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Date:         Mon, 6 Jun 2005 14:28:27 -0700
Reply-To:     John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Lighthearted Vanagon content - Boy or Girl?
In-Reply-To:  <005801c56ace$506f0ef0$9664a8c0@CenTrina>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I've often wondered about the gender of my Vanagon. My vehicle still goes by the name I gave it in jest shortly after purchase-- "Der Geldsauger" (The Money-Sucker)-- and the masculine article "Der" certainly indicates it's a "he". Then again, I'm not sure this is my Vanagon's actual name yet-- we'll see how it goes after I get it running again and I can actually put some real miles on it.

I've always found anthropomorphization of mechanical devices difficult, particularly with regard to gender. The tradition of assigning female names to conveyances has always seemed weird to me. It seems to me as if the namers see them as mysterious or inscrutable, when to me mechanical devices are exactly the opposite: they require only technical knowledge and diligent maintenance. If only people were as easy to deal with as machines!

> Anyone else out there refer to their V'gon as a boy? I know the tradition is > to call all things mechanical (cars, boats, etc) "she," but to me, my van is > a "he" - nothing feminine about him. >


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