Re: Crypto constitution

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

One suggestions for improving the constitution: change all occurances of
"Men" or "man" to "the people" and make all pronouns gender-neutral.

If this is going to be a constitution for the new age, lets have the wording
reflect the ideals we hold.

Skye
- --
- -----====> Skye Merlin Poier <====----- 
Undergrad in CMPT/MATH (Virtual Reality)       ||||      ||||
          email: poier@sfu.ca                  p-OO <--> OO-q   THINK
   PGP Public Key available on finger           \==      ==/


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.2

iQCVAgUBK/wlyi0bkpXW3omvAQE6pQP8CApOVKoEn1mHFz/n7BkcKbwsi7E5a7Vh
Cmc9HefbtR01PvPa1qNeQv5g1vwiatINfVCX3UkZHw30HNIa5grXNXGnPvoG4adX
DZ6pLfWNZGzaQDE6pctA6V6qiyae3B3Rxoq50/91Qaex5gK0SZPg+bMKdxCxBmn2
71WNckM7usY=
=rm+w
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

> One suggestions for improving the constitution: change all occurances of
> "Men" or "man" to "the people" and make all pronouns gender-neutral.

I would suggest that we don't use "people," but instead use "Mankind."  Or,
better yet, lets use "Earthlings," since this will cover people who haven't 
yet declared their gender.  And as far as gender-neutral pronouns, this is also
a problem.  To many, "chairperson" immediately implies "female-chair-man."  This
obviously won't work.  Well, I guess we could use "he/she."  But that won't work
either since it gives precedence to (gasp!) "HE."  Clearly, we need to come up
with a new word in order to satisfy everybody.  (I use the word "everybody" to
mean "the people," and not just because it has the word "body" in it, which 
would be the stereotypically-male thing to think about)  So, I propose that 
we, Cypherpunks, adopt my favorite Politically Correct term for "person:"

"Generic-Colorless-raceless-carbon-based-bipedial-inhabitant-of-the-third-
spherical-object-from-the-bright-mass-in-the-center-of-the-solar-system"

As far as I've been able to tell, this term doesn't discriminate against anyone,
so I feel this is a good substitue for "man," "men," and "the people."

:Satire Mode Off.
:Reality Mode On.

> If this is going to be a constitution for the new age, lets have the wording
> reflect the ideals we hold.

I've always thought that fighting over this kind of trivia was kinda childish.
It used to be that when someone said, "...and one giant step for mankind...,"
that we understood this to include EVERYBODY!  Lets pick our fights better 
than this, shall we?  

Sorry, just couldn't resist..... ;^)

+-----------------------+-----------------------------+---------+
| J. Michael Diehl ;-)  | I thought I was wrong once. | PGP KEY |
| mdiehl@triton.unm.edu |   But, I was mistaken.      |available|
| mike.diehl@fido.org   |                             | Ask Me! |
| (505) 299-2282        +-----------------------------+---------+
|                                                               |
+------"I'm just looking for the opportunity to be -------------+
|            Politically Incorrect!"   <Me>                     |
+-----If codes are outlawed, only criminals wil have codes.-----+
+----Is Big Brother in your phone?  If you don't know, ask me---+

On Thu, 20 May 1993, J. Michael Diehl wrote:

> I've always thought that fighting over this kind of trivia was kinda childish.
> It used to be that when someone said, "...and one giant step for mankind...,"
> that we understood this to include EVERYBODY!  Lets pick our fights better 
> than this, shall we?  

 Unfortunatly for you (in a small way), people teaching English do not
agree. I have done more than my share of term papers and articles and in
the cases where I have used "man" for "humanity," it HAS been noticed.
There is no reason NOT to use gender neutral terms. It isn't going to hurt
you to do so and some people out there will appreciate it and will notice
if gendered terms are used. Why not then?

Wassail,
Al Billings

[reality check on]

> :Satire Mode Off.
> :Reality Mode On.
> 
>> If this is going to be a constitution for the new age, lets have the wording
>> reflect the ideals we hold.
> 
>I've always thought that fighting over this kind of trivia was kinda childish.
> It used to be that when someone said, "...and one giant step for mankind...,"
> that we understood this to include EVERYBODY!  Lets pick our fights better 
> than this, shall we?  

Excuse me, but it seems that you are being very defensive. I was not picking
a fight. It is evident that you cling to "It used to be that" ideals. Just 
because something "used to be" is not justification for its perpetuation. Is
it such a drastic step to replace a couple words that you feel necessary to
ridicule something that I consider important? As far as I am concerned, Mr.Diehl
it is YOU who are being childish. Wake up, will you? And please refrain from
using the word "we". I do not enjoy being patronized.

> Sorry, just couldn't resist..... ;^)

Obviously. You are indeed a man of tremendous wit and satire. 

> +------"I'm just looking for the opportunity to be -------------+
> |            Politically Incorrect!"   <Me>                     |

Also plainly obvious. 

Skye Poier
--
-----====> Skye Merlin Poier <====----- 
Undergrad in CMPT/MATH (Virtual Reality)       ||||      ||||
          email: poier@sfu.ca                  p-OO <--> OO-q   THINK
   PGP Public Key available on finger           \==      ==/