Just as sexualists use Brother and Sister, and also
Father and Mother, as 'titles', so
inclusivists can use
Sibling as a 'title', that is, as a 'title' for everyone
without any exclusivist content.
Sibling may, then, also be a form of address: Sibling Lee,
Sibling Nan, Sibling Ronnie, and so on.
Religiogenic, bourgeois or proletarian titles like Mr,
Mrs, Miss, Ms and Tovarish (if used for young
men but not for young women) are obviously unsuitable for inclusivist
reproduction. (Not to mention religious or
theodemonical excrescences
such as The Right Reverend Father in God, Lord Bishop by
Divine Providence.) They make use of sexual, marital and etatic
distinctions which do not have the universal and permanent
relevance which is implicitly suggested (altho in the subcultures
concerned the influence of the belief in the relevance
of these distinctions may be very pervasive indeed).
An appropriate alternative for bourgeois and other exclusivist
forms of address is Person, for that is what we are
addressing ourselves to: to persons, not to bodies or small
children. Instead of Mr Burgher and Mrs, Miss or
Ms Labour, Person Burgher and Person Labour will do
as well as the Sibling variant. Comrade and an equivalent
like Tovarish (or Tovarich) may also be acceptable, provided
that no distinction is drawn between males and females, and provided
that this does not lead to confusion between the
DNI and incompatible ideologies.
Should 'titles' like Sibling, Person and Comrade seem
too short or not polite enough, one can always add (my) dear
or respected. (In that case respect denotes concern
and sympathy.) The Resp(ected) P(erson)s Burgher and Labour or
Labour and Burgher should thus replace Mr and Mrs Burgher.
This nonsexualist form of address shows respect for Sibling
Labour in particular, when compared with the archaic and
bourgeois Mrs Burgher or --even worse-- Mrs John Burgher.
When Labour and Burgher are not only two different persons but
also partners, and are addressed as a couple, "(the respected) partners
(Person) Labour and (Person) Burgher" (or "Burgher and (Person) Labour")
may be used, or "(the respected) Person Labour and partner" (if
Burgher's surname is not known) or "(the respected) Person Burgher and
partner" (if Labour's surname is not known). When Dear Siblings
is used to address a group of people, it does not only transcend the
irrelevantism of a monosexual
expression like Beloved Brethren but also of a bisexual
expression like Ladies and Gentlemen (except, maybe, when the
speaker is allocating toilets to female and male, adult humans
respectively). And --again-- Dear Siblings is not obligatory.
For those who have an open mind there are enough imaginative
alternatives to the antiquated sexually, maritally and otherwise
exclusivistic titles or forms of address.
In a
relevantist environment it
need not be explained that, and why, one does not consider a person's
sex, marital status or age when speaking to or about
'im. In a mixed environment,
however, it may clarify one's position, when emphasizing that
one does not believe a person's sex, marital status or age to be
to the point in the context concerned. This can be done by
adding some sort of 'irrelevancy phrase' such as without
irrelevance, free from (irrelevant) distinction(s), free
from irrelevance or without (irrelevant) distinction(s).
Especially in situations where sexual, marital and/or etatic exclusivism
are still going strong, the connection with these
exisms can be
shown by adding of sex, marital status, age (or otherwise).
For example, one may start a lecture with Dear listeners,
please accept my respects free from distinctions of sex and
age; or a letter with Dear Persons, please accept our
greetings free from irrelevant distinctions.
Official titles may be regarded as relevant, if someone holds
a certain office, and when the communication refers to
official business. Examples are Dear Professor,
My Dear Ambassador and The President.
In addressing, referring to or saluting a person the first
time, someone may want to employ a longer or more formal
expression, while using a shorter or more informal one later on. Thus
'e could write the first time
"My Dear Person Councilor Onoma, please accept my respects free from
irrelevant distinctions" (Onoma being another, fictitious surname).
When 'e has known the addressee for some time already, 'e could simply
write "Dear Person Onoma" or "Dear Onoma", if not using
'er forename or call name instead.
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