Using they conveys a detached tone which matches the detached and ambivalent nature of the comment. See similarly “I don’t care what they think” or “I don’t know why they act that way” which would normally be used in informal conversation to signify a lack of engagement with the subject.
Using “they” conveys that you don’t know their gender, such as in your examples. It is often misused for trans people, but seldom do people refer to specific cis people as “they”.
Correct. But it’s often used for specific cis people when you are trying to create a detached or dismissive tone about those cis people. That’s what the poster was doing. They were being very ambivlant and detached about Page’s motivations and abilities. It’s sensitive because in both cases it’s being used to distance yourself from their identity. “I don’t care what he thinks” is less dismissive and more confrontational than “I don’t care what they think.” See similarly “they can do what they want” used when the gender is known, implying you’ve washed your hands completely of a person vs assigning them agency.
It can come across as weird/deliberate if you’re using “they” for trans people but “he”/“she” for cis people (obviously, not gendering is still miles better than misgendering though)
I kind of get it. Their awkwardness may or may not be some sort of comedic relief in Umbrella Academy. Hard Candy was an okay movie I guess.
I think Eliott Page is a he
Using they conveys a detached tone which matches the detached and ambivalent nature of the comment. See similarly “I don’t care what they think” or “I don’t know why they act that way” which would normally be used in informal conversation to signify a lack of engagement with the subject.
Using “they” conveys that you don’t know their gender, such as in your examples. It is often misused for trans people, but seldom do people refer to specific cis people as “they”.
Correct. But it’s often used for specific cis people when you are trying to create a detached or dismissive tone about those cis people. That’s what the poster was doing. They were being very ambivlant and detached about Page’s motivations and abilities. It’s sensitive because in both cases it’s being used to distance yourself from their identity. “I don’t care what he thinks” is less dismissive and more confrontational than “I don’t care what they think.” See similarly “they can do what they want” used when the gender is known, implying you’ve washed your hands completely of a person vs assigning them agency.
Quoting November Kelly, “She, but they if you are mad at me”
I used zero gendered terms in my comment.
It can come across as weird/deliberate if you’re using “they” for trans people but “he”/“she” for cis people (obviously, not gendering is still miles better than misgendering though)
Ratio’d
“their awkwardness”?
“their” is literally a gender neutral pronoun.
Elliott uses he/they pronouns!