8 ms·

>You don't really understand how a car works, only that most of the time you can get in it and go places. When it doesn't work, you take it to another person. S

>You don't really understand how a car works, only that most of the time you can get in it and go places. When it doesn't work, you take it to another person. She may also not understand what's wrong. Oh, please! "She"? Let's all ruin the flow of our prose in an attempt at social engineering that probably isn't even worthwhile, shall we? I suppose you didn't bat an eyelash at Denzel Washington as savant pilot Whip Whitaker either.

nodata 14y ago
I didn't even notice this, perhaps that says something.
- merlincorey 14y ago
  It jarred me... and not because the concept of female mechanics is strange to me (it is not any more strange to me than the concept of female programmers or female gamers) but because it really felt forced and I looked and the commenter had a male-sounding name making me feel like it was forced.
kami8845 14y ago
I don't even understand the purpose of it. What percentage of car mechanics is female? Less than 5%? Now I'm thinking about whether any given car mechanic is most likely to be male or female and am completely distracted from the point she is trying to make.
- mkr-hn 14y ago
  Sounds like a personal problem. I didn't even notice.
  - kami8845 14y ago
    Yes. It's a personal problem. I made that evident by writing from the 1st person as evidenced by the usage of the word "I". And it clearly didn't affect only me as evidenced by the upvotes on my comment as well as the one one level above mine.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
jiggy2011 14y ago
Social Engineering?
oftenwrong 14y ago
If the parent had used "he", would you be complaining?
- theorique 14y ago
  No, "he" is the default generic.
- burke 14y ago
  No, because like it or not, "he" is the de facto pronoun for a person of irrelevant gender.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
- boboblong 14y ago
  In addition to the point made by the other two users who responded to you, the overwhelming majority of car mechanics are men.

nodata 14y ago

I didn't even notice this, perhaps that says something.

merlincorey 14y ago
It jarred me... and not because the concept of female mechanics is strange to me (it is not any more strange to me than the concept of female programmers or female gamers) but because it really felt forced and I looked and the commenter had a male-sounding name making me feel like it was forced.

kami8845 14y ago

I don't even understand the purpose of it. What percentage of car mechanics is female? Less than 5%? Now I'm thinking about whether any given car mechanic is most likely to be male or female and am completely distracted from the point she is trying to make.

mkr-hn 14y ago
Sounds like a personal problem. I didn't even notice.
- kami8845 14y ago
  Yes. It's a personal problem. I made that evident by writing from the 1st person as evidenced by the usage of the word "I". And it clearly didn't affect only me as evidenced by the upvotes on my comment as well as the one one level above mine.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]

jiggy2011 14y ago

Social Engineering?

oftenwrong 14y ago

If the parent had used "he", would you be complaining?

theorique 14y ago
No, "he" is the default generic.
burke 14y ago
No, because like it or not, "he" is the de facto pronoun for a person of irrelevant gender.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
boboblong 14y ago
In addition to the point made by the other two users who responded to you, the overwhelming majority of car mechanics are men.