@GreatHornedOwl I did not see that post, but I shall go look for it to read up.
I will note - what is stopping you from being the change? Language isn't static - it's a tool meant to be used and changed to suit our purposes, and if it isn't working, then new words need to be created...which happens all the time.
Mailman has been getting replaced with mail carrier; policeman with police officer; stewardess with flight attendant; etc.
Gender-inclusive language is not new and is constantly evolving. Here are some links for folks who want to learn more on how to use it and examples of options:
https://www.un.org/en/gender-inclusive-language/guidelines.shtml
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/gender-inclusive-language/
Really, you can Google "gender neutral alternative to (word)" and usually get some suggestions. Wouldn't "drafter" work in place of "draftsman"?
Re: using "human race", I generally wouldn't because I believe this is a problematic use of the word race in modern contexts, and I would generally use mankind or humanity. I do not have a problem using human and mankind as gender neutral because I'm a bit of a linguistics nerd and know their Latin and Proto Indo-European roots (mann = all people in general, and different root words meant man/woman than we use today). However, languages change and if the tide changes and a new option is more palatable I'm all for using it.
I'm a slowly reforming grammar nazi and far from perfect myself - for instance, being from NorCal trying to remove the use of "guys" from my lexicon has been the bane of my existence even with my picking up of y'all during my time in the South 😅
But I know how important these changes are in the long run, so I keep practicing and making the effort, apologize when I screw up, and do my best to pass on resources so that those most impacted don't have to bear the brunt of it. Plus the teacher side of me can't help taking advantage of teachable moments 😂
I think we are already overshooting on the men-gotta-be-more-into-feelings thing. I'm worried more about the opposite problem which is what I see as a lack of masculinity in young men. Seems we never think ahead or think of side effects. All of these movements to change culture always overshoot once they achieve some success at their original goal. A decade or so it was all about empowering young girls and empowering women. Then it was like, hmm, I guess we forgot about the boys and now the boys and young men are all screwed up. The kids these days seem to have no idea what to do with gender. They kinda all feel like they are all indistinguishable "individuals". We are just launching into this social experiment that has never been tried before and acting like it's clearly the right thing to do. How do we know that? Maybe we aught to slow down some?
I think what we get wrong these days is our lack of respect for tradition. So many people think nothing of tossing out thousands of years of tradition just because we are modern people and feel we can do and think anything we want. But it leads to a fragmented, confusing society where nobody knows what is what. People don't feel comfortable in it because it's unnatural, anti-tradition. There is nothing to grasp on to and ground yourself with. It doesn't feel like anything to be part of a society anymore.
Show me a successful civilization that didn't have a great respect for the traditions of its culture and use those tradition to form a tight-knit society with cohesiveness of thought, in which young people seemed to know how to grow up naturally. Now we live in a country where the teachers in school tell you that everything grandpa thinks is wrong and you can't even trust your parents. I have kids who are young teens and now you can't even get their medical records because of their privacy. And the kids can't get them either because they are too young. So only your doctors can see the full medical history of the child. The system doesn't even trust you with your children's health.
This seems to be only accelerating. The heroes yesterday are being demonized and we seem to be pushing a point of view where we should be ashamed of our past. Many people don't even feel comfortable talking today because something they say with set off some comotion. A local superintendent in my area just lost his job for using the word "ladies". Apparently that counts as a "microaggression" as they say now. Who wants to live in this society which is pitting each generation against the one that came before and sons and daughters turn their parents in for some violation of the new social rules? All I see is the disintegration of society and the beginning of chaos which will lead to an eventual collapse.
Frankly, I am a pretty open-minded and not remotely a conservative guy but this language thing is BS. I've gotten to know amazing cuddlers on this site over the last several years. Several of them I stay close friends with to this day. Most of them are part of this younger generation that is half my age. I honestly don't think a single one cares in the slightest about using women/girls or whatever else. There is a small minority that actually cares about this stuff and there is no need to go overboard with fixing your language just to make them happy (because they probably never will be anyways).
@dave31415 I couldn't have said it better myself. And all tradition is not wrong and needing to be thrown out. Too little discernment these days.