An English teacher was explaining to his students the concept of
gender association in the English language. He noted how
hurricanes at one time were given only female names, and how
ships and planes were usually referred to as “she.” One of the
students raised her hand and asked, “What gender is a
computer?”
The teacher wasn’t certain. So he divided the class into two
groups: males in one, females in the other, and asked them to
decide if a computer should be masculine or feminine. Both
groups were asked to give four reasons for their
recommendations.
The group of women concluded that computers should be referred
to as masculine because:
- In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
- They have a lot of data but are still clue-less.
- They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but half the
time, they ARE the problem. - As soon as you commit to one, you realise that, if you had
waited a little longer, you could have had a better model.
The men, on the other hand, decided that computers should
definitely be referred to as feminine because:
- No one but their 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 paycheque on accessories for it.
and if it rains,they will be back again !!