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Comment by temp8964 | Hacker News Reader

No. A technology article use they/them for a specific individual is a very new invention. Please don't make up stuff and claim this is a norm.

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You've "made stuff up" about entire languages in your previous reply. I am struggling to find more ways to explain that, in English, it is acceptable to refer to unknown quantities or identities of people with "they" and "them".

"My bank denied my loan application again, I can't believe them!" - Correct - Unknown, amorphous entity, regardless if the rejection was specifically caused by a man or woman or otherwise.

"temp8964 replied to me on HN again, she's quite persistent." - Incorrect - Without knowing who you are, is it still acceptable for me to blindly assert that you must be a woman and doing otherwise is wrong?

No. The author of the article already assumed Satoshi is a singular person. Your argument is irrelevant in this context.

It is curious to me that it seems okay to defer to the author's assumption that Satoshi is a singular person, while at the same time denouncing how they refer to that person. You are okay with one uncertain assumption but not another. I think if you are willing to defer to the author here that benefit of the doubt should extend to the rest of their writing.

However, if we assume that Satoshi is a singular person, how do you suggest we refer to pseudonymous individuals whose gender and identity are unknown? Again, is it acceptable that I insist on referring to you as she/her without knowing who you are?

Assuming that it is the chosen, gendered name-on-the-internet that matters, if I were born biologically male but then undergo a sex change procedure and then and adopt a feminine name like Jane Smith in my work, would it be acceptable in your eyes to refer to me as she/her by default? Surely in this case, he/him or they/them would be unacceptable, if I follow your logic correctly.

The norm is follow the gender assumption based on the pseudonym. If the person picked a female name, everyone would happily call the person “she”, as it should be. It has nothing to do with the real person’s gender.

I'm glad to hear you think we should refer to people by their chosen pronouns! Perhaps there's some woke to you after all? ;)

I still would love to hear how you think people should refer to you, especially if you have not asserted your own pronouns. It seems, in reference to you, this is a classic, centuries-old case of singular 'they' being perfectly acceptable.

I don't believe this to be generally true but would believe that you have experienced communities that practice this convention. For the curious, in which communities do you find this to be the norm?

It is not the norm no, as multiple people have pointed out to you. The norm is to use they when uncertain. You’ve been given plenty of examples but persist in your denial. I wonder why you want to police how other people speak and connect this with some bizarre right wing conspiracy (wokeness)?

If you read the replies to your other comments before writing this you would know that “they as singular” has centuries of use (which is besides the point as language is a living thing).

Also, see the HN guidelines.

No. Centuries of use for non specific person, not in this case.

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