[Tango-L] Getting to Expert - or, Do you Work on your Dance??

[Huck Kennedy]

Astrid <astrid at ruby.plala.or.jp> writes:

> While I do not doubt that at least some of the people here practise,
> another thing hit me recently: as a real woman, being called "a follow"
> is even worse than being called a "follower".

     If you feel that way, I would suggest that you are
reading far too much into the difference.  To dredge up ol'
Occam's Razor, the simplest explanation is probably
the real one:  I suspect the reason most who say "follow"
do so is simply because they talk dance so much that
they eventually get a bit lazy and say "follow" because
it's one fewer syllable than "follower."

> I am starting to get the feel(ing) that for some of you, using the
> word "man" and "woman" instead of "lead" (ugh!) and "follow"
> (ughhh!) would be like calling a spade a spade, which may be
> therefore...almost... unspeakable !
>
> Come on, give the other sex a break ! After all, we are trying
> to dance together !"

     Well a few years ago we were all informed that
saying "the man and the woman" was sexist and limiting
the woman to only following and never leading, and that
in order to avoid being considered simian, knuckle-dragging
sexists, we were to instead use the gender-neutral "leader"
and "follower."

     So your beef is with Gloria Steinem, and not us.  :)

Huck