The word is WOMEN

Published: March 8, 2012 at 12:54pm

Here's a female for you

A headline in The Times, today:

FEMALES SUFFER DISCRIMINATION IN WORKING CONDITIONS – GWU

Female what? Female cats? Female tortoises? Females can be any kind of animal.

There is a special word for female people who are old enough to work: WOMEN.

This is Italianate thinking – femmine/donne – which does not translate into English, a language in which women are women and never ‘females’.

So offensive, and on patronising Women’s Day, too.




19 Comments Comment

  1. DICKENS says:

    Mrs Future Prime Minister was on Super One with Simone Cini today, complaining about the high price of gbejniet and cabbages, which she buys to make soppa tal-armla for Mr Future Prime Minister and Soleil and Etoile.

    She also said that she thinks twice before putting a load of clothes in the dryer, so she hangs them out on the line to dry naturally and save money.

    But then she spends on cars, clothes, intensive grooming and fees at San Anton School. She has money for that.

  2. Jozef says:

    Daphne,

    I’ve just read Evarist Bartolo’s interview on Malta Today.

    He should be taken to task for his confused thinking on blogging and politics. Marxism at its very best, power as a vertical heirarchy controlling whatever results inconvenient. A uniformity of thought, standards and expression. Easy to manage, manipulate and direct.

    It’s hilarious how Malta Today expects to be taken seriously when it refuses to provide a balanced report which in this case, should at the very least, ask for your comment.

    Suffice to say, the real hate blog, the one which folded for the very reasons they justify, is never mentioned.

    Spineless hypocrites.

  3. DICKENS says:

    “FEMALES SUFFER DISCRIMINATION IN WORKING CONDITIONS – GWU ”

    Lajf ain’t what it used to be for poor defenceless black widows. l blame it all on today’s progressive liberal and god less society.

    Tsk.

  4. Dee says:

    http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2005/02/20/t14.html

    “But what about content? According to Sant unlike the PN Labour “will deliver what it promises.” But what did he promise? Most of what he promised was poetry and rhetoric inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi’s prayer. “Where there is despair we will give hope, where there are lies we will give truth, where there is fear we will give courage, where there is failure we will introduce success” promised Sant. ”

    Seven years later the kwazi prim ministru does an Alfred Sant.

  5. Rabid feminist says:

    Agreed. But the word is “wimmin” (singular, “womon”).

  6. mark v says:

    femminaaaa……….tu sei la mala femminaaaaaaaaa…………
    is this the way it goes ?

  7. A. Charles says:

    Not buying and reading The Times has made my day more pleasant.

  8. Paul Borg says:

    Will never argue with a woman!

  9. paddy says:

    GWU – an offence to all women.

  10. Angus Black says:

    Haven’t you heard?

    The GWU proposes to change it to “Females Day”, so that along with women, all female animals can celebrate and that includes female creatures like, crabs, shrimps, snails, and all those other species Toni Zarb is familiar with at his favourite restaurants.

  11. Marku says:

    I’m afraid this is a case of American idiocy filtering into Maltese English. May the gods be with you.

  12. Paul Bonnici says:

    Daphne, what’s your opinion about this:

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120308/local/flight-s-departure-postponed-because-of-stolen-phone.410291

    [Daphne – I don’t have an opinion. I can only tell you the facts. If the phone were mine, I would have been glad of the decision to search the other passengers, though hugely embarrassed. And if the phone were not mine, I would have been very annoyed.]

  13. Mandy says:

    Bay Street today sent an email listing the March special offers. One of them is a 20% discount on “female” swimwear.

    It’s pretty much like the infamous “nephews and nieces” used incorrectly instead of “grandchildren” in obituaries, etc.

  14. C Falzon says:

    They are just being as inclusive as they can. I’m sure cows and hens in particular have to endure far worse working conditions than their male counterparts. Who better than the GWU to stand up for them?

    I think they are catered for within the Social Animal and Media Welfare Section of the General Workers Union.

  15. Riya says:

    Imsieken dawn tat-Times.

    Mindu bdew jappogaw u jiddefendu lill- PL marru lura bhal granc. Xi kultant nahseb li t-Times qed tigi stampata ghand tal-GWU u qed tittiehed mill-injoranza.

  16. cat says:

    IL-GWU xi trid tghid?

    An ex GWU officer made it public during a university class that his former collegue Josephine Attard Sultana should stay at home looking after her children because that is the place she belongs to.

  17. Mister says:

    Flash news on the Times Online:

    Women = Kitchen. Brilliant. Please ignore the grammar.

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120313/local/Mayor-planning-to-restore-confidence-in-Sliema-council.410876

    Anthony A. Mifsud

    Today, 10:10

    Mr. Mayor.. I happen to be a sliema boy, and I support the PL as past nieghbours, do you think that your argument holds water? Ask any women in the kitchen and you will get your answer, with Mr. Galea in your council you can never get the group together.
    This is a typical PN.. Standards.
    Tony

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