# Anybody bothered by the practice of calling ships SHEE? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771 "2018-06-09T18:26:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/21 "2018-06-09T23:52:07Z")
Being an old reference doesn’t make it right. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/22 "2018-06-09T23:54:35Z")
As the practice undoubtedly dates from a time when ships were almost exclusive the property of men (and wives and mistresses were often similarly seen as property), I suspect that it’ll slowly die out. As a guy, I probably can’t really understand how much (or little) it bothers women, but I guess I’m not surprised to learn that it does bother some. Personally, I prefer the Irish standard of referring to ships as Sidhe. _ducks and runs_ ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/23 "2018-06-10T00:29:42Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > At no point have I called you or any other woman your rational. You are mistaken if you believe I am defending the practice. My intent in the post you responded to was to ask whether you would have been offended by Joanna’s use of feminine pronouns to refer to the sailboats she races and would like to own, and whether you would have complained about her use of the term given her sex. I haven’t given my opinion on whether ships & boats should be referred to by feminine pronouns. I have given an example of one woman who is offended by it and another who is not. I myself do not do so, partly because I don’t spend time on boats & ships in the first place but mostly because I dislike personifying inanimate objects. I am forever arguing with other blind people because I refuse to call Siri “she”. To me, Siri is nothing but a robot I often dislike, and definitely in it. I’m pretty sure everyone knows what your intent is. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/24 "2018-06-10T00:41:44Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > When I was getting my forklift certification, the guy teaching us said you should handle the controls like you handle a woman: gently but firmly. It was pretty inappropriate and one of the other women reported him and he was reprimanded. > > I feel like calling a boat or a car “she” is like that. Like it’s a beautiful and graceful thing that you possess and control. It’s in poor taste and society should be catching on by now. Don’t you ever get tired of being offended by everything? I do; I’ve given it up. Life is a lot simpler now. People who call boats she are not offending me. And humor, like the forklift guy, does not offend me either. Humor. Remember that? ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/25 "2018-06-10T01:21:36Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I would ask what you find so unbelievable about the OP, but I have Smurfs to turn into gold. Or maybe to bake into a pie. It all depends on how many I can catch in the traps before Papa and Sassette figure out a way to rescue the rest of the village. Yeah, that’s not cute. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/26 "2018-06-10T01:58:48Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > I’m pretty sure everyone knows what your intent is. I don’t believe he have any idea what my motives are. You have an asked me. But I will pretend you did. My motives were precisely what the OP implied. I had an amusing conversation with two friends who strongly disagreed about an issue. I relayed the substance of the conversation (making fun of myself in the process) and posed the question they were arguing about. I didn’t relay my position in the argument because I wasn’t really part of that part of the conversation. When pushed to it by you, I did say what I thought. If you believe you have some paranormal ability to read my thoughts, please demonstrate it by identifying my favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/27 "2018-06-10T02:05:46Z")
Probably Phantom. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/28 "2018-06-10T03:08:39Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#): > > “She” seems right, given so many ships have girls names. > > Hell when I was a kid “Subaru and Cadillac” we’re tough for the littlest kids to pronounce, so the cars were named “snow white” for the Sub and “Goldie” for the Caddy…and Mom and Dad always called the cars she. > > Ever since childhood, I’ve called my cars and bikes she.🆒 and I name my guitars after women I’ve known.😃 I was thinking about sea-vessels rather than cars, but you have reminded me of a car I once owned which my GF and I began calling Jesus because it mysteriously acquired a wound in its side. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/29 "2018-06-10T03:11:35Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > Yeah, that’s not cute. Who says I was trying to be cute? I will not rest until every Smurf in the world has died violently. ESPECIALLY Brainy. In fact, if it is at all possible, I will kill HIM at least four times. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/30 "2018-06-10T03:34:24Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I would ask what you find so unbelievable about the OP, but I have Smurfs to turn into gold… Well, you’re a grown man who writes like a 12 year old boy, so I suppose it makes sense that your protagonists are grown women who talk like 12 year old girls. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/31 "2018-06-10T03:39:23Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I don’t believe he have any idea what my motives are. You have an asked me. But I will pretend you did. > > My motives were precisely what the OP implied. I had an amusing conversation with two friends who strongly disagreed about an issue. I relayed the substance of the conversation (making fun of myself in the process) and posed the question they were arguing about. I didn’t relay my position in the argument because I wasn’t really part of that part of the conversation. When pushed to it by you, I did say what I thought. If you believe you have some paranormal ability to read my thoughts, please demonstrate it by identifying my favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. None of that happened. You have issues with women that are becoming more apparent with every thread and every post that you make. Now it is about naming boats with female names, really? That bothers you and your non-existent friends? Popular culture is evolving, and although this board is way behind, it is evolving too. Your misogyny will be the end of you. Take a break. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/32 "2018-06-10T03:52:38Z")
I don’t see how my repeated, and I do admit bigoted, threats against the Smurfs in general and brainy Smurf in particular exposes any misogyny. I would ask you to explain, but both handy and hefty have escaped from their cages and I must recapture them before the whole plan falls to pieces. I really need that gold. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/33 "2018-06-10T04:09:25Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Well, you’re a grown man who writes like a 12 year old boy, so I suppose it makes sense that your protagonists are grown women who talk like 12 year old girls. So I ran your post through the semantic analyzer and it seems that you are trying to annoy me. Here is the flaw in your plan. The Dope is not real. My family is real. My job is real. My friends are real. My blindness is real. the dope is a collection of electrons where i go to when I am bored and don’t have the kids because I like to play. Admittedly, I have been using it tonight to work on my cutting and pasting skills, which is fairly difficult using voiceover on the iPhone but I think I have mastered it. Not a small thing to me, so I am happy the dope has helped in that way. But I’m not going to stress about anything here. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go to bed, By which I mean I need to rampage through the Smurf Village so I can listen to all those disgusting little blue buggers scream in terror. I am a very bad man. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/34 "2018-06-10T04:29:55Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#): > > “She” seems right, given so many ships have girls names. Are you sure it’s not in part the other way 'round? Since it’s a she anyway, “she” gets a feminine name. Spanish floating vehicles (and yes, Delicious, in Spanish everything has a grammatical gender - which transfers over to personalizations of objects) usually get feminine or neutral names if small but male or neuter if large. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/35 "2018-06-10T04:49:51Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > My blindness is real. Yes, you keep mentioning it even when it hasn’t been challenged. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/36 "2018-06-10T05:00:52Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > So I ran your post through the semantic analyzer and it seems that you are trying to annoy me. Here is the flaw in your plan. > > The Dope is not real. > > My family is real. My job is real. My friends are real. My blindness is real. the dope is a collection of electrons where i go to when I am bored and don’t have the kids because I like to play. The attention you get from your threads is certainly real, and you seem to crave it because you only participate in your own threads 99% of the time. You obviously get something out of your participation here. You can’t pretend the last month or so on the boards didn’t happen. Making cutesy post comparing yourself to Gargamel isn’t going to win you your reputation back. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/37 "2018-06-10T05:05:13Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Are you sure it’s not in part the other way 'round? Since it’s a she anyway, “she” gets a feminine name. Spanish floating vehicles (and yes, Delicious, in Spanish everything has a grammatical gender - which transfers over to personalizations of objects) usually get feminine or neutral names if small but male or neuter if large. I am definitely NOT sure:D. That is a good point. I didn’t know everything was gendered in Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/38 "2018-06-10T05:06:09Z")
> [@Delicious](#): > > Gendered objects in English seem to be limited to boats, which is kind of odd by itself…something to do with olde figureheads? I’ve heard people refer to a bunch of other things as “she” although the practice probably comes from ships. But I wouldn’t think “How’s she coming along?” is strangely out of place for anything from cars to computers. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/39 "2018-06-10T05:19:43Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Don’t you ever get tired of being offended by everything? I do; I’ve given it up. Life is a lot simpler now. People who call boats she are not offending me. And humor, like the forklift guy, does not offend me either. Humor. Remember that? Yeah, we get it, **kayT** , you disagree with other women about sexism on the boards. But you sure give _me_ the impression you actually are bothered/offended, just in the other direction. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/40 "2018-06-10T07:19:41Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > My family is real. My job is real. My friends are real. My blindness is real. It’s also pretty telling that your [repeated response to criticism is to bring up your family and your disability](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=855624&): I’m not sure what the latter has to do with your conduct, but your immediate recourse when slighted to hiding behind the skirts of women, imagined or otherwise, is pretty contemptible given your very real disdain towards the women of this board. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771.md?page=3)