Another rant... I'm a person, not a "thing"

Bob Crane You probably have.

James Dray One of the first things they teach in obedience training (which is really for the humans, not the dogs) is to call your dog by his or her name when you call them, when you praise them, and when you say "No." If you just say "Good dog" you could be talking to anyone.

Debbie Gartner They are indeed. 

Wayne Martin If you have been, you probably won't be again, because you'll notice it. 

Sheila Anderson Whenever I see something like "The seller that..." I have an urge to write to the writer and say "People aren't thats. People are whos." But I never do. Instead I write a rant on Active Rain. 

Belinda Spillman Yep. Even if they're just humans! 

But... now I have to wonder if that would include robots... people give them faces and name them, I've heard. 

Glad to be of service Chris Ann Cleland 

Claude Labbe And who else but Murphy would be fascinated by the vacuum cleaner - or my hair when it's wet and smelling like conditioner?  The way he behaves, you'd be sure there were treats hidden there! 

Barbara Todaro I was thinking about this last night. Nobody ever refers to a person as "something" unless they're saying something like "Boy, he's really something else." 

When we talk about people we say someone, not something. 

So why do so many refer to humans as "that" instead of "who?"

Nina Hollander Considering what they don't teach in school any more combined with some nasty habits such as inserting "like" into every sentence, just walking through a store overhearing conversations is enough to make many of us cringe. 

Donna Foerster OK - look closely. You'll see me wagging a finger at you! 

Nina Hollander Like, thanks! 

Robert (Vegas Bob) Swetz Me thinks that your grammar is better than you profess!

Wanda Kubat-Nerdin When you write that book, let me know. I'll buy a copy!