Ridding the World of Sexist Norms

Another product of our woke culture, a young person who has apparently taken one too many Women’s studies courses, has discovered that the term Mrs., as in Mrs. Smith, is sexist. OMFG.

Most likely, the letter writer is a child, because he or she speaks of his or her mother as-- mom.

Once upon a time, our culture decided that Mrs. was sexist, and especially that Miss was unthinkably sexist. It does not date to yesterday. So people invented the term Ms. which, happily enough means precisely nothing. Why women would thrill to the notion of begin designated by a meaningless title escapes me, but then, what do I know?

Obviously, many people adopted the non-generic Ms., because they did not wish to offend women who did not want their titles to reflect their marital status. Of course, the presence or absence of a certain kind of ring placed on a certain finger does precisely that, but, what the heck. 

It was a great social experiment, but it has proven difficult to enforce. Many married women are proud of their marital status. They have no interest and no reason to hide it. And besides, when a man meets a woman, it is more economical to know off the top whether she is single or married. It saves a certain amount of confusion and misinterpretation. 

Now, however, social norms have been definitively sundered in certain precincts, so every woman can now choose, freely, whether she wants to be called Miss or Mrs. or Ms. In a world where we allow each individual to choose his or her own pronouns, we also allow a woman to choose how she wants to be addressed or referenced.

The result is-- generalized confusion.

Anyway, here is the letter, written to Miss Manners:

The term "Mrs." makes me puke. Is it okay if I address all women as "Ms.," even if I know they prefer "Mrs."?

The way I see it, "Mrs." is a sexist term that reinforces sexist norms every time it's uttered, but the word "Ms." is harmless.

I want to make the world a less sexist place. My mom says I'm being rude. 

Who's right?

As it happens, America has been fighting the good fight against sexist norms for decades now. I trust you have noticed. It is fair to ask ourselves how that has been working out?

Anyway, Miss Manners cuts to the point. She explains who is right:

Your mother.

And didn’t she teach you that deliberately ignoring other people’s wishes is not a way to make the world a better place? And to state your beliefs in less offensive terms?

If people paid more attention to their mothers’ pronouncements, Miss Manners’s job would be a lot easier.

That’s it, youngsters. Listen to your mother. Pay heed to her views. She is older and wiser. 

And take a larger lesson. Correcting other people is rude and offensive. It shows bad manners. Do not try to impose your views on other people. Do not imagine that you possess the truth and have the right to force other people to behave the way you want them to. 

You are not going to rid the world of sexist norms. You are going to alienate people and find yourself friendless, or else a feminist cult follower. There is no special virtue in losing friends and alienating people.

The solution is politeness and good manners. Strangely, no one really talks about the simple fact that acting like you belong to the thought police is rude.

One understands that woke culture obliges everyone to do precisely what Miss Manners tells us not to do. The moral of the story is, if you cannot bear to listen to your mother, listen to Miss Manners.