The Royal Navy is having a “will they, won’t they?” moment as it tackles sexism in the ranks. Earlier, reports had suggested that they would be getting rid of the term Seaman in favour of something more gender neutral, with the hope that it would convince more women to join the ranks.
However, fresh reports suggest that the word is going nowhere and will stay in use, just as it has been since forever. Terms like ‘manpower’ or ‘manning’ were reportedly on their way out, but Seaman is here to stay.
The News earlier quoted Naval expert Mike Critchley on the subject, where he said that dropping the term would be nothing more than giving into political correctness. “The idea of Seaman being dropped would have been political correctness gone mad. This is just so unnecessary. It just feels like people have nothing better to do with their lives,” he said.
The issue of sexism, on the other hand, is a serious one. It merits a serious discussion and actionable change on an immediate basis. But whether simply changing a few words will bring about the change needed is a serious question one must ask.
Meanwhile, a former head of the Navy said that priorities need to be better managed. Instead of focusing on political correctness, there had to be more emphasis on the wars that are being fought. Admiral Lord Alan West, a former head of the Royal Navy noted that “In a world where one has to be very careful with the use of words because in this very politically correct world it has a relevance.”
However, he added that he hoped that attention was being paid to the right things, such as “ensuring that we have sufficient ships, weapons and men to prevent war and if there is a war, to be able to fight and win. Those things seem to me merit a huge amount of attention and it seems that quite often that we’re focusing more and more on things like the RAF changing its uniform and all those soft things, which are lovely, but they don’t actually help you when a war comes along.”
What do you folks think? Do words like Seaman matter or is it all just political correctness?
Words are basic of our language and create culture. I am originally Italian, living in France and working for an American company with a multicultural crew and customers. Indeed, I have to pay lots of attention to words I use in my everyday life. If we can’t name something we can’t sometimes even imagine it. Would you be able to give me a chair if I would ask for it and you did not name it? Words are important since they shape your mind and counsciousness; and these things can push Countries to war or prevent it. I am not feminist, neither opposite, I am quite neutral. If we want to change this world for the better, we need to reconsider the value we give to women in our society. Keep safe, best xx
The word ‘man’ was originally gender neutral, meaning more or less the same as the modern day word “person”.
Interestingly, the word ‘men’, meaning “to think” or “to have a cognitive mind”, was also gender neutral and connected to “man”, which meant “the thinker”. So we can see from that how “man” originally referred to all humans.
I feel context matters. Today we/everybody obviously know the Navy is gender neutral when it comes to joining. ?
I think i read the title wrong.
Sorry.?
Amezing, engles of the world,
God bless you all