A weekly newspaper has ceased the compulsory prefixing of letters to the editor with the term “Sir” after a complaint from a reader.
Henley Standard editor Simon Bradshaw, left, revealed last week he was planning to drop the use of “Sir” entirely after receiving a letter from reader Liz Hatch which criticised the “ridiculous and offensive tradition”.
Ms Hatch further described the practice as “outdated and archaic”, and called on the Standard to join the ranks of other newspapers which have “eradicated this sexist attitude”.
In his response to her letter, Simon said he had not “appreciated that it was causing offence”, but confirmed the term would be dropped on the Standard’s letters page from this week.
However, after receiving a number of letters in favour of the retention of “Sir”, which have been published in today’s edition, he has instead said he would “leave it up to correspondents” to decide how to address him.
Ms Hatch’s letter in full reads: “Sir, — Why do you continue with the outdated and archaic tradition of prefacing all letters to the editor with ‘Sir’.
“While I am by no means a feminist, I can’t believe it is necessary to maintain such a practice when other papers have eradicated this sexist attitude.
“I very much doubt whether readers of the Henley Standard are even aware of the gender of the editor and why is it even relevant anyway?
“Please bring your paper into the modern era and join the ranks of other papers which have removed such a ridiculous and offensive tradition.”
In response, Simon thanked the correspondent for bringing the issue to his attention.
He wrote: “I had not appreciated that it was causing offence. We have merely stuck with convention, as have the Telegraph and Private Eye, among others.
“Letter writing is such a traditional practice that our use of ‘Dear Sir’ has always seemed appropriate, especially as I am male!
“Plus this is a local paper so many of our readers are known to us and many regular contributors know who they are addressing.
“However, in the interests of causing as little offence as possible, from next week we will drop ‘Sir’ and I would ask others readers to please note this.”
In this week’s Standard, 10 letters were published in response to Ms Hatch’s – all either in favour of retaining “Sir” or leaving it up to individual correspondents to decide.
In reply, Simon wrote: “Thank you, all, for your intelligent and witty contributions. At the risk of reoffending Liz Hatch, I have now decided to heed the advice and leave it up to correspondents to decide whether to address me as ‘Sir’ or not and will publish their letters accordingly.
“I will also be happy to allow the debate to continue.”
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had to happen! are their no greater evils in the world to confront?
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sorry meant THERE!
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Sir: One letter about something which amounts to a pile of piffle and the editor of a newspaper jumps to attention. My head hurts. Does the opinion over something so basically trivial as this from a person who clearly does not have enough to do with her (sorry, assuming gender) life really matter this much?
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It is telling that all the scathing comments here regarding this issue are men. Echo, yes, it does matter. The struggle is real. Until we get to grips with the basics, equality for all, there will always be disaffected people who cause the bigger issues you mention.
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And further Echo, if you read the article properly you will see that the reader is called Liz so I think assuming gender is ok. I don’t know any blokes called Liz, do you?
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“I’m not a feminist by any means…” Do I get fed up of this preamble or what. Why not? Why aren’t you a feminist? What’s wrong with feminism? If you don’t support or respect feminism, Ms Hatch, why does being expected to refer to someone as “Sir” affect you so much? We feminists have been working hard over the decades to change the things that you claim to find so offensive. Join us. PS Some of us wear make-up and like men. It’s OK.
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So can I now ask people to stop starting letters to me with Dear . . ?
Not only is this patronising, overtly affectionate when I often don’t even know the sender, presumptive that I would be put at ease for what would follow, and assumes an amiability that may not be reciprocated.
Yours sincerely . . .
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Citizen, I think you are at liberty to ask…
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I’d be interested to know how one should address a letter that they know is going to a Male or female. I’m very much for equality among everyone but I’m also very much struggling to understand the problem with addressing a comment to a male with the starting line of Dear Sir.
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Lydia – I did read the article properly, so from your response I take it you don’t do irony. I don’t know any females called ‘Simon’ either – Simone, maybe – so for someone to object to a male variant of the species being addressed as ‘sir’ (a mark of respect, or derogatory to females?) is maybe taking the feminism thing too far. And no, I don’t believe in feminism. I believe in equality of treatment and respect for everyone, male or female, and regard the trivialisation of attaining that, such as kicking off about how you address someone in a letter, intensely annoying.
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Dear Simon/e,
Happy everyone ?
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Dear Editor,
that’ll do nicely.
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Come on, paperboy, it won’t do at all. The word ‘editor’ has got masculine overtones which are clearly not acceptable. That was irony, in case anyone isn’t getting it.
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Back in the last millennium, when I was at school. we were supplied with a marvellous book called “First Aid in English”. It gave the male and female alternatives for a variety of jobs and professions and listed a woman (can you still call them that?) as an editrix. But I suppose that’s also a no-no in an era where actresses have to be referred to in gender neutral terms.
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Echo, the only issue I have with your responses is your flippant disregard for the ongoing struggle of women to be heard and taken seriously. A zillion ‘basically trivial’ things need to be addressed before we are even halfway there. And your dismissal of each and every one of them as a ‘pile of piffle’ just goes to show the misogynistic attitudes which run through every traditional industry where women are still expected to be secretaries and tea ladies. Please be put in your place and bring your attitude up-to-date. Perhaps we should turn the tables and have a situation where every male editor is addressed as madam? Would it seem trivial then?
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Having worked on a number of newspapers I have to say this has never seemed to be a problem. When the editor was male the letters began with “Sir” and when female with “Madam”. Commonsense prevailed and no one was offended.
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Lydia – you are obviously very committed to your beliefs, which I respect and admire. However, what you regard as trivial and what I regard as trivial are obviously at different ends of the spectrum. My ‘flippant disregard for the ongoing struggle of women to be heard and taken seriously’ is an assumption on your part and an erroneous one. I do find it difficult, unfortunately, to take seriously someone who is offended over a male editor being addressed as ‘sir’. My point is why should a male editor not be termed as ‘sir’?, in the same way a female editor can be called ‘madam’? It is a mark of respect, not derogatory to anyone. Equal pay? Fine. More women in Parliament/board rooms? Fantastic. All worth fighting for. Someone moaning because a ‘MALE’ editor is addressed as ‘sir’ in the letters pagers of a local newspaper? Putting down women. Really?
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Lydia “I don’t know any blokes called Liz”.
In the words of Chuck Berry: “You never can tell.” Nowadays!
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Echo, I think Liz is making the point that it is an outdated tradition to assume a male editor and many of those writing probably don’t know the editor is male and are therefore conforming to this outdated tradition. I also agree that her letter would be better addressed to a paper that has a female editor but this is only one small thing in a world of crap for women. To turn the tables somewhat, it is assumed by many that domestic violence is always directed at women and perpetrated by a male. There are many shelters for women in this circumstance and very few for men. We need to be more open-minded and challenge gender stereotypes.
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