It's true that historically "he" has often been used a generic pronoun, but singular "they" also has a long history. I'd start with this Wikipedia article:
> Proponents of gender-neutral language argue that the use of gender-specific language often implies male superiority or reflects an unequal state of society. According to The Handbook of English Linguistics, generic masculine pronouns and gender-specific job titles are instances "where English linguistic convention has historically treated men as prototypical of the human species." Words that refer to women often devolve in meaning, frequently taking on sexual overtones.
> These differences in usage are criticized on two grounds: one, that they reflect a biased state of society, and two, that they help to uphold that state. Studies of children, for instance, indicate that the words children hear affect their perceptions of the gender-appropriateness of certain careers. Other research has demonstrated that men and women apply for jobs in more equal proportions when gender-neutral language is used in the advertisement, as opposed to the generic he or man.
Many years ago, I would have agreed with you that using "he" as neuter was correct and therefore preferable to singular "they". I no longer feel that way. I'd attribute that change in opinion to two causes:
One, I'm less concerned with by-the-book "correctness" and pedantry, and more concerned with the real-world effect my words have on people.
Two, I now realize that English is a living, evolving language, and there is no one authority on what is or is not correct usage. What is widely held to be proper English at a given time is a product of who happened to have influence in society at that time, no more, no less.
Also, although this is not what changed my opinion, I find it interesting to note that many of the same people who call the matter trivial will also expend considerable time and effort defending generic "he". If you find it so trivial, why not humor the people who think gender-neutral language is important?
Thanks for your comment and for the information. I definitely agree with your point that the singular "they" is, at this point in time, as correct or more correct than the neuter "he".
I also totally agree with your point about humoring people who actually care passionately about this — that's precisely my issue with this whole debacle. I wasn't taking the position that "he" is the only correct option, and other phrasings must be attacked. Rather, that the entire matter is a bikeshed, and that people should not assume that just because someone used "he" as neuter that he (see what I did there?) is sexist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they
Some object to the usage because:
> Proponents of gender-neutral language argue that the use of gender-specific language often implies male superiority or reflects an unequal state of society. According to The Handbook of English Linguistics, generic masculine pronouns and gender-specific job titles are instances "where English linguistic convention has historically treated men as prototypical of the human species." Words that refer to women often devolve in meaning, frequently taking on sexual overtones.
> These differences in usage are criticized on two grounds: one, that they reflect a biased state of society, and two, that they help to uphold that state. Studies of children, for instance, indicate that the words children hear affect their perceptions of the gender-appropriateness of certain careers. Other research has demonstrated that men and women apply for jobs in more equal proportions when gender-neutral language is used in the advertisement, as opposed to the generic he or man.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-neutral_language_in_Eng...
Many years ago, I would have agreed with you that using "he" as neuter was correct and therefore preferable to singular "they". I no longer feel that way. I'd attribute that change in opinion to two causes:
One, I'm less concerned with by-the-book "correctness" and pedantry, and more concerned with the real-world effect my words have on people.
Two, I now realize that English is a living, evolving language, and there is no one authority on what is or is not correct usage. What is widely held to be proper English at a given time is a product of who happened to have influence in society at that time, no more, no less.
Also, although this is not what changed my opinion, I find it interesting to note that many of the same people who call the matter trivial will also expend considerable time and effort defending generic "he". If you find it so trivial, why not humor the people who think gender-neutral language is important?