Strange Brouhaha

Sunday, September 25, 2005

The other day, I was reading a book on writing. There was a section in this book with suggestions on how to use inclusive language--you know, "humankind" instead of "mankind", that sort of thing. One of its suggestions kind of shocked me.

"For 'cameraman,'" it said, "use 'cinematographer.'"

Uhhhhh...no. A cinematographer, according to the linked article, is "chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and techical decisions related to the image." That's a little bit more than a cameraman--although that same article, I will grant, does claim that the term is interchangable with both Director of Photography and (ahem!) camera operator.

That's kind of like saying that instead of "accountant" you should use "CFO," don't you think?

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