correcting the pronunciation. If someone accidentally mispronounces my name I gently correct them, while smiling, and I have never once been offended or take it personally. You also assume it is a heavy burden on others to simply call people what they'd like to be called. When it is not. Being angry over this is not a healthy attitude. It's simple manners to be considerate of others and that is precisely what the person is asking for, nothing more.

If you have to correct someone about your name/title every single time it gets pretty damn annoying. I met a girl years ago whose name was spelled Remy but pronounced Ray-me she said "I hate my parents for it" (I doubt she actually hated her parents, but hated the fact that they gave her a "bad" name).

Except it's not like that at all, because you just made that honorific up!

Mx. has an actual cultural context outside of their classroom. Sure, it's new, but it's not like this teacher just made it up themselves.

What is that context? You failed to include it.

The context is Mx. already being used and recognized around the country and around the world. It's new, but it's not just something the teacher made up.

1 more...
8 more...

So common sense is dictated now by a few members of niche social media circles?

You'd think someone using the name CaptPretentious would be all in favor of things being made up by niche social circles.

Sorry was I supposed to put my first name, last name, social Security number, and mother's maiden name as my username?

Well see, common sense would have me ask "hm, how do I say that?" then google it, then when I see that it's simply pronounced "mix" I'd say "oh, okay". And then go on about my day... instead of ranting about how hard it is to figure out and how angry it should make everyone. But that's just me.

If it were me, I would probably figure out what the person I'm trying to argue arguing with was actually arguing about. Instead of getting up on a soapbox and pretending like I know what I'm arguing about. But that would take effort.

But you keep using those canned responses you got ready to go.

Wow, those two letters really shook you. Deep breaths.

My position has fuck all to do with the letters.

But you really need it to be don't you. Because your canned responses only work if that's what I'm arguing about.

4 more...
23 more...