Have you ever found yourself writing about a business and run into the question of how to talk about it? (or them?)
Maybe not. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s because of of my British-leaning Canadian tendencies; my dual-citizenship and identity.
If so, apologies for belabouring the point.
But I feel like there’s something here to talk about.
First of all, this is not a cut-and-dried issue. (Unless you need it to be, in which case there are a lot of sources that say that, definitively, a business is always an “it.”)
Secondly, I’m of the belief that English is a living language. (And, I mean, it indisputably is, having recently added janky, sus, and adorkable.)
Generally speaking, US-English seems to be fully in the “it” camp, whereas UK-English makes room for both “it” and “they.”
But I feel strongly about another aspect, which I haven’t seen discussed: accountability.
I feel like it’s a lot easier to normalize reckless and exploitative social, cultural, and environmental practices when a business is an “it.”
As though the business, and their decisions, aren’t, ultimately, the actions and stated intent of a group of people (or one person). Of a “they.”
Sort of like when kids say “it broke,” rather than “We knocked it over.”
And of course the opposite is also true. “They” can take credit for wins and positive initiatives. (And they should!)
So that’s it, really. Let’s humanize our businesses so they’ll be more accountable—grammar be damned!
Your grammactivist,
James
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