all engineers are brothers (found attached to a steamship's engine):
1. 'The Squeak' apparently is originating from the Low Pressure (LP) valve. This is a large "D" slide valve with a lot of metal to metal contact.
2. We have inspected the valve, seat and LP cylinder and piston numerous times. We can find no evidence of rubbing, galling, burnishing, or any other sign of metal to metal contact.
3. 'The Squeak' is dependent on engine speed and temperature; as the engine heats up 'The Squeak' increases. Inexplicably, as the speed increases the sound decreases.
4. Suggestions about using WD-40 or needing sewing machine oil are not helpful.
5. If you wish to discuss 'The Squeak' with the Chief Engineer please donate $1 to The Squeak Abatement Fund to aid in construction of a new LP valve. If too many passengers speak with the Chief regarding 'The Squeak', the donation may be diverted to the Chief's beer fund.
Maidism began as a project here out of frustration with how much of the English language derives from masculine language. What started as frenzied hacking each head of this hydra upon discovery has cohered into a linguistic style that others have taken inspiration from and contributed to. This post collects those scattered principles into a single accessible location, to be updated over time, useful for whether you want to maidicize your everyday speech, reference it for creative fiction, or just think it's neat.
Maidism has one modest goal: the total feminization of the English language. Rip out masculinity root and stem, refuse to settle for "gender-neutral" language. Above all, have fun and be yourself, that's why I do this, and always question knowledge you've taken for granted, both in and outside the realm of etymology.
Why Maidist?
My first inklings of Maidism were born from my annoyance at the term Rifleman in military simulation spaces and a desire for a feminine replacement besides the standard, clunky "Riflewoman." I eventually settled on Riflemaid, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it skews as close to man/mate as one can get while still being visually and audibly distinct, allowing it to easily replace them in existing phrases and compound words.
Secondly, "female" derives from Latin "femelle" (to suckle) but was later altered to match "male" so, doesn’t really serve our purposes here. "Woman" likewise comes from when "man" was neutral and synonymous with "hand" around 8 centuries ago, where we had the feminine "wifman" (wifehand) and masculine "werman" (manhand), but with "man" now masculine, woman doesn’t quite work either. That's where we get werewolf btw.
Thirdly, we already use maid in this way, just uncommonly, with mermaid, barmaid, handmaid, shieldmaid, bridesmaid, and so on. I like it, maid feels good on the tongue, and I work in housekeeping, I think maid deserves to be a term of honor, as femininity deserves as a whole, rather than its historical and contemporary denegrated position.
Why English?
It's my primary language. I've heard from those involved in great feminist discourse happening in other languages across the globe, and while I do some due diligence in basic feminizing of loan words I use in writing (o -> a in Spanish agent nouns, +in for Deutsch), I'm probably not who you should consult for deeper detail on that.
Why Idialect?
In linguistics, an idiolect describes the distinct dialect of an individual, and Maidism is more or less the product of a one maid army, though maybe it won't stay that way! However, the Greek idio- is masculine, its feminine equivalent is idia-. Thus, idialect.
The Fundamentals
So, down to the actual brass tacks. We can largely divide masculine language into two categories:
intrinsically masculine language, which contains a root or suffix synonymous with "man"
extrinsically masculine language, which lacks any masculine signifiess, but grew to be treated as masculine over time
There's gray areas, but let's go over some clear examples.
These feminize as mailmaid, actress, bakster, lieutenante, aquaria, and matriot, respectively. You can also mix up feminine suffixes, -trice/-trix/-tress are synonymous, same with -ster/-stress/ess, and others. Use what feels right to you in the moment! If you don't know the origin of an agent suffix, check it on wiktionary, there's a good chance its masculine.
Generally, avoid -er, -(t)or, -(ar)ius, -eur, -ant, -o. Be particularly wary of words from Latin and French, they're slippery bastardes. At least French you can slap an -e on most suffixes and call it a day.
Traditionally feminize as priestess, lady, queen, shepherdess, bee, duck. Some of these terms (priest, lord, king) have no inherent masculinity to them, they were just roles historically exclusive to men. Shepherd is a clipping from sheepherder, I think it along with terms like priest or baron are fine, it can also be fun to use shepherdess, priestess, baroness, and the like. Femininity isn't something extraneous, it's something to assert proudly and to enjoy!
Drone, drake, and other terms for sexgendering animals are silly, all animals are girls. I also think its fine to keep using those terms as long as you're not thinking of the animal as "male" and still know she's, yknow, she. Use at your own peril.
This is far, far from comprehensive, and I'll likely add more as I learn more independently from others, I'm doing it all the time, it's something I enjoy and, if anymaid else gets something from this, awesome, yknow? Maybe this grows into more, maybe it stays a basic primess I can hand to randoms who download my wargame RIFLEMAID and go "why is this written like that" we'll see lol. And if it gets one person to stop saying "guys/dude/bro/man/buddy" all the time, that's a win in my book
watching my husband get diagnosed with and treated for sleep apnea over the last year was not the thing that radicalized me re: weight and healthcare but my goodness it has solidified my stances.
sleep apnea is more common in people who are fat.
society decided for some reason that this meant that being fat causes sleep apnea. its often difficult to get referrals for sleep apnea treatment if you are fat, because some PCPs will tell you try losing weight first.
turns out!! having untreated sleep apnea causes weight gain in a not-insignificant number of people. it also makes it fucking impossible for many people to lose weight.
my husband worked out the same amount before he got a cpap as he does now. there have been no major diet changes either. yet he has been losing weight -- and gaining muscle tone -- consistently since he started using a cpap in january.
also, his blood pressure -- which was high, which docs blamed on his weight/diet -- went down significantly within one month of starting cpap treatment, before his weight changed significantly.
ANYWAYS. this is getting long. two final thoughts.
- I Want To Strangle Medical Fatphobia With My Bare Fucking Hands
- if you are exhausted constantly for "no reason", and especially if you snore, you should probably ask your doctor about getting tested for sleep apnea. it is extremely common -- estimates are around 1 in 10 people -- and is also wildly under-diagnosed. like, some estimates suggest that 80% of people with moderate-severe sleep apnea are undiagnosed.
Insurance companies are also really shitty about covering CPAP machines and will try to make you lease them for hundreds a month before you own one, and they reserve the right to repossess it if you don't wear it enough! But there are cheaper ways to own one ⤵️
💬 0 🔁 12 ❤️ 45 · Let's talk sleep apnea and cpaps · (I am a US American so mileage may vary)
Hey friends! If you get diagnosed with sleep
Speaking any of the dialects of English that use 'cunt' as a casual term to refer to anyone makes all the misogyny kink posting hilarious. 'Cunts should listen to me!' puts me in mind less of an imposing patriarch-dom and more of a washed up Australian politician reflecting on his latest electoral failure.
discoholicmusic
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
theartofmadeline
snowghoul
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
blakekathryn
