What’s Underneath the Judge’s Robe?

Posted by Rick

August 7, 2008

“A judge has the final say. It’s his decision. And his decision should be what is best for the poor soul before him, whomever he may be.”

What’s wrong with that sentence? Slightly sexist huh? Why can’t the judge, or the defendant for that matter, be a “she”? Before we begin judging the nature of the writer behind those words let’s look at ways we can avoid making this mistake ourselves.

As in the example above, when you are simply illustrating an idea, use “their” instead of “his” and “they” in place of “he”. The same goes for “she” or “her”. If you mean to make the reader picture a male judge, then by all means do so, as long as you are aware of this

You can alternate. Maybe your book is about judges. Use “he” in some sections, and “she” in others. You can be an equal opportunity writer.

Try using “salesperson” instead of “salesman”. Unless the gender is known. If you are speaking in general term, unisex is best.

Here’s a good one. Some people cringe at “mankind” and prefer “humanity”. I’ll leave that one up to you. I’ve also seen “humankind” used.

There are bigger mistakes you can make as a writer. I am the last person to espouse absolute rules in writing. Knowing how people may react is key and you will be a much smarter, and more skilled writer, because of it.

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Comments

Comment by Laurie on August 8, 2008 @ 8:38 pm

I am old school. I want it to be mankind. I also prefer “all men are created equal”. I was taught that “men” meant all people. I am ok with that. I don’t feel slighted or disrespected. I’m not big on political correctness.

As far as what’s under the robe, these days who knows?