Date:  Mon, 10 Nov 1997 09:53:49 -0600
From:  William J Stone <W-Stone[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NEIU.EDU>
Subject: Re: one as a pronoun?

I was surprised that no-one suggested:
    When you read J. D. Salinger, you are overcome by sadness.

Although it may be considered too non-standard for many here, it is
increasingly acceptable in Britain.

The use of "one" marks you as being emphatically middle class and above
(both in speech and writing) and is to be avoided if you don't want to
sound snotty. When I was at university in Britain, the very few who used
"one" as a pronoun were held up to ridicule. Maybe Jim Crotty's friends at
the University of Sussex were from a narrow and elevated social group.