a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by briandmyers
briandmyers  ·  3886 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Stop Saying "I Have A Boyfriend"

I have a sister. I have a teacher. I have a son. I have a mechanic.

Got baggage with those usages of possession too? Or is it only when a romantic relationship is in play?





user-inactivated  ·  3886 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Course not. I mean, I acknowledge that what I said is a bit ridiculous, but it's not something I can un-think when I hear that phrase. Kinda has to do with what coffeespoons said above.

humanodon  ·  3886 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I think this is a valid point. Clearly, language changes over time as people come to view things differently, but this thread is about possession and I think it's hard to express certain relationships without expressing possession to one degree or another.

To me, this all suggests that people are expressing discomfort with an idea of interpersonal relationships that does not reflect their own ideas. I'm ok with that, but some language to go along with it might be nice.

For example, I like saying "my dog" instead of "the dog that I'm taking care of". It's so impersonal and vague.