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Wednesday, December 01, 2021

THE ROAD TO IEL

We admit to complete confusion over the whole gender non-binary pronoun ...thing? What's the right word for this? We have no idea. We see emails, twitters, Zoom IDs with the phrase pronouns "she/her/they". 

What does it mean? He/me/us have no idea. Nor do we care to. We subscribe to the maxim of the 1960's- call us whatever you wish, just don't call us late to dinner.  Be who you want to be. Do what you want to do. We had a law school professor who used to say that you could do whatever you want, so long as it was not immoral, illegal, or fattening.  (We/Us/ say, we guess you/they/he/she/her/him had to be there.)

The French, Mon Ami, however, consider this a very big deal.  First a little primer on French. The masculine pronoun is preferred. The male pronoun is the correct one to use when describing a group of men and women. The masculine form of adjectives is the correct one to use when describing a group of men and women. 

The French have two dictionaries that consider it their sworn duty to protect the French Language: Le Petit Robert and Larousse. Thus it became a nation-shaking event when Le Petit Robert added "iel" as a nonbinary pronoun. Pronounced similar to yell, "iel" is a combination of the masculine "il" (he")  and the feminine "elle" (she). 

Le Petit Robert defines "iel" as a third person pronoun, both singular and plural to evoke a person of any gender. 

The French view this as an assault by...Americans advancing their/our "woke culture"  on the French. "Aie!" (Ouch). "Mince!" (drat). This is the argument of France's Education Minister. 

The Academie Francaise, established almost four hundred years ago to protect the French Language, has, naturally, a Secretary- in-Perpetuity, who called the new pronoun harmful to the French language. 

Larousse turned up its French/Aquiline nose at what its counter-part has done. Brigitte Macron, the French First Lady, weighed in against the third pronoun. 

So what is the deal with people announcing their preferred pronouns? As a woke Judge might inquire, "what say you/they/them?" 

Why just announce pronoun preference? Why not soda preference as well? "He/me/Diet Dr. Pepper".  Or Sports teams: "She/her/Rangers/Knicks/Mets/Jets". In a city like NY, where who you root for -Mets or Yankees, Jets or Giants, says as much about you as your choice in wine, the identification of sports team makes all the difference as to who you are. Mets/Queens; Yankees/Bronx. 

 Jets fans have a cold beer in a can with a hot dog, and a shot in the parking lot after the game/loss. 

So we/us/me, tell you/he/she to leave us be, when it comes to they/their/thee. 

Post Script: There is nothing funny about transgender discrimination. We are old enough to remember feeling sick when judges/prosecutors/defense attorneys would joke about what would happen to a transgender female being denied bond and housed with men. The term we remember being used was "he-shes", Nothing we wrote is meant to diminish the harm those poor souls suffered, or the discrimination and bias transgender people experience everyday. We may not understand the new language, and that- and the French pushback about gender neutral pronouns is what this post is about. It is not meant or intended to mock anyone. 

23 comments:

Real Fake Former Judge said...

wtf

word of the day guys said...

We quit

Anonymous said...

Rumpole,

The most salient and telling thing you said was that you don't understand. It shows.

How can you hold an opinion so strongly when you acknowledge your own ignorance? Why not look into the matter and THEN draw a conclusion? Isn't that theme rather important to the criminal defense attorney?

Moreover, despite your ineffective disclaimer, your post mocks people who prefer respectful pronouns. Sports teams? Sodas? A bit reductionist, n'est pas? That mocking speaks volumes.

At the end of the day, why is it such a monumental task to call people what they want to be called? Does it really cost you anything? If not, then why not make another human being feel acknowledged, respected, and happy?

Comme toi (I presume), je ne comprends pas.

Anonymous said...

I have a sister who is gay, and my best friend for many years until he died of AIDS was gay. I respect that. I also understand that it has now become stylish for some to identify themselves as transgenders. That is O.K., I guess, but not necessary for society to make official accomodations. In my mind, the caricature of a transgender is that silly man who wears a female military uniform and has been named an admiral by the progressive Biden Administration. He is a disgrace and an embarrassment to our government. In the old days, these folks use to just cross-dress at night. They should return to that custom, and for sure. our children should not be taught that this "state" is equal to the dignity that ought be afforded to gays and lesbians.

Anonymous said...

So a man can "identify" as a woman and vice versa by simply saying so. Fair enough. Can a 16 year old "identify" as a 21 year old and vote, be served liquor, or identify as a 65 year old and go on SS and get Medicare (or the early bird special)? If you can unilaterally change your sex by personal preference, the sky is the limit.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. The NBA does not allow 18 year olds to play in its league so super star high school players must put in a year at college ball until they turn 19. So why not just "identify"as a a 19 year old and bypass the rule? What stops a male professional golfer or tennis player who cannot cut it on the men's circuit from simply declaring himself a woman and start winning every tournament, cash in after a few years, and then retire with a boatload of money?

Anonymous said...

If you were born with a penis, you're male. If you were born with a vagina, you're female. We are a binary species. These are objective facts. And our sex does define at least some roles. The most obvious, but not the only, examples of objectively different sex roles is that women carry and give birth to children. A panoply of very real differences follow from that fact.

For the tiny minority of people who were born with some genuine sexual dysmorphia, I have no hate or ridicule. Surely, accommodations can be made so that they can live their best lives. But simply "wanting" to be a man when you were born with a vagina, or "wanting" to be a woman when you were born with a penis does not make you one. I "want" to be tall, but I am not - my height at adulthood, like whether I am a man or woman, is an objective fixed reality. That's that. If a man wants to wear a skirt, fine, no problem; but he's still a man with a skirt on, I will call him "sir," and I will otherwise treat him with the respect that he deserves (which is to say, is he kind, generous, honest, competent, and forthright? If so, he is deserving of respect. If not, . . . ).

I don't for the life of me understand how this became an issue.

Rumpole said...

Yeah 9"47, there's the "i'm outraged at your humor
comment. I knew some lunkhead wouldn't be able to resist. Mel Brooks can make fun of Hitler and holocaust in the producers, Richard Pryor can make fun of drug addiction, but I write that I cannot understand why some woman uses "she/her/they" on their twitter and email and I am a nasty homophobic blogger. BTW- WTF does "she/her/"they" mean? What exactly am I supposed to get from that? Let's say the woman doing this is named Jane. What is she trying to tell me by announcing that to the whole world? I understand theoretical physics. I can explain in lengthy detail and do most of the math on Hawking's Radiation leaking from blackholes, I've won countless trials and appeals, but for the life of me, I really do not know wtf that means. So enlighten me and also explain why I need to know some strangers pronouns? I need to know that as much as I need to know her time of the month, or the soda she enjoys. Its just way too much information. I have other things I am worried about, not her freaking pronouns what ever they may be.

Anonymous said...

In NYC if u misgender someone it's a $25k fine. Rumpole the best way for you to lose your anonymity is for you to continue to comment on the pronouns of transgenders. They'll sue you and expose you so cut it out now. Return to wishing death to the unvaxxed. That's much safer ground.

Anonymous said...

Are you really this obtuse? It's just common decency and respect to refer to people in a manner in which they want you to refer to them.

"And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through"

"Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’"

Anonymous said...

You need to know how a person wants to be addressed. It's as simple as that.

Anonymous said...

Yes 9:47, it costs me something to state things that are not true. I will refer to anyone by any name they so choose. Names are entirely within the sphere of individual choice.

Sex, however, is not. Mammals are sexual dimorphic. We can have whatever strong opinions we like on the matter, but the reality of sexual dimorphism does not really seem affected by our opinions. Around half of us mammals are born female, with female DNA that programs our bodies in utero to begin a lifelong process of growth and decay. Female DNA will produce bones of different density than males, different musculature, different brains, and of course different organs for sexual reproduction. The same is true of those with male chromosomes.

As much as we may yearn for different DNA -- I for one would love to have the genetics of an Olympic gold medal boxer -- we are incarnate in the bodies we have.

Expecting you to "honor" me by referring to me as a gold medalist or a giraffe is childish and disrespectful of me. You may indulge me out of politeness, but you would be doing me no favors, unless you truly believe me unworthy of the truth.

Anonymous said...

So if someone identifies as a cat or dog, are we supposed to respect that?

Anonymous said...

The schizophrenic shaman trespasser got 41 months. I am thinking this Jussie Smollett guy, if convicted, deserves about 80 months. You know what, maybe 100, just to make an example of him.

Anonymous said...

I'm as liberal as the next guy, but this is silly.

On Wednesday you're a man, but on Thursday you're a woman? What about next week?

And now its getting even more serious. Men getting breast implants and removing their peckers. Women removing thier breasts. Seriously?

Anonymous said...

8:16 crawl back in your cave.

Anonymous said...

No but my kid is applying to college as a white male and the week he made application he identified as gay which should help get him into Georgetown.

Anonymous said...

8:16 is the same guy who in response to gay marriage asks whether marriage to a dog should be legal.

Anonymous said...

645 and 858, some of us deal in reality. U two don't. Have a good one.

Anonymous said...

No matter what your belief on sex or gender (they are different) if it doesn't matter to you, but it matters to them, as others have said, it's just common decency to address someone as they would like.
As someone with a name that was tradtionally male, but now often used for females, (think Leslie, Ashley, Taylor) I really like putting pronouns in my signature because it makes it easier for people to know how to address me and they're less apt to say "oh, I was expecting a man or oh, you're a woman" when they meet me.
Many of the legal software programs now don't even have a field for gender or titles - no Mr., Mrs., Miss, or even Dr. Form letters are generated as Dear Joe.
I think it's a lot less formal but means I don't have to worry about whether to address Pat as Mr. or Mrs.

Anonymous said...

5:02, I am willing to address everyone as they like as long as I don't have to put any effort into it. So I will remember a person's stated preference for about the next sentence of conversation and probably politely repeat it so they will be happy. Could not really care what it is. And if you put your gender identification on a written communication to me and we are not in a case together for the next six months, please understand that I even forgot your name before your e-mail was over. Why do people want to tell me their gender preference? Seems kind of personal to tell strangers.

Anonymous said...

I am a proud heterosexual. You may address me as "sir"

Anonymous said...

Careful, Rump - they after you!