...for "the wife"???

OhLook wrote in post #17807796
[cough . . .]

Sorry about that - and thanks for your original post!

So what's your own opinion? Would you like being referred to here as "the wife"?

gmm213 wrote in post #17807798
Im not from the South, though I live here now. I have heard people from both the North and South refer to wives as "the wife".

It might be a U.S. thing and not a Canadian thing. It sounds old-fashioned to me.

Interesting! This is the exact opposite of a point that my husband and I agreed on when I asked him about it. We think "the wife" has an air of treating a wife as a possession, like "the car" and "the fireplace."

If people say "the wife," why don't they say "the father" or "the grandmother"?

I was thinking something for smaller hands, as mentioned before, generally pocketable or "purse-able" since my wife isn't about to carry a camera bag and a purse. Since the person is asking for someone else, "the wife" in this case, I'd assume "the wife" is not a photography guru who would geek out over a specific feature or pixel peep, but would appreciate a quality image from an easy to use device. If she were, she'd be here asking for herself.

I'm also from the south, so I didn't think anything of it. It's a very common term here.

OhLook wrote in post #17807817
It might be a U.S. thing and not a Canadian thing. It sounds old-fashioned to me.

Interesting! This is the exact opposite of a point that my husband and I agreed on when I asked him about it. We think "the wife" has an air of treating a wife as a possession, like "the car" and "the fireplace."

If people say "the wife," why don't they say "the father" or "the grandmother"?

I use "my" car, "my" computer. My son I either use "the kid" or when speaking to my wife ill use "your son".

Actually your point of "the father" or "the grandmother" makes me, IMO, back up my thinking. I use my father because hes mine. "The father" would show that hes a father but not necessarily mine (though I called my father Homer, after Homer Simpson). Again brings it down to showing possession

18 responses already - thanks, everyone! Stirring up a bit of controversy has been more interesting than trying to learn obscure Lightroom features on this dark and snowy night.

Lt Colonel wrote in post #17807602
Political correctness for everyone

For the last six odd years, almost all of the things I wanted to write or say, have been stymied by that modern term referred to as 'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS'.. Although I consider myself reasonably fluent in English, that term was not in my vocabulary. Curiosity got the better of me so I decided to do a little research, and after two weeks of chasing fruitless leads, I found what I'd been looking for at the Truman Library and Museum in Independence Missouri. An unnamed source there sent me copies of four telegrams between then-President Harry Truman and Gen Douglas MacArthur on the day before the actual signing of the WW2 Surrender Agreement in September 1945. The contents of those four telegrams below are exactly as received at the end of the war - not a word has been added or deleted!



(1) Tokyo,Japan 0800-September 1,1945

To: President Harry S Truman

From: General D A MacArthur



Tomorrow we meet with those yellow-bellied bastards and sign the Surrender Documents, any last minute instructions?



(2) Washington, D C 1300-September 1, 1945

To: D A MacArthur

From: H S Truman



Congratulations, job well done, but you must tone down your obvious dislike of the Japanese when discussing the terms of the surrender with the press, because some of your remarks are fundamentally not politically correct!



(3) Tokyo, Japan 1630-September 1, 1945

To: H S Truman

From: D A MacArthur and C H Nimitz



Wilco Sir, but both Chester and I are somewhat confused, exactly what does the term politically correct mean?



(4) Washington, D C 2120-September 1, 1945

To: D A MacArthur/C H Nimitz

From: H S Truman



Political Correctness is a doctrine, recently fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and promoted by a sick mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of **** by the clean end!



Now, with special thanks to the Truman Museum and Harry himself, you and I finally have a full understanding of what 'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS' really means.....

^ ^ Good old Harry! Gotta' love him!

I've heard guys say 'The old lady' and similar. I find that a little tasteless... The wife just sounds like a dated term, doesn't necessarily seem sexist or degrading. It could even be a term of endearment! To each their own

teekay wrote in post #17807800
So what's your own opinion? Would you like being referred to here as "the wife"?

I missed this part of your post the first time. No, I wouldn't like it. It'd seem dismissive. It isn't something I worry about. My husband doesn't talk that way.

Ian Mackie wrote in post #17807936
For the last six odd years, almost all of the things I wanted to write or say, have been stymied by that modern term referred to as 'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS' . . . The contents of those four telegrams below are exactly as received at the end of the war - not a word has been added or deleted! . . .

Ian, and all who cheered you on, please be aware that this supposed exchange of telegrams never happened.

Don't believe everything you see on the Web.

OhLook wrote in post #17808235
Don't believe everything you see on the Web.

Really? Go on, shatter my illusions OhLook, I am so innocent and belive it all. Hope Santa got my wish list

OhLook wrote in post #17808235
I missed this part of your post the first time. No, I wouldn't like it. It'd seem dismissive. It isn't something I worry about. My husband doesn't talk that way.

Ian, and all who cheered you on, please be aware that this supposed exchange of telegrams never happened.

Don't believe everything you see on the Web.

I guess you got your information from Brian Williams.

I always notice it when somebody refers to his wife as "the wife". I don't think the term is sexist or demeaning. I do find it standoff-ish or detached in that it is a rather general or maybe even generic term. Look at how people say "the father" or "the mother" when they generalise, like e.g. in a sentence like: "In our culture the father tends to be more protective of his adolescent daughter than the mother". "The wife" is similar in nature and as such is an odd term to use for one's wife. It's as if the man using it is saying: yes, I'm married, but I don't really want to be associated too closely with that state of affairs.

Lt Colonel wrote in post #17808245
I guess you got your information from Brian Williams.

Who? No, the information is at Snopes.

Come on, folks, the authors of those "telegrams" didn't even bother to use a plausible format. Maybe they were too young to know. Telegrams didn't look like e-mails. They looked like this:

DELAYED BY BLIZZARD STOP ARRIVING CHICAGO LATE TUESDAY STOP CAN CLIENT RESCHEDULE MEETING TO WEDNESDAY

OhLook wrote in post #17808314
Who? No, the information is at Snopes.

Come on, folks, the authors of those "telegrams" didn't even bother to use a plausible format. Maybe they were too young to know. Telegrams didn't look like e-mails. They looked like this:

DELAYED BY BLIZZARD STOP ARRIVING CHICAGO LATE TUESDAY STOP CAN CLIENT RESCHEDULE MEETING TO WEDNESDAY

Well, now you've taken all the fun out of it! But it's also in https://www.truthorfic​tion.com …correctness-in-telegraph/

Then there is the ever endearing "the wife unit".