When to use "Mr."

In many texts, outstanding women are referred to as "Mr.". This is not the case. If we use the method of breaking down words, "Mr." refers to someone who was born before me, whose talent and virtue are higher than mine, so it is used as a respectful title, which is a strengthened version of "teacher". However, in today's world where "Mr." is increasingly exclusive to men, any ordinary man can be called Mr., which is not a kind of abuse. The word "Mr." itself does not have a meaning.

The problem is that the way to normalize it is to increase the frequency of using "Mr.". Mr. and Ms. are used to refer to all men and women, while Mr. can be a respectful title for teachers and a compliment to outstanding people, rather than something that can be owned by one gender. Ordinary men have no right to be called Mr., just as ordinary women have no right to be called Mr.

(Yang Jiang is an outstanding writer and translator in my country. Although she once said that she did not want to be called "Mr." during her lifetime, she can still be seen in Chinese composition writings today, and the frequency is very high, running through the text, which makes me feel something.)

-2023.6.18

male/female/male/female