Hacker News Reader

This is not reddit however have to say relevant username :'-)

'they' is a great pronoun for ambiguous cases of sex & plurality

My native language doesn't have gendered pronouns, so I make an explicit point of using "they" for a pronoun every time I can.

There is no ambiguity here.

It's a terrible pronoun since that usage is a retrofit of a word intended to be used as a plural.

Singular they dates back to the 14th century. Isn't 600 years long enough to stop quibbling over it?

Was here to say the same thing. OP ignoring history to double-down on gender bigotry is disappointing to find on HN.

When the gender is unknown. Why apply it in every case?

No, not just when the gender is unknown.

Do you also avoid “you” when referring to just one person?

Retrofit? The singular they has been used in English literature as far back as the 13th century, not exactly recent

I know an individual who used to think like that; do you want to know why they changed their mind?

So just like "you"? What's þi problem?

Bad hill to die on.