Austrian national anthem ‘sexist’ (BBC)

Should that caption read “Austrian schoolchildren are taught the national anthem during solar eclipses”? I can’t imagine why else they might be wearing those goggles.

I don’t mean to make light of the subject.

I’ve written a handout on gender-neutral language, and in my American Lit class, we discussed the ritualistic rhetoric and nearly universal pomposity of national anthems.

But the photo choice is distracting and odd. (My sister suggests that perhaps it was the only handy photo of Austrian schoolchildren.)

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  • Although I still haven't quite figured out how it works, apparently english is one of the few languages that doesn't have a "feminine" and "masculine" way of saying things, making it a better language for gender neutral language than a lot of others...

  • Perhaps it's an ideological statement about the "lenses" of sexism through which they are being taught gender? Nah...

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Dennis G. Jerz

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