4.2: Weeding "You" Out- Activity

Open-ended question for readers:

• How did reading the first text make you feel?
• How did that first text make you approach the subject of disability mobility and access?
• What was evoked for you?
• What other effects did changing the pronouns to “you” and “your” have on you as a reader?
• Did you feel you could read it with some objectivity or did reading it make you feel charged in some way that took you out of the reading?
• How does that contrast with the second text?

As readers, we need some space between ourselves and the topic. Even though the second-person is perfectly fine in informal conversations (where we interact most with words), in the written word, it’s a bit wonkier. This is partially because we do not have nonverbal cues, we are generally familiar with the person we are speaking with, and we have some back and forth with our interlocutor. Those elements are largely missing in the written word, and more so in formal and academic settings. Those differences often leave us bewildered and even feeling targeted when the speech becomes second-person. The first text feels accusatory, in fact.

Think of the difference between the next two sentences: 

•    “You should stop doing drugs because they’re bad for you.” 
•    “It is harmful for the human body to abuse drugs.”

In the first, we would likely get defensive, and rightly so. It is accusatory. Whether or not the reader partakes in drug use, she/he/they is likely to tell the writer to bug off and mind their own business. The second sentence allows us as readers to evaluate or at least accept the sentence objectively.

We also want to have a consistent perspective. Is the author talking to me? Is the author talking at me? Am I the subject or a witness?

Another reason to omit the second person is that it is too vague and confusing. Is the subject a specific person, a group of people, or a generalized group of people? In any case, the subject of the sentence should be as specific as possible. In the example above, making the subject ‘drug users’ rather than the reader themselves is much more precise and accurate. However, it would be even better to address the issue of drug abuse itself rather than some vague group of people stigmatized by society.

In the earlier texts, putting the responsibility for the city's sidewalks, ramps, and train stations on City Hall rather than some "you" in the audience is also precise. Readers can then decide if and how they want to pressure their local government rather than feel finger-wagged at.

Tips:

A few ways to break the "you" habit include the following:

• Use more precise nouns instead
  • Consider who should be addressed. 
  • For instance, instead of “You should obey traffic laws,” consider “Drivers should…” or “Motorists should…” or “Police officers should…”
• Replace with alternating singular third-person pronouns (they, she, he).
• Use indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone, anything, one) instead. 
  • Rather than "When you walk your dog," "When one walks their dog..."
• Cut the "you" out altogether.
  • "Life sometimes feels like a roller coaster due to changes in your routines or your relationships," can easily be switched to, "Life sometimes feels like a roller coaster due to changes in routines or relationships."
• Reword the sentence.
  • This is the best option; it allows the writer to refocus the subject, often by changing the literal subject of the sentence. 
  • Rearrange parts of the sentence.
  • Instead of, “You can understand characters better by their actions,” try, “Characters are best understood through their actions,” or "Characters' actions define them."
  • "You wouldn't believe the troubles I had," becomes, "The troubles I had are unbelievable."
• Avoid giving commands (where "you" is the implied subject).