19 October 2006

Politically Ambiguous

Orrin, pursuing his theory that there's no bad way to cook a potato, points us to this article on the traditional feast at the end of Ramadan:
Everywhere you go, Mrs. Kucukkal notes, you eat, even if you're not particularly hungry or have already enjoyed that particular dish at someone else's house. Otherwise, she says, you risk making your host feel badly.
The word "host" struck me as odd, and I realized that I couldn't tell if it was a politically correct refusal to recognize gender (like using actor when referring to an actress) or if it was a politically incorrect focus on the pater familias, rather than the wife cum servant who actually did the work.

This is not an unusual confusion. Modern politically correct anti-gender discrimination law, which among other things makes it illegal to swear in front of ladies, is easily confused with Victorian mores.

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