Pronoun sensitivity

2038-01-19T03:14:07Z

On Sunday I spent most of the day at my ex’s (my old apartment) helping him pack up for his move this coming Saturday. He needed the help because he gets very easily distracted by details and gets stuck doing small tasks (like instead of packing magazines in boxes, feeling the need to read through them first). Since I am helping with the move I figured it was in my best interest to help a bit with the packing, otherwise I would probably arrive next Saturday to find much still unpacked.

So at one point he was talking about how while there are a few holes to spackle, there weren’t all that many because “I never hung many pictures” (he was saying this in the first person referring to himself). I corrected him and said we – since for the majority of the time we shared the place together and we would have hung pictures together. He countered with the fact that I would have made him hang the pictures for me anyway (not true) and then he said I was just too sensitive about pronoun use.

This issue came up for us on multiple occasions while we were together and I am just wondering, is this me or does this bother other people as well? I know my sample won’t be very representative since I think most if not all the people who will see this question are women, but I don’t think it is being overly sensitive. I think proper pronoun use demonstrates how you think about the person you are with and your relationship to them. When you say I when it should be we, you are excluding the other person.

Just one of those little irksome things.

Nancy

Pronoun sensitivity