Words and Meanings

Perhaps you wonder why I use the feminine pronoun as a matter of course.
  It's not that I don't like men.  Some of my favorite people are men.
  It's also not that I'm gay, or even that I'm a woman.

It IS that as a writer, I can see the values tucked into words and phrases and idioms.
  I know that these values are passed from one generation to the next,
  shaping the minds and hearts of countless children, and yes, adults.

And, I don't always agree with the mind-shaping or its consequences.

So, why do we presume that the masculine pronoun must be the norm?
  What values underlie that presumption?
  I assert that values do, in fact, underlie this presumption.

Norming the masculine is not just a way to make writing or reading easier.
  If that were truly the case, then why not just norm the use of the feminine pronoun?
  Why the emotional reaction to that?

Thing is, we tend not to have emotional reactions to grammatical rules.
  Rather, we respond emotionally to issues that are infused with values.
  Hence, my assertion that this is a question of values.

As a writer, I have a responsibility to be transparent regarding my values.
  So, I'll share them.

I believe
  that norming the masculine pronoun reinforces the deeply sexist culture
     embedded within American society,
  that the seemingly rationale arguments for its continued use are really
    methods to legitimate and reinforce that prejudice.
  that this practice is just one example of how words hurt people,
    the objects of the prejudice - in this case women,
    the purveyors of the prejudice,
    the unwitting assimilators of the prejudice...

Words are always infused with values.
  What are our values?
  What is our responsibility regarding those values?
  What kind of world are we trying to shape with those values?

All these questions weigh on my mind.

So, my use of the feminine is for these purposes...
  It is to acknowledge and honor the feminine.
  It is to change the flavor and the tone and the experience
    one has in reading about particular feelings or thoughts.
  It is to debunk notions of what women can and can't do.
  It is to add the unique perspective of the feminine
    to the diverse and wonderful world of thought.
  It is to remind us that words both shape and carry
    culture, values, beliefs and traditions.

And, it is to focus our consciousness on how our
  values and words create this world.