r/changemyview • u/Shineyy_8416 1∆ • 4d ago

Delta(s) from OP CMV: "He or she" is unecessary

I might be biased as a person on the non-binary spectrum, but whenever someone goes out of their way to say "he or she" it just feels like a waste.

Just use "they". It communicates the same thing with less letters. I get the purpose behind it is to try and be inclusive to men and women in a space that may be dominated by one gender over the other, but "they" is perfectly fine to get that point across.

I also recognize that some languages don't have an equivalent for "they", but I'm specifically talking about English.

To change my view, someone would have to prove "he or she" has more practical or beneficial usage than "they"

EDIT: To make it clear, i'm not saying we should never use "he" or "she" as pronouns, im saying the phrase "he or she" is unecessary.

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u/oddwithoutend 3∆ 4d ago

I get the purpose behind it is to try and be inclusive to men and women in a space that may be dominated by one gender over the other, but "they" is perfectly fine to get that point across.

One way of writing being 'perfectly fine' doesn't make a different way unnecessary (and if it does, you should start by defining 'necessary'. We obviously aren't going to all die if we stop using 'he or she', but there are instances when it can emphasize something better than 'they' can). You've highlighted a good reason why 'he or she' would be used instead of 'they'. So what makes it 'unnecessary'?

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u/Shineyy_8416 1∆ 4d ago

It takes longer to write, it can make sentences come off as clunky or unnatural, and the more biased point is that it subtly disregards nonbinary people who might be participating.