Making a case for 'em

 

The language of my people is a real particular take on colonizer english.

Many english-speaking people cahn’t understand us at all.

The place I’m from is known for industry, Jack Kerouac, and among other things, the real life people depicted in David O. Russell’s The Fighter (who, incidentally, are also, technically my people, though by marriage).

The language of my people is not exactly what they call “Boston.”

It is just slightly northwest of there. 

My people refer to themselves as “Irish Catholic,” which of course is a faulty proposition, as the former identifier is not technically true and the latter is famous for lapse.

And yet it is these, my very people, the ones who came and stayed, who now need convincing that a person should be allowed to rethink their fuckin pronouns. 

What kinda silly shit is this, that we need to be making a case for pronouns?

That the word, itself, is now a hot-button word, and that some people (including some of my own) disagree with the very idea? 

As in: “I don’t believe in pronouns.”

“So what are you, a they?

You a they?

You a they now?”

Well in fact, since you ahsked, I only came to figure out why They might make some sense for me when it finally dawned on me how it’s none of your goddamn business.

And furthermore, just listen ta us.

We’ve been using a singular they all along.

All those times when our certainty lapses, we say “they.”

And not only do we unwittingly use a singular they, by a bizarre colloquial twist: 

we also use a singular ‘em.

You know, like “Screw ‘em”.

I grant you, it’s an inadvertent stand-in for “him” 

(or, for that matter, “them”).

And I certainly didn’t come here to make a case for the pronoun “‘em” with regard to anyone else (though of course, if it’s useful to you, have at it).

All I’m saying is there’s nothing new under the sun.

And if you’re so gullibly confident in your certainties, then I start to wonder if I could interest you in purchasing the Rourke Bridge.