Saying mankind is sexist shows a complete ignorance of the etymological root of the word. 'Man' as it is used in mankind stems from old english, where 'man' simply meant human. In fact, to differentiate between male and female 'man', the prefixes 'wer-' and 'wyf-' were used, werman and wyfman.
You've probably noticed something familiar in those words. Yes, the 'wer-' is the reason we say 'werewolf', meaning 'manwolf'. And 'wyf-' gave rise to the word wife.
Another peculiarity I've noticed as a norwegian is that 'werman' sounds and looks a lot like the norwegian word 'hvermann', meaning 'everyman', as in the normal everyman you can find anywhere.
Saying mankind is sexist shows a complete ignorance of the etymological root of the word. 'Man' as it is used in mankind stems from old english, where 'man' simply meant human. In fact, to differentiate between male and female 'man', the prefixes 'wer-' and 'wyf-' were used, werman and wyfman.
You've probably noticed something familiar in those words. Yes, the 'wer-' is the reason we say 'werewolf', meaning 'manwolf'. And 'wyf-' gave rise to the word wife.
Another peculiarity I've noticed as a norwegian is that 'werman' sounds and looks a lot like the norwegian word 'hvermann', meaning 'everyman', as in the normal everyman you can find anywhere.
Ignorance is a liberal's middle name.
Interesting points, thanks for sharing. I was aware of the root of the word, but not the additional points - cool!