# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/61 "2018-06-11T06:01:24Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > Probably Phantom. Probably a trick question, and he thinks ALW is a hack… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/62 "2018-06-11T06:07:23Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > My blindness is real. > [@Penfeather](#): > > Yes, you keep mentioning it even when it hasn’t been challenged. Well, not in _this_ thread. :dubious: (Dubious smiley) ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/63 "2018-06-11T08:48:26Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > 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. I had a friend who wanted a project, and decided to restore a car. He chose a dilapidated Fiat X-1/9. It was an evil car; it took away his time, blood and money. He named it Mussolini. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/64 "2018-06-11T09:16:24Z")
Benito would have been even more appropriate (means “Blessed”). ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/65 "2018-06-11T11:31:23Z")
I have a double cab diesel truck, which (in a small way\*) I felt projected my manliness to the general public. I don’t use gender terms to describe vehicles of any kind, but somewhere in me I thought the vehicle to be masculine. My (then) 2 year old daughter announced that the truck’s name is “Sarah” Ego deflated in a single blow. - male insecurity is real ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/66 "2018-06-11T17:32:56Z")
I have three road vehicles, Time Bomb is a he and is my old reliable beast who never really lets me down and bought me my house. Wilbur is a cranky old man of a pickup truck, ugly AF on the outside, surprisingly comfortable inside and has some weird issues that just have to be accomodated because he’s old. My Subaru Legacy wagon is Agnes, because all Subarus are female and probably a bit gay. At least the Portland Subarus are, might be different in other parts of the country. I had a sporty little Cavalier who was an expensive PITA but oh so fun, her name was Firefly. My kayak is Toy Boat and has decided to be a neuter. My BFF’s kayak is definitely a girl and her name is Margaret. I know a lot of people who name their vehicles and ascribe gender and other characteristics to them, it’s like a mental pareidolia. ---
**Author:** ![TheMightyFro](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themightyfro/32/20081_2.png) [@TheMightyFro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMightyFro)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/67 "2018-06-11T18:12:49Z")
There are many instances where this happens: Boats, Cars, US Marines and their rifles, Planes…the list goes on. It does seem strange in a language without gender, (whereas some other languages give all nouns gender) but it has always come across to me as a term of respect and honor. It may be sexist, but so is the imperfect world in which we live. I will believe anyone who says they are offended, but I’d still think of boats this way. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_think\_of\_a\_name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_think\_of\_a\_name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_think_of_a_name)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/68 "2018-06-12T01:20:53Z")
> [@Delicious](#): > > Isn’t everything in Spanish a he or she though? Gendered objects in English seem to be limited to boats, which is kind of odd by itself…something to do with olde figureheads? English used to be a far more gendered language. Perhaps it’s an odd holdover from that. Or maybe it was in some way connected to superstitious belief about luck, which used to be quite common in sailing. People taking medieval boats out into the north sea with very little in the way of weather forecasts and navigation would be likely to want all the luck they could get. The risks were significant. Some connection with old religious beliefs, maybe? Gods connected with luck were often female. Maybe it was seen as being in some way protective, maternal? I had a quick look around online, in case the answer was clear and known. Apparently not. Nowadays the usage is just custom. It bothers me a bit because I dislike gendered language on principle, but it doesn’t bother me more than a bit because I think it’s just a custom and no longer really gendered. If it was, people would know why boats were gendered feminine. ---
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/69 "2018-06-12T12:35:45Z")
For exactly the reasons you list-I find it offensive. Those are all insults hurled at women from a time when women were largely powerless and subject to the whims of any idiot men around them for the most part. Why would I think it’s ok? Now if there were some positive attributes, say, referring to the Starship Enterprise for example, (Fast-zero-warp 10 in two minutes, intelligent computer running HER, etc.) then maybe it could be considered a compliment. I’ll give that some thought. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/70 "2018-06-12T12:54:47Z")
To me, as with pretty much anything, it seems that intent matters the most. If someone said to me that they called their boat “Marie” because “she’s like my ex, uncontrollable, expensive and wet” Then I’d think they were a creep of the highest order. If the same person said it was because “she was a present from my wife, she’s beautiful, I love her and she keeps me safe and sane” then I’d have a completely different opinion. And, seeing as the feminisation of ships is hardly universal, I’d hold the same opinion no matter the gender combinations of namer or namee. It is all about respect. Words matter but intent matters far more. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/71 "2018-06-12T13:44:29Z")
I think the fundamental issue here is that there are some categories of inanimate objects, including weapons, vehicles, and computers, that are more prone to be anthropomorphized. And English lacks a pronoun for a person of unspecified gender, so every such anthropomorphized object will end up being either “he” or “she”. Which of those two it is can be entirely arbitrary, or it can depend on the owner’s assessment of whatever intangibles go into gender. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/72 "2018-06-12T13:46:54Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > In Russia, boats and ships are ‘he’… Yes, I learned that while reading Tom Clancy’s _Red Storm Rising_. There’s a _Star Trek_ novel in which it’s revealed that Klingons refer to their ships as “he,” also. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/73 "2018-06-12T14:28:02Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > It is all about respect. Words matter but intent matters far more. I think I disagree with this. The world can’t be held responsible for having to understand your intent if it’s not readily apparent. It’s like the whole “not racist in my heart” business. It’s your interaction with the world that counts, not your heart. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/74 "2018-06-12T14:34:03Z")
I do agree with **Novelty**. Now, if intent is not readily apparent, that’s a different problem, but words alone do not convey meaning: one of the problems of written communication is being clear enough in the absence of body language and tone of voice. With those present, there are people who manage to turn “hello” into a threat or an insult. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/75 "2018-06-12T17:33:07Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think I disagree with this. The world can’t be held responsible for having to understand your intent if it’s not readily apparent. It’s like the whole “not racist in my heart” business. It’s your interaction with the world that counts, not your heart. Really? If I stole your wallet to distribute the contents to the starving poor you would look upon me just the same as if I stole it to pay for hookers, booze and blackjack? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/76 "2018-06-12T17:40:46Z")
To me boats are ‘its’. I’m not _offended_ by people calling them ‘she’, though, because if you’re going to anthropomorphize the things, it’s probably equally valid to give them female personalities as male personalities in your made-up mental world. ---
**Author:** ![MarvinKitFox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MarvinKitFox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarvinKitFox)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/77 "2018-06-13T07:04:17Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > I’m offended that while women are waking up to the pervasive sexism ingrained in our culture, some people want to pretend it doesn’t exist and we are just boo-hooing about our hurt fee-fees like the irrational women you think we are. and I’m offended by people so short-sighted as to think applying a gender pronoun to a ship is sexism. Are you the sort that would refuse a ploughman’s lunch, demanding it be renamed as a ploughperson’s lunch? Are you the sort that would turn away a midwife, because the job name sounds vaguely like a sexist term? Sorry , but _you_ are the one being silly. ---
**Author:** ![MarvinKitFox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MarvinKitFox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarvinKitFox)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/78 "2018-06-13T07:16:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think the fundamental issue here is that there are some categories of inanimate objects, including weapons, vehicles, and computers, that are more prone to be anthropomorphized. And English lacks a pronoun for a person of unspecified gender, so every such anthropomorphized object will end up being either “he” or “she”. Which of those two it is can be entirely arbitrary, or it can depend on the owner’s assessment of whatever intangibles go into gender. That is exactly correct. “He” tends to be used for objects that are more massive, strong, or dangerous. Active roles. Because, face it, males are somewhat like that. Examples are cars, locomotives (but not steam!). “She” tends to be used for objects that are graceful, temperamental, or dependable/durable. Because, again, females are somewhat like that. Examples are ships (not boats!), Steam locomotive, favored and trusted hand tool, well-build bridge. What is required is that the object, usually a vehicle, be perceived as having a ‘personality’, and then matching the pronoun to the perceived personality. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/79 "2018-06-13T19:38:28Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I’ve never seen anyone call a ship “Shee”. And yet I’m sure you knew what was meant. Are you this pedantic in person too? In response to the question in the OP As many before me have expressed… Personally I find it exhausting to be offended by every little thing. How could that be offensive? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771/80 "2018-06-13T19:51:09Z")
A battleship is most certainly massive, strong, and dangerous, and yet, it gets called “she”. Even warships which bear the name of men get called “she”. And how can “temperamental” and “dependable” both be distinctively feminine traits? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-bothered-by-the-practice-of-calling-ships-shee/815771.md?page=5)