A student asked,
'What gender is 'computer'?'
Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female,
and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun.
Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.
The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender
('la computadora'), because:
1. No one but their creator understands
their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate
with other computers is incomprehensible
to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long
term memory for possible later retrieval;
and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one,
you find yourself spending half your paycheck
on accessories for it.
(THIS GETS BETTER!)
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine
('el computador'), because:
1. In order to do anything with them,
you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't
think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve
problems, but half the time they ARE the
problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize
that if you had waited a little longer,
you could have gotten a better model.