Staff Reports
Neopronouns—another fancy term for something that barely makes sense to most of us who are living in the real world. It seems like every day there’s a new way to complicate things that hardly needed fixing. People have been calling each other he, she, or they for centuries without issue. Now, we have terms like ze/zir and xe/xem popping up, touted as revolutionary by some and nonsensical by others. It’s as if simplicity has become the enemy.
Back when most people still understood logic, words were crafted for clarity and communication. Apparently, some writers introduced these pronouns long ago as an attempt to refer without assuming gender. Fast forward to now, and these neopronouns have found new cheerleaders among non-binary and trans communities. We are told pronouns, including these new inventions, should include or exclude people authentically. It’s a tall order to demand immediate adaptation to language that feels foreign to many.
Nonbinary pronouns have historical roots that go back to the 18th and 19th centuries, with “ou” documented in 1789 and “thon” introduced in 1858. However, who gets to decide this linguistic evolution? The claim that rejecting such preferences is exclusionary isn’t a new academic conclusion; it draws from historical debates, including those from the feminist movements of the 19th century. Yet, let’s take a moment to chuckle at these conclusions because they overshadow a basic truth; everyone can perceive themselves however they please.
The issue, of course, isn’t about self-perception but about imposing identity on others. People have every right to see themselves how they want. However, asking society to constantly transform its foundation to fit individual identities spreads confusion like wildfire. At some stage, one has to ask: where does this train stop, and do we really understand the destination anymore?
Let us imagine a world where everyday conversations require a guidebook. It almost seems a throwback to the Tower of Babel. Rather than constructing coherent dialogue, society finds itself dazed in a maze of ever-changing identity words. Instead of solving real issues, we are caught up in wordplay that leaves common sense by the wayside.
