20 thoughts on “Wordless Wednesday – Seen in Newfoundland”

  3. Yes. I say it.

    I take it you weren’t referring to No Camping which is very incorrect and most unfriendly.

    As I talk about the continual fishing dispute in the British Gibraltarian territorial waters, I have to call the Spaniards who come to fish here illegally something, so they end up fisherpeople. Or Spanish fishers, or something that isn’t gender specific.

    And while I doubt there are too many women on the boats, I do know quite a few women who used to go angling back in the UK, time will change attitudes just as people now refer to firefighters and police officers, instead of firemen and policemen. Fisherpeople is clumsy in comparison but unless someone comes up with a better alternative it’s as good as anything.

    Good to see I’m not the only one in the world using the word!

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    1. Our ‘hosts’ aka travelling companions/ friends/locals called it doco speak – nobody actually said that in real life unless they were involved in government of some sort. There was no derision of women intended.

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      1. I think it’s valid to say that it does depend on the circles you mix in. So, as our local councils were left wing, and so were local charities and NGOs, it was pretty much custom and practice not to use discriminatory language of any type eg wheelchair bound was very much frowned upon. Ironically I got hauled over the coals by a disability group after I’d organised a meeting to try and ensure a better service for them! and had to go on a disability awareness course, which was interesting to hear about their perceptions of discrimination.

        Central government at the time, was pretty hopeless in terms of non-discriminatory language.

        Intent is another big issue. I managed complaints for some years, and the patient side was invariably managed by the local Community Health Council. The CHC was very hot on us changing the wording of our letters, from ‘I’m sorry if …’ to ‘I’m sorry that ….’ Pretty clear if someone is complaining that they are dissatisfied, so to use if suggests that their complaint is in doubt. What doesn’t offend or upset one person, does offend another. The idea is to look at it from their perspective, whether it is from a wheelchair, someone with a complaint, or a woman who doesn’t like to be referred to as a man. It’s not quite as idiotic as people make it out to be.

        There was a huge issue about using the term brain-storming, so that was dropped and then re-instated. And the one I can’t get to grips with is not calling a blackboard a blackboard. That one stumps even me!

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  4. Assuming they are angling then ‘Anglers’ works for me. But why can’t fisherman mean anyone who fishes. Its not like female fisherman are an alien idea. Crimes against the language!!

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    1. There were designated camping areas close by Angela – the parking place gets quite busy during the season and is needed for those who had fishing licences.

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  14. So how would they know if the parked car was that of a fisherman, opps, I mean fisherperson? Are fisherpersons’ cars somehow different from the general population.

    And fisherperson sounds so awkward.

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