Re: Language and gender (BSA)

Sometimes a name or a term for something sticks around long after its
literal accuracy is diminished simply because of tradition. Hence in
any given town you may find a woman serving as PostMASTER; on any given
airfield you may find a woman serving as an airMAN; on any given ship
you may find a female seaMAN. While we're on the subject of the sea,
how many of us remember the real definition for the term "yeoman" but
the name persists. The Coast Guard hasn't used actual "cutters" for
well over 100 years, but the name continues. Back to dry land, how many
cavalry soldiers actually ride horses today? Does anybody really "dial"
a phone anymore? Photographers still fix their film in "hypo," but
sodium HYPOchlorite hasn't been part of the formula for decades. Can
anybody remember recently turning the pike on a turnpike? There are
many other examples of this sort of thing. Maybe some other list
members will be willing to share some examples they thing of. ;)

All this leads me to a point. While it may be literally inaccurate to
refer to a woman as a ScoutMASTER, I'm hesitant to discard the better
part of a century's tradition. Sometimes, keeping a label that is old
is good; it helps keep ties with the past -- the memories of those who
went before while we change, adapt and keep pace with a rapidly
advancing world.

If we were actually voting, I'd vote to keep the name just as it is.

YIS,

Bob Morehead
Assistant Scoutmaster (sounds MUCH better than "Leader 02" ;))
Troop 381
Copley, Ohio


"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts
agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer
professionals. We cause accidents." - Nathaniel Borenstein

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