New York Times raises eyebrows with lengthy explainer on alternative pronouns: 'Is this all real?'

Critic accuses paper of indulging 'prattle of teenage narcissists'

Most people are familiar with the concept of pronouns, but The New York Times left many people scratching their heads Thursday with a lengthy report on "neopronouns," a new phrase for a pronoun "without expressing gender."

"He," "she," and "they" do not suffice for some, the Times' Ezra Marcus wrote, in a piece that quoted people as young as 13. These "noun-self pronouns" emerged from "an online hotbed for avant-garde ideas around gender expression."

"A neopronoun can also be a so-called 'noun-self pronoun,' in which a pre-existing word is drafted into use as a pronoun. Noun-self pronouns can refer to animals — so your pronouns can be "bun/bunself" and 'kitten/kittenself.' Others refer to fantasy characters — 'vamp/vampself,' 'prin/cess/princesself,' 'fae/faer/faeself' — or even just common slang, like "Innit/Innits/Innitself."

According to the Times, the small number of people who employ "neopronouns" in the online "edge behavior," are hyperaware of any critics of their alternative grammar.

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"A popular Twitch streamer who goes by AndiVMG recently apologized after jokingly tweeting that her pronouns were "bad/af," which led many neopronoun users to accuse her of transphobic invalidation of their identities," Marcus wrote.

A site explaining neopronouns pushes back against people declaring the concept "made up," saying: "Literally every word is made up! Neopronouns are real because they carry meaning and are understood by others."

The article goes on to quote practitioners explaining their reasoning for choosing a neopronoun, including a 15-year-old who feels their affinity for vampires is part of their gender.

Noting one critic who said pronouns were a form of identity, "not an aesthetic," Marcus asked, "what's the difference between an aesthetic and an identity anyway?"

"Nothing, if you're a reporter from the NY Times," author Jordan Peterson retorted.

"Is this all real?" author Christina Sommers wondered.

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At points, the article adopted a defensive tone on behalf of neopronoun users who expect people to be confused or poke fun at their lifestyle.

"The neopronoun community comprises mostly internet-native young people,"  the article concluded, "and is agile when it comes to facing down criticism and mockery."

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