Pete's Blog

I will often refer to unnamed third party individuals. To avoid being cumbersome (i.e., using the correct "he or she") and to avoid incorrect grammar (e.g., using "they," since it's plural, despite its use in common English as either plural or singular) I will refer to a hypothetical or unnamed third person as "he". I will even do so in some cases when talking about a female third person.

For example, if I am writing about something that could be embarrassing for a certain girl or woman, and I don't want to name her, I will anonymously refer to her in the third person as "him". Concretely, consider the following fictional story:

Stacy, who was a lead singer some Sunday mornings in front of her congregation, was caught stealing an expensive sweater from a store. Suppose that Stacy is close within my circle of friends. If I wanted to comment on this, without letting any readers of my blog know whom I am talking about, I might write, "A friend of mine just did an awful thing. I'm surprised that he did it." Pretty simple.

There will be exceptions. I expect to say "her." Don't be surprised. But also don't be surprised if I talk about a girl, but refer to him.

Labels: Disclaimer