Zie and Zir
by Edward Martin III

"Zie" and it's 'possessive' form "zir" are used as pronouns (think "it" and "its" without the ugly connotations) when some combination of the following occur:

1. the speaker/writer doesn't want to or cannot identify the gender of the subject.
2. the speaker/writer doesn't want to or cannot use the given name of the subject.
3. the speaker/writer doesn't have the nominal vocabulary necessary to create a usage that isn't gender-dependent.
4. the speaker/writer wants to, through usage, impress listeners/readers with an obsequious display of lack of gender bias.

I nearly added something to the effect that the speaker/writer wants to overcome the patriarchal-based gender roles under which people have been suppressed for thousands of years, yadda-yadda-yadda, but that really still falls under point 3 because they don't know how to do so gracefully, and point 4 because they don't understand the root causes, thinking that spray-painting their language with clumsiness will excuse them.

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