{"id":1620983,"date":"2022-08-25T17:48:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T21:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1620983"},"modified":"2022-08-25T17:48:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T21:48:39","slug":"pronoun-police-are-playing-an-unfunny-game-of-hus-on-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pronoun-police-are-playing-an-unfunny-game-of-hus-on-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Pronoun Police Are Playing An Unfunny Game Of \u2018Hu\u2019s On First?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpronoun-police-are-playing-an-unfunny-game-of-hus-on-first%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1620983&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Now that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.pronouns.page\/hu\/hum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201chu\u201d is circulating<\/a> as a <a href=\"https:\/\/pronoun.fandom.com\/wiki\/Humanself\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">made-up pronoun<\/a> choice, isn\u2019t it past time we acknowledge that transmania has jumped the shark? When you see the made-up word \u201chu,\u201d the logical pronunciation reads just like the word \u201cwho.\u201d But we\u2019re all supposed to guess that it\u2019s pronounced \u201chew,\u201d as in the first syllable of \u201chuman.\u201d It\u2019s coupled with \u201chum,\u201d which you\u2019re supposed to figure out is pronounced \u201chume.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Libs of TikTok reliably <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/libsoftiktok\/status\/1561545949612105729\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">illustrated<\/a> this weirdness by posting the explanation of a hu\/hum advocate \u201chumself\u201d:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><\/figure>\n<p>You say \u201chew,\u201d I say \u201cwho.\u201d You say \u201chume,\u201d I say \u201cwhom.\u201d Let\u2019s call the whole thing off!<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Who\u2019s on First?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Who would have thought that an old comedy routine would be so relevant to \u201cprogressive\u201d linguistic practices today? \u201cWho\u2019s on first?\u201d \u2014 Abbott and Costello\u2019s baseball-themed sketch from the 1930s \u2014 is legendary, and it symbolizes the communication chaos of today\u2019s pronoun project.<\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019ve <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/03\/kamala-harriss-pronoun-charade-is-about-a-lot-more-than-bad-manners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">written here before<\/a>, the enforced ritual of \u201cdeclaring pronouns\u201d disrupts communication by undermining the purpose of pronouns as <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/dictionary\/english\/function-word\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">function words<\/a> that give structure to language.<\/p>\n<p>But first things first. Let\u2019s watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2ZksQd2fC6Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cWho\u2019s On First?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"IbYfjJL6dSWD8PMNUiqrysanFvlXmBTxOCPKJEsN1Wjipw9gtGz57aeq9E1LTuwXZRH\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Bud Abbott tries to explain to an exasperated Lou Costello that \u201cWho\u201d is the guy on first base. \u201cWhat\u201d is playing second, and \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d is on third. We laugh because we all <em>know<\/em> that serious confusion is the result of such badly distorted language. But today\u2019s pronoun police are demanding distortions in communication, and that\u2019s no laughing matter.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Everyone Needs a Pronoun Primer<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Too few people even seem to know what a pronoun is. This is especially true of those who demand we constantly shift our mental gears to keep track of preferred pronouns. Those who <em>do<\/em> know the purpose of pronouns are more likely to be in an Abbott-and-Costello state of confusion.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/webstersseventhn00unse\/page\/682\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Webster\u2019s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary<\/a> is an older dictionary, but I highly recommend it if you want a reference that\u2019s informative and based. Its definition of \u201cpronoun\u201d is still solid. Pronouns are the parts of speech we use \u201cto refer to persons or things named, asked for, or understood in context.\u201d They are a form of shorthand so that you don\u2019t keep repeating the same name or phrase over and over again. But the key is that pronouns are <em>understood in context.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Personal pronouns are probably the ones we think of most often. \u201cI,\u201d \u201cyou,\u201d \u201che,\u201d \u201cshe,\u201d \u201cit,\u201d \u201cwe,\u201d and \u201cthey\u201d are subject pronouns. Their corresponding forms as object pronouns are \u201cme,\u201d \u201cyou,\u201d \u201chim,\u201d \u201cher,\u201d \u201cit,\u201d \u201cus,\u201d and \u201cthem.\u201d Personal pronouns also have possessive forms such as \u201cmy,\u201d \u201chis,\u201d \u201cour,\u201d and \u201ctheir.\u201d Reflexive forms end in \u201c-self\u201d or \u201c-selves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But personal pronouns <em>are only one category<\/em> of pronouns. There are demonstrative pronouns including \u201cthis,\u201d \u201cthat,\u201d \u201cthese,\u201d and \u201cthose.\u201d There are interrogatives such as \u201cwho,\u201d \u201cwhich,\u201d \u201cwhat,\u201d and \u201cwhomever.\u201d There are a host of indefinite pronouns such as \u201call,\u201d \u201cboth,\u201d \u201cneither,\u201d \u201csuch,\u201d or \u201cnone.\u201d In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefreedictionary.com\/List-of-pronouns.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">there are at least 100 real pronouns<\/a>. We use all of them to structure our language and understand people and things in context.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Who\u2019s on the Attack?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>However, if you look up the word \u201cpronoun\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/pronoun\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in the online Merriam-Webster dictionary<\/a> you\u2019ll find signs of tampering in its first definition, which emphasizes personal pronouns as though other types of pronouns don\u2019t exist at all. Even more contrived is that its second definition uses woke examples. In short, the older \u201cWebster\u2019s Seventh\u201d respects <em>organic<\/em> usage, while the online dictionary is astroturfed because it serves to <em>impose<\/em> usage.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s woke activists mostly fuss about personal pronouns, specifically in the third person. That\u2019s the form we use when we are referring to someone or something other than ourselves or the people we are addressing. In standard terms, as subjects, they are \u201che,\u201d \u201cshe,\u201d \u201cit,\u201d and \u201cthey.\u201d Yet, I\u2019d wager that the pronoun police hope to obliterate not just those, but all pronouns since they\u2019re working <a href=\"http:\/\/www.public-library.uk\/ebooks\/72\/30.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in Orwellian fashion<\/a> to abolish language itself.<\/p>\n<p>How else to explain the profusion of third-person pronouns? Ey? Per? She? They? Xe? Vi? Ae? Hu? Or to explain their insistence that we all memorize long lists of made-up words such as \u201cxi\/xir\u201d or \u201cey\/em\u201d and studiously obey infinite uses of a multitude of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mic.com\/life\/what-are-neopronouns-how-do-they-honor-identity-78034897\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cneopronouns\u201d<\/a> made up on the fly like \u201cfae\/faer?\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/laurengarafano\/celebrities-who-are-nonbinary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Some people<\/a> insist on mixed bags such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lgbtqnation.com\/2022\/05\/people-use-pronouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201che\/they\u201d or \u201cshe\/they.\u201d<\/a> Others demand \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lgbtqnation.com\/2022\/05\/people-use-pronouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rolling pronouns<\/a>,\u201d a variety to sort through, perhaps based on fluctuating moods of the so-called \u201cgender fluid.\u201d So for third-person pronouns, we might ask in Abbott-and-Costello fashion: Who\u2019s on third? The clear answer among normal people trying to navigate this swamp is: \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Getting back to \u201cWebster\u2019s Seventh,\u201d none of these mental gymnastics allow you to \u201cunderstand in context\u201d much of anything. The effect is to undermine pronouns as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/function-word-grammar-1690876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">function words<\/a> in our language, the words that give our language the structure upon which clarity depends. Kind of like the function of punctuation. How about we all mix it up there? I de%%mand? . , . you,,,, use ;;#@; acertainorder\/of punc!!tua*(tion&#038; ? ma\u2014-rkswh,en\u2026.ever ref%err:ing to \/me (in) a [sent]ence;;,? How about filing that away in your brain?<\/p>\n<p>Those who keep pushing for these mental circus acts claim that it\u2019s just about respecting a person\u2019s identity. But their whack-a-mole antics reveal a path that leads to the deconstruction of the entire language. It begins with personal pronouns, specifically in the third person like \u201che\/she\/it\/they.\u201d If you had the good fortune to learn standard English grammar, you also know corresponding direct pronouns, as well as the rules for all the rest. This logical and standardized structure allows for communication flow rather than communication impasses.<\/p>\n<p>But the pronoun police don\u2019t care about that. They are more interested in herding us atop their tottering Tower of Babel.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to Push Back: Insist on \u201cI\/Me\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It will take a long time to reinstitute real education about useful rules of grammar and syntax. But there are simpler ways to return to sanity. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/asked-your-pronouns-dont-answer-lgbtqia-sogie-gender-identity-nonbinary-transgender-trans-rights-sexism-misogyny-feminism-11643992762\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refuse to comply<\/a>, though you\u2019ll likely be punished if you defy schools and HR departments who insist you \u201cdeclare\u201d pronouns.<\/p>\n<p>I have another suggestion. If forced to declare your pronouns, always insist on a preference for the first-person singular pronouns \u201cI\/me\/my\/mine\/myself.\u201d After all, those are indeed your personal pronouns. Doing so would mean bureaucrat-tyrants <em>would always seem to refer<\/em> <em>back to themselves when referring to you<\/em>, according to their own idiotic rules. In a based world, this would provoke \u201cWho\u2019s on First?\u201d office routines. So while you\u2019re at it, announce that your name is \u201cWho.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the thought police can react by claiming that the first person pronouns \u201cI\/me\u201d are off limits and keep moving the goal posts. So if they insist on third person, answer in Abbott-and-Costello style: \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d which is the name of the player on third. Then tell them that\u2019s your name and they can refer to you as \u201cI\u201d for short. Such challenges could help expose the foolishness and hypocrisy in their tyrannical protocols.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, we should think of standard pronouns as the ecosystem that allows our common language to sustain itself. Indeed, destroying their purpose is like being stuck forever on third base with the name \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  Stella Morabito is a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her essays have also appeared in the Washington Examiner, American Thinker, Public Discourse, Human Life Review, New Oxford Review. In her previous work as an intelligence analyst, she focused on various aspects of Russian and Soviet politics, including communist media and propaganda. She has also raised three children, served as a public school substitute teacher, and homeschooled for several years as well. She has a B.A. in journalism and international relations from the University of Southern California and a Master\u2019s degree in Russian and Soviet history, also from USC. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stella_morabito\">Follow Stella on Twitter.<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now that \u201chu\u201d is circulating as a made-up pronoun choice, isn\u2019t it past time we acknowledge that transmania has jumped the shark? When you see the made-up word \u201chu,\u201d the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1620983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1620983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/568"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1620983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1620983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1620983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1620983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1620983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}