A pastor of one church who was previously a sailor, was very aware that
ships are addressed as “she” or “her”. He often wondered what gender
computers should
be addressed. To answer that question, he set up two groups of
computer experts.
The first was comprised of women, and the second of men. Each group
was
asked to recommend whether computers should be referred to in the
feminine
gender, or the masculine gender. They were asked to give 4 reasons
for
their
recommendation.
The group of women reported that the computers should be referred to
in
the masculine gender because:
- In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
- They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.
- They are supposed to help you solve problems,
but half the time they are the problem. - As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited
a
little longer you could have had a better model.
The men, on the other hand concluded that Computers should be
referred
to in the feminine gender because:
- No one but the Creator understands their internal logic.
- The native language they use to communicate with other computers
is incomprehensible to everyone else. - Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for
later retrieval. - As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself
spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.