Gendered titles are pointless and divisive

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/03/gendered-titles-are-pointless-and-divisive

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On the day that Maria Miller MP refreshingly calls for no gender markers on official documents, Ian Sparling (Letters, 2 January) claims that “a straightforward Ms or Mr is adequate to describe people”. No, it isn’t. It is superfluous and perpetuates the labelling of people according to a patriarchal system of two unequal classes. Titles such as master, mistress, lord, lady, sir and madam were historically intended to maintain class distinctions. So I’m not holding my breath to see them swept away in the current political climate!Maz SimonStockport

• Re Stuart Heritage’s article on “co-sleeping” with his baby son (Man with a pram, Family, 2 January), if a person you sleep with hits you in the face repeatedly or on the head, I think it’s an indication that you should stop doing it and that maybe they think so too.Mary FletcherSt Ives, Cornwall

• Congratulations to your table-topping horse racing tipsters (Guardian top for tips, Sport, 2 January). Any chance they could be invited to strengthen the share recommendation team, who seem in need of a bit of help (And our tips for last year…, 1 January)?Hugh TaylorCambridge

• Re recent discussion (Letters, passim) on the future of statues of Cecil Rhodes etc, please could someone explain to me the difference between removing his statue from a building at Oriel College and the demolition of Palmyra by Isis?Richard CardenDenton, Norfolk

• We didn’t miss the 1715 Jacobite bus in Preston (Letters, 1 January). The last battle on English soil was commemorated with re-enactments, talks, a special beer, a conference, a church service and moving street theatre. It was London-based media that missed the fun.Aidan Turner-BishopPreston