MovieChat Forums > Speak (2004) Discussion > Suffragist, not suffragette

Suffragist, not suffragette


I was surprised to hear the word "suffragette" used repeated to refer to people who supported the right of women to vote.

"Suffragette" was a patronizing word used to brand radical female activists, while "suffragist" is the more general term to describe men and women of all political stripes in the movement. It's a fine distinction, but surely a teacher would use the correct term and encourage students to do the same. Does the book make the same mistake?

I suspect that David Bowie's "Suffragette City" has forever clouded the distinction. Oh well, Bowie rocks!

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Was your awareness of linguistic and contextual nuances this fine-tuned when you were 14? I doubt it, so why expect it of the 14-year-old in this story?

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I don't expect it of the 14-year-old, but I do expect it of the teacher, who repeatedly used "suffragette."

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Really? You expect that level of sensitivity from a teacher who launched into an anti-immigrant tirade on the first day of class and who was obviously painted as a one-dimensional right-wing loon?

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Actually, I guess not. He was probably lamenting the good old days when there were only 18 Amendments. I stand corrected.

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