<\/p>\n
This title is quite obviously politically incorrect but I must confess that I was brought up (dragged up?) in an environment where this whole \u201cmanly\u201d approach to life \u2013 even as a boy \u2013 was important! Boys could be boys but girls most definitely could not.<\/p>\n
Now that Chile has survived four years with a woman as President (Presidenta, in Spanish), relatively unscathed and probably the better for it, perhaps we need to take another look at our Oxford dictionaries and phrase books.<\/p>\n
Why you so wisely ask? Because I am writing this column and you are not; it\u2019s that simple. And also because we now have a male President again (phew!) so being offensive to the weaker sex is back in style.<\/p>\n
Ah! Statistically speaking I have now offended half of my readers; say 6 out of 12. Well, the weaker sex is simply the flip side of take it like a man so at least I\u2019m equally offensive to everyone.<\/p>\n
As you can see I am finding it increasingly difficult to be politically correct even though the \u201cfeminist\u201d or \u201cfeminine\u201d or \u201cfeline\u201d side to my character is quite well developed.\u00a0 So, when is the use of the prefix \u2018man\u2019 appropriate and when is it not and when, God forbid, does it cause insult or injury.\u00a0 Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n
Mankind has already been usurped by humankind.<\/p>\n
Manpower. Not only is this word not in my 1960 Oxford Dictionary (awarded to me at my boarding school for excellence in sport…!?) it is also the name of a Chilean company and oozes sexism. Men have the Power! However, the more neutral term of personpower or peoplepower just doesn\u2019t work for me and womanpower would simply upset men. I\u2019m stumped!<\/p>\n
Manage. Here is an interesting one which must be offensive to people other than men, mostly women I assume. Women cannot possibly manage as this is a contradiction of terms. So, how should we transform the word?\u00a0 Personage is a bit too loose but does imply \u201ca person of rank or importance\u201d.\u00a0 Peopleage? Just doesn\u2019t flow.\u00a0 So, we need a new word to replace manage:\u00a0 Admanastrate is back to being single sex… but what about adpeoplestrate? Does it for me! And it rolls nicely off the tongue.<\/p>\n
Manoeuver. As in boardroom maneuvering. Well, I really think this should be neutered in favor of personoeuver, because the opportunity to \u2018oeuver is definitely equal between the sexes.<\/p>\n
Manipulate really upsets me as a man (albeit with feminine sensitivities) and I see a strong need for greater equality here going forward, as they say. I think peopulate would work and it is \u201cinclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manhandled. This is particularly offensive to men as it implies (wrongly of course) that only men do the handling and I think this is just not true \u2013 whatever the related activity may be! I suggest humandled which sounds nice and unites the words human and handled.<\/p>\n
Manhood. Interesting. Perhaps we should just agree that there are some differences and accept womanhood as the equal and opposite.<\/p>\n
There are two more I find unacceptable. Firstly, manicure which is essentially a female pastime… well I must confess to trying it once\u2026 twice actually. But this really should be womanicure. Then there is womanize which is highly offensive to me, as well as being wholly unjustified. We cannot use humanize as this word already has its own meaning! Perhaps we can just scratch womanize and use an entirely new word: oppositesexise.<\/p>\n
Well that just about wraps it up for this month. Now, I must run and fix myself a strong Manhattan because Manchester United is playing on Fox. Womanhattan? Forget it! Womanchester United? You must be joking!<\/p>\n
I have now completed my mandate and, considering myself fully emancipated,<\/p>\n
I remain manfully yours,<\/p>\n