People Are Whos, Not Whats
Been going on a long time, this abuse has, and shows no signs of slowing down. I see it in print, in emails, in marketing materials; hear it on TV; hear it in conversation: “People that want to attend …” “A person that went to the party said …” “The youth that went on the trip …”
STOP IT. People are people WHO do things. They are not objects THAT do things. The people who want to attend are people who will not be happy to say that the youth who went on the trip were objectified in the last issue of the newsletter. The team that won, however, or the company that weathered the downturn are all right, even though the team whose mascot was banned or the company whose stock went down are pretty huffy that teams and companies can be both whos and whats. People are not bi-statist. They are always and forever Whos. Don’t grinch them into Whats.
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THANK YOU!! I’m glad I’m not the only one who is bothered by this awful trend. It practically makes me gnash my teeth when I hear or see it.
Comment by cardeblu — November 20, 2008 @ 12:01 am
Thanks for the grammar lesson, I will be more vigilant about my whos and thats. :)
Comment by Petitedov — November 20, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
Bless you. :)
Comment by Anwyn — November 20, 2008 @ 11:10 pm
While we are on the subject of grammar, here is another thing: the only show I consistently watch is Jeopardy. The contestants are CONSTANTLY saying “Let’s go with this category, Alex” or “Let’s wager $1000”.
Drives me nuts. Do you have a mouse in your pocket?
Comment by thelmajoy — November 21, 2008 @ 10:22 pm
Is that a mouse in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
Comment by Anwyn — November 22, 2008 @ 7:48 pm