[67726e]

> If you see "he" everywhere, you assume being a man is the standard, and being a woman is somehow not applicable.

I don't quite follow. Are you saying that, by using "he" everywhere, I'm going to subconsciously exclude women?

> And it's not that hard to just use "they" instead

I cannot speak for anyone but myself but, being a native English speaker, using "they" to refer to a single person sounds wrong. I understand the tendency to use it given the lack of a gender-neutral singular pronoun but it doesn't change how grammatically incorrect it sounds to me.

[jaachan]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/they

  often used with an indefinite third person singular antecedent <everyone knew where they stood — E. L. Doctorow> <nobody has to go to school if they don't want to — N. Y. Times>

If it's good enough for the NY Times, it's good enough for you and me

[67726e]

> If it's good enough for the NY Times, it's good enough for you and me

Speak for yourself.

I've just gotten through with about 16 years of English courses, with professors who are most certainly not in agreement with your opinion. Hell, I remember having a German professor correct a student for using "they" incorrectly.

Just because a large newspaper uses it doesn't make it any more correct. Many people say "irregardless" and I am sure I could find the usage of it in a major publication, but it doesn't make the word any less illogical.

[moocowduckquack]

using "they" to refer to a single person sounds wrong

Yeah, well the person you are replying to, they may disagree.

[67726e]

The use of "they" to refer to one person is incorrect. Maybe things have changed since I was in school, though I'm 20 so I doubt it, but it was never correct to use "they" instead of "he" or "she". The reason it sounds wrong is because it is wrong.