While for some, it seems almost a game
And for others, a new way to shame
It can give you the blues
As you look through the News
And discover just “what’s in a name?”
Headline: Who is still calling Chelsea Manning ‘he?’
Some news organizations—including The New York Times and the Associated Press—that were initially reluctant to accommodate Manning’s request or were weighing their options, are now using the female pronoun. Meanwhile, conservative media outlets have predictably been resistant not only to using the name and pronoun preferred by Manning, but to the entire concept of transgender identity.
Below, a rundown of how news organizations are handling the issue: (Who have we missed? Let us know in the comments.)
Y’know what? Don’t even look at the comments. Just don’t.
Oh, and if you have not yet read this, please do.
(unrelated note: Classes have started again, so priorities must change. Writing verses isn’t what’s time-consuming; rather, finding things to write about is what takes time. And it’s more important for me to read my students’ stuff right now than a dozen news sources. So I’ll be less of a predator and more of a filter-feeder for a bit, at least until I find out how much work my new prep is. Or longer, of course.
Feel free to send ideas; some of you already do, and I try to do my best to answer the Cuttlesignal.)
Sure, leave us unpoemed* at.
*I have coined a word. I’m so proud of myself. Finally, after all these years, I’ve done something significant. I must tell my mother.
From curiosity, CF…did you ever recover that verse from the floppy disks (“Her Eyes Were Blue”)?
Just bits and pieces, Rf–probably over half of it, I’d say, but no telling if what I remember is what I had worked out originally (I have gone back to other verses and found that the thing I have memorized is quite different from the thing I actually wrote).
Maybe I should make a concerted effort, finish it, and include it as an easter egg in the next book.
Wikipedia has a huge kerfuffle over it, with some popular editors/admins pulling rank to excuse their poor behavior, because they seem to feel that having lots of edits means they are allowed to break Wiki rules and etiquette at will, instead of being held to a higher standard of responsibility and behavior.
It’s not isolated to Chelsea Manning of course, some folks inevitably feel it is their mission to “correct” trans* biographies by reverting to former names and pronouns in violation of BLP rules, but this is the biggest single incident I’ve seen and involves a lot of people who really should know better. Depressing, but it’s a good general smokeout and an example of how some people can use their popularity/status to game the system and POV push against other Wiki editors.