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I'm looking at movie previews and the description of this (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox/runnerrunner/) movie immediately raises my hackles.
Dear Hollywood, the word you are looking for is "poet". Referring to a woman who writes poetry as a "poetess" strikes me as demeaning and gendered. I am married to a poet and I would never call her a "poetess." Bleah. Seriously, would you call someone a "photographeress" or a "danceress"? No, I would not.
Why, then, says my brain, do you have no problems calling someone a "priestess?"
Uh... hold on a sec. I use that term most often to describe women who lead religious functions in a pagan context. Rites I've seen often have an explicitly male-gendered "priest" and an explicitly female-gendered "priestess".
But at the same time I have no problems saying that I think the Catholic Church should be willing to consider ordaining women as "priests" (and by the way I've worked with more than one rabbi who identified as a woman so you don't get a generalized religious or role exception here).
At which point my brain sort of explodes and I have to go to lunch. Anyone got brilliant thoughts to add here?
Dear Hollywood, the word you are looking for is "poet". Referring to a woman who writes poetry as a "poetess" strikes me as demeaning and gendered. I am married to a poet and I would never call her a "poetess." Bleah. Seriously, would you call someone a "photographeress" or a "danceress"? No, I would not.
Why, then, says my brain, do you have no problems calling someone a "priestess?"
Uh... hold on a sec. I use that term most often to describe women who lead religious functions in a pagan context. Rites I've seen often have an explicitly male-gendered "priest" and an explicitly female-gendered "priestess".
But at the same time I have no problems saying that I think the Catholic Church should be willing to consider ordaining women as "priests" (and by the way I've worked with more than one rabbi who identified as a woman so you don't get a generalized religious or role exception here).
At which point my brain sort of explodes and I have to go to lunch. Anyone got brilliant thoughts to add here?
