Interesting People mailing list archives
Re: our boy John -- the NYTimes
From: Mark Seiden <mis () seiden com>
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1993 11:33:40 -0800 (PST)
why do i find this "our boy john" motif slightly offensive?
Sorry what I meant is John is an INTERESTING PERSON
(so why is it important to the people on the list that markoff is on the list also?) the problem with referring to a reporter as "our boy" is it conveys the impression that - as "our" they might not be independent - as a "boy" they might not be mature um... i'm really not trying to convert you into a politically correct person, but consider what would happen if you used this on a female reporter (INTERESTING or UN-) as "our girl jane" you would be properly slammed up against the wall by the feminists among us. markoff and i are certainly good friends (we're sharing a room at the hacker's conference this weekend; i was technical editor for katie's and his last book; had his 40th birthday party at my house, etc.) but i would *never* refer to him (or any professional journalist) in a public medium as "our boy". sorry to sound tedious... you don't have to reply. there, i feel better already. -- mark seiden, mis () seiden com, 1-(415) 592 8559 (voice)
Current thread:
- our boy John -- the NYTimes David Farber (Nov 03)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: our boy John -- the NYTimes Mark Seiden (Nov 03)