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Monday, October 10, 2022

We need cowboys (and cowgirls) today! By Jan Scarbrough

When I was a child after my family purchased our first television, I’d wake up Saturday morning while my parents slept and watch old western movies. I was a Roy Rogers fan, but Gene Autry was another popular cowboy for kids. At that time, Autry came up with a set of values for his fans.


“Gene Autry's movies, radio dramas, television episodes, and comic books always had storylines with Gene Autry doing the right thing or helping folks make the right choices in tough situations. In the late 1940s a formal code of ethics emerged and was known by his fans as ‘Gene Autry's Cowboy Code’ or the ‘Cowboy Commandments’.”


All I can say is that we could use this code today. 

What do you think?


Incidentally, the pronoun “he” was perfectly acceptable to use back in the day. As an English teacher, I used it for years as a “generic pronoun,” referring to “she” as well as “he.”


From Grammar Rules for He/She/They Usage:

For years, if the gender of an individual referred to in a sentence is unknown, “he” would be used as the generic pronoun.

“We don’t know who started the fire,” a police officer might say, “but he will be held responsible.”

It was understood, by both the police officer and any listeners, that “he” could refer to either a woman or a man. To be inclusive, this did morph to the use of the clunky "he/she." However, he/she is limiting since it does not account for non-binary individuals.

But even old English teachers need to change. So I need to stop fighting what I consider the incorrect use of “they.”

As culture changes, so does the language, and many believe that the exclusive use of he or he/she for a person of unknown gender is outdated. Therefore, the singular they is the preferred pronoun.


I’ve several written romance novels about cowboys. Here’s my latest.



BEN of the Dawsons of Montana series

Even fake dates can ignite real romances. Are some promises worth breaking if it leads to a second chance at love?

BEN is available at most ebook retailers.


1 comment:

  1. Great code to live by.

    I confess I use they when I should use s/he. But I write better than I speak. LOL

    ReplyDelete

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