I’m not sure how to write this without upsetting people, so I will endeavour to keep this short.<\/p>\n
I’m becoming increasingly sensitive to hearing the word “they” tossed around. In this context, I mean “they” as in “others” —- as in not<\/strong> “us” (whoever “we” are). I mean, I’ve always been sensitive to this. But I’m becoming even\u00a0more<\/strong> sensitive. I’m not sure why. Perhaps this is a natural course of having lived 12 years in places that aren’t one’s culture of origin. Here are some examples I’ve heard recently:<\/p>\n None of these sentences is inherently bad, on its own. But each has a subtext that implies that “I” — or “we” — know better than “they” do. It’s particularly irksome when the antecedent<\/a>\u00a0in that sentence has not been identified, or when there\u00a0isn’t one.<\/strong>\u00a0I’m\u00a0very<\/strong> troubled by this trend of using “they,” particularly as<\/p>\n I know sometimes it’s innocent. Sometimes it’s just us trying to make sense of our surroundings. But other times it’s because — often without realizing it — we are imposing our\u00a0own sense of things<\/strong> — onto another culture, assuming and expecting that that other culture will “get it” and eventually figure out that “our” way of doing things is best.<\/p>\n I understand. I know that it’s natural to compare things to what one is used to. And that’s okay — really, it is. As long as it’s done in a respectful manner, I have no problem with it. But for a start, can we get rid of the word “they” in our sentence and replace it with the person\/place\/thing you’re really talking about? Can we get rid of the word “they” to expose what it is you’re\u00a0really<\/strong> saying?<\/p>\n My next step is to find a way to subtly ask people that very thing: “Who is ‘they’? Who are you referring to when you say that?”<\/p>\n And if the answer is “Singaporeans” or some other group that lends itself neatly to a stereotyped “other,” you can bet I’m going to push back even more.<\/p>\n Today’s truth: There is no “they.” Just different shades of “we.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m not sure how to write this without upsetting people, so I will endeavour to keep this short. I’m becoming increasingly sensitive to hearing the word “they” tossed around. In this context, I mean “they” as in “others” —- as … Continue reading \n
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