I think the default is to assume man

I need to start keeping track of these. Although they often entertain me, there are times like now that they just annoy me.

On the phone today while ordering lunch to pickup (ignoring the health effects of eating at one's desk, blah blah blah), the woman on the other line asked, "What can I get for you, sir?" Yes, using the honoric is great, but using the wrong gender is annoying.

Last Friday, I introduced myself to Henry, a new (but returning after a year's hiatus, as required by the by-laws) board member of the UPA. After saying hello, and shaking my hand and hearing my name, he paused and looked up. "Oh," he continued, "I thought you were a guy."

I can almost understand Henry's bias to assuming I'm a guy (Joe Seidler did the same thing), they're my parents generation and assume tech people are male. But the phone thing, that keeps getting more and more annoying.

I commented to Doyle, "There's a woman's voice. Then there's a low woman's voice, all sexy and all. And then there's a high male voice that isn't attractive to anyone." (Apologies to any guy who fits that description, I'm sure you don't read this site, because I don't personally know any male with a high annoying, unattractive voice.)

Doyle responded, "I think the default is to assume man."

Yeah. That. Because only men can talk, right?