Are computers male or female?

June 24, 2011
A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.   'House'

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

Â

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'

'Pencil,'20however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

Â

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Â

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

Â

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:

Â

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

Â

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

Â

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

Â

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)

Â

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ('el computador'), because:

Â

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

Â

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

Â

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

Â

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

Â

The women won.

Sponsored Recommendations

How Digital Co-Pilots for patients help navigate care journeys to lower costs, increase profits, and improve patient outcomes

Discover how digital care journey platforms act as 'co-pilots' for patients, improving outcomes and reducing costs, while boosting profitability and patient satisfaction in this...

5 Strategies to Enhance Population Health with the ACG System

Explore five key ACG System features designed to amplify your population health program. Learn how to apply insights for targeted, effective care, improve overall health outcomes...

A 4-step plan for denial prevention

Denial prevention is a top priority in today’s revenue cycle. It’s also one area where most organizations fall behind. The good news? The technology and tactics to prevent denials...

Healthcare Industry Predictions 2024 and Beyond

The next five years are all about mastering generative AI — is the healthcare industry ready?