Okay, the majority of the people who took the poll -- though not all of them -- would guess that someone named "Jackie" is a woman. That's what I'd pick. I've known a lot of females named Jacqueline who went by "Jackie," but no males named Jack who did. I mean, Jackie Robinson and Jackie Wilson, but none I've actually met.

To make a long story as short as possible, I was out on Friday with a mixed-gender (and mixed race, and mixed generation) crowd. Someone was told that "Ryan, Craig, Jackie, and Rick" were celebrating their science PhDs, and she assumed they were all men. Dr. Jackie is in fact, Dr. Jacqueline. Since I see "Jackie" as a female name, I got more than a little pissed off that such an assumption is still being made in the year 2009 -- by a woman, no less. I think at minimum she should have asked whether they were all guys before assuming. Hell, she asked if any of them were single, so she clearly wasn't above asking for more info.

I may have overreacted, but I think the aphorism about "an ASS out of U and ME" still applies.