Use "It" in example should be removed

[merlinstardust]

Subject of the feature

"It" should not be used in an example

Problem

In the below example, "it" is offered as a replacement for "he." "They" is sufficient. The problem with using "it" is that this equivocates "it" and "they." "It" is used for non-person entities and so by using the term here, this implies that people who use "they" aren't people. If you want to use a second example, use another pronoun like "xe"

[
  [1:18-1:20: `He` may be insensitive, use `They`, `It` instead] {
    message: '`He` may be insensitive, use `They`, `It` instead',
    name: '1:18-1:20',
    reason: '`He` may be insensitive, use `They`, `It` instead',
    line: 1,
    column: 18,
    location: { start: [Object], end: [Object] },
    source: 'retext-equality',
    ruleId: 'he-she',
    fatal: false,
    actual: 'He',
    expected: [ 'They', 'It' ]
  }
]

Expected behaviour

Either only list "they" or use a different pronoun in place of "it"

[wooorm]

Hi there, thanks for the issue!

The list of suggestions is not meant to be a list of equivalents although I understand that it is easily seen that way and that that hurts. Instead it’s meant as a list of alternatives depending on context.

When you say "It" is used for non-person entities, would you also say that "He" is sometimes used for non-person entities as well? I was under the impression that was the case, and therefore that an alternative for he, depending on context, should also include the grammatical neuter gender?

[merlinstardust]

Ah I see. That's a fair point. We do use person pronouns in place non-person entities and in that case "it" would be better. That's also not something that is easily determined programmatically so I can see why both would be suggested.

In that case, could a note be added to the docs that states it's not meant to be an equivalent but that people will need to determine which word is appropriate?

[wooorm]

Good to hear Merlin! If you’re interested, I recently wrote more about why alex exists, what its problems are, and where I see it going: https://wooorm.com/blog/alex/

In that case, could a note be added to the docs that states it's not meant to be an equivalent but that people will need to determine which word is appropriate?

Yes! I want to make it much clearer that there are significant shortcomings! While I do understand that I am responsible for the current state, it is open source, so it will unfortunately take some time.
The best source for a fix though, might be you! So if you have ideas on what wording to use and where they should be placed, I would love to hear your thoughts. And if you’re interested in working on a PR, that would be much appreciated!