[Leica] Re; Politically Incorrect terminology

[jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj)]

Larry,
I am quite open about the failings of my country, including gender sexism,
but do not let media outcry blind you to the facts.

Our rape rates/population are far less than the USA - one of the highest
per capita rate in the world is Sweden - make sure of your facts before you
pontificate. I agree there is rampant under reporting here (as there is
everywhere, incidentally, according to most informed sources), but even
allowing for that, our rape rates per population unit (our population is
many times bigger than yours) will, IMHO, be less:

http://messymatters.com/rape/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19592372

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_statistics

By the way, I feel much more insecure in NYC at night than Delhi at night,
and Delhi is by far the worst Indian city in this regard. In Chennai, or
Mumbai, a lady can walk alone on the streets at any time of the night in
relative safety - remember these are huge cities, and there is always a
probability that something will happen. Mumbai must be the safest city in
the world that I know, if you factor in the huge population and levels of
poverty present.

I find a lot of the sexism that westerners face in less "liberated"
countries is due to cultural insensitivity and ignorance. If you walk
around in a bikini on a public beach in the Middle East, or wear micro
skirts on the streets of Delhi, what do you expect? The same reaction as
wearing a burkha in New York, at the very least?

Cheers
Jayanand



On Thu, Jul 4, 2013 at 2:29 AM, <lrzeitlin at aol.com> wrote:

>  I've been a semi-invalid for the last week recovering from cancer surgery
> and I've found the last few editions of the LUG to be a good substitute for
> "War of the Sexes." They take out the stiches in a few days and I should be
> back to my usual acerbic self.
>
>
> I personally am appalled at the cultural insensitivity to sexist
> terminology exhibited by many male LUG members. Despite the fact that some
> of us disagree with Tina's excessive regard for Leica equipment, we don't
> refer to her as a senorita (however spelled) or even as a "senorita who
> snaps." Why not? Because we regard her as a mature woman and an excellent
> photographer who deserves respect.
>
>
> I may be a bit sensitive to these issues. My sister-in-law was head of
> protocol at the White House and constantly had to chastise the staff for
> using diminutive, immature, or overly familiar language in referring to
> female guests, legislators, or Congresswomen. The Maid of Honor at my
> sister-in-law's wedding was Geraldine Ferraro, a woman that no one ever
> referred to as "girlie" or as a senorita.
>
>
> Words that in themselves are not sexist, like girl, chick, gal, skirt
> become so when used to refer to a woman in an overly familiar way. It's the
> same when talking of men. No one would ever refer to the Pope or the
> President as pal, boy, buddy, chum. We don't call Ted a "Canuck who
> clicks." Unless you actively want to insult somebody, don't disrespect them
> by diminishing them. A full list of male and female derogatory references
> is given here: Don't use them!
> http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_sexual_slurs
>
>
> I know most of you will say that you don't intend any disrespect. But it
> comes through in your terminology. It is worse in Latin countries but it
> exists everwhere. I've traveled extensively and worked abroad for much of
> my life and there is a cultural insensitivity to sexism in Spain, Italy,
> and parts of France. No woman Pope since Joan either. And I doubt that any
> woman will soon achieve a dominant position in Islam - although Mohammed's
> wife once did.
>
>
> Finally although I respect Jayanard's opinions on business, finance, and
> photography, he seems culturally unaware of the rampant sexism in India.
> While it is true that India has had a female head of state, as has the UK,
> Australia, and Israel, women in general are not regarded as the equal of
> men. I spent three years as a Fulbright Distinguished Professor at the
> University of Delhi yet my wife and 14 year old daughter could not walk the
> streets near our home without being harassed by "Eve bashing" hoodlums. My
> female graduate students complained that after years at the university
> learning how to think and make decisions for themselves, when they left
> they were often forced into loveless marriages that their parents had
> arranged and once married were subject to the demands of the husband's
> mother. Even today kitchen stove explosions are one of the leading causes
> of female death as grooms try to extort more dowery from the bride's
> parents. My landlord' daughters were forced to
>  leave the country to practice their professions as a physician and a
> journalist. My landlord was the Editor in Chief of India's Economic Times
> but even his position made little difference. So Jayanard, before you
> criticize sexist sensitivity in other countries, try to get your own house
> cleaned up first.
>
>
> Incidentally, the U.S. will probably get its first female head of state in
> 2016.
>
>
> By the way, I don't intend to insult anyone. I'm just telling it like it
> is. Sorry.
>
>
> Larry Z
>
>
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