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At the bottom they note, under the heading "Importance of Equality (in Technology)", the ‘Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO’ HN comment thread. This is a h

At the bottom they note, under the heading "Importance of Equality (in Technology)", the ‘Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO’ HN comment thread. This is a hotly debated topic. Really dunno about mentioning that one. It's not a joke, because Vice covered it, unironically. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/meet-alex-the-javascript-tool-to-make-your-code-less-offensive http://motherboard.vice.com/read/meet-alex-the-javascript-to... I really don't get it. Really, really, really don't get it. I would be grateful if someone could explain this to me.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
It's a tool that points out where you might have used inconsiderate terms. That's it. Why would you want it? Well, it's easy to slip up and use language that's discriminatory or might cause discomfort. This helps you catch what you might otherwise miss.
- striking 11y ago
  "Their" instead of "His" is a horrible fix, and causes me discomfort as a speaker of the English language. More seriously, statements like those should be massaged into the passive tense as to avoid pronouns (because in technical texts, you don't need them). It warns about stuff like "cattlemen" in lieu of "cattle rancher", some really preposterous stuff. Also, as a native Polak, I had no idea the word "polack" was offensive. In Polish, it is the most used way to refer to yourself as a Polish person. I am so confused right now. A lot of the file [1] is either obvious ("gringo" being an obvious-yet-still-HN-publishable term) or ridiculous (above). It doesn't really help anyone as far I can tell. [1]: https://github.com/wooorm/retext-equality/blob/master/lib/patterns.json https://github.com/wooorm/retext-equality/blob/master/lib/pa...
  - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
    > "Their" instead of "His" is a horrible fix, and causes me discomfort as a speaker of the English language. Some people dislike the singular they, yes. This is strange, because it's a feature any English speaker will intuitively understand (it's been in English for centuries). I assume this is due to people being told it's not proper in school, or something. > More seriously, statements like those should be massaged into the passive tense as to avoid pronouns That's sometimes an alternative, yes. > It warns about stuff like "cattlemen" in lieu of "cattle rancher", some really preposterous stuff. Why is it preposterous? Not all ranchers are male. > Also, as a native Polak, I had no idea the word "polack" was offensive. In Polish, it is the most used way to refer to yourself as a Polish person. I am so confused right now. Words sometimes have different connotations in different languages, and it might depend on who's using it. A Polish person in the US might mind 'polack' less from a Pole than from someone else, perhaps? > A lot of the file is [...] obvious To you, yes. It isn't to everyone. Not everyone has the same cultural background, upbringing, education, exposure to different people, etc.
    - striking 11y ago
      I've never heard "cattlemen" used. Ever. I don't mind hearing "polack" from anyone. And those people can learn by hearing that they're wrong. As a sixth grader, I used the word "colored" in reference to African-Americans, in a historical sense, on an essay. And I learned from that.
      - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
        > I've never heard "cattlemen" used. Ever. I haven't either, but it's probably limited to certain contexts. I'm not sure how that's relevant. > I don't mind hearing "polack" from anyone. Maybe you don't, but it might be a problem for other people. > And those people can learn by hearing that they're wrong. They could also use this tool. The difference is this tool would tell you before you potentially upset someone.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago

It's a tool that points out where you might have used inconsiderate terms. That's it. Why would you want it? Well, it's easy to slip up and use language that's discriminatory or might cause discomfort. This helps you catch what you might otherwise miss.

striking 11y ago
"Their" instead of "His" is a horrible fix, and causes me discomfort as a speaker of the English language. More seriously, statements like those should be massaged into the passive tense as to avoid pronouns (because in technical texts, you don't need them). It warns about stuff like "cattlemen" in lieu of "cattle rancher", some really preposterous stuff. Also, as a native Polak, I had no idea the word "polack" was offensive. In Polish, it is the most used way to refer to yourself as a Polish person. I am so confused right now. A lot of the file [1] is either obvious ("gringo" being an obvious-yet-still-HN-publishable term) or ridiculous (above). It doesn't really help anyone as far I can tell. [1]: https://github.com/wooorm/retext-equality/blob/master/lib/patterns.json https://github.com/wooorm/retext-equality/blob/master/lib/pa...
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  > "Their" instead of "His" is a horrible fix, and causes me discomfort as a speaker of the English language. Some people dislike the singular they, yes. This is strange, because it's a feature any English speaker will intuitively understand (it's been in English for centuries). I assume this is due to people being told it's not proper in school, or something. > More seriously, statements like those should be massaged into the passive tense as to avoid pronouns That's sometimes an alternative, yes. > It warns about stuff like "cattlemen" in lieu of "cattle rancher", some really preposterous stuff. Why is it preposterous? Not all ranchers are male. > Also, as a native Polak, I had no idea the word "polack" was offensive. In Polish, it is the most used way to refer to yourself as a Polish person. I am so confused right now. Words sometimes have different connotations in different languages, and it might depend on who's using it. A Polish person in the US might mind 'polack' less from a Pole than from someone else, perhaps? > A lot of the file is [...] obvious To you, yes. It isn't to everyone. Not everyone has the same cultural background, upbringing, education, exposure to different people, etc.
  - striking 11y ago
    I've never heard "cattlemen" used. Ever. I don't mind hearing "polack" from anyone. And those people can learn by hearing that they're wrong. As a sixth grader, I used the word "colored" in reference to African-Americans, in a historical sense, on an essay. And I learned from that.
    - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
      > I've never heard "cattlemen" used. Ever. I haven't either, but it's probably limited to certain contexts. I'm not sure how that's relevant. > I don't mind hearing "polack" from anyone. Maybe you don't, but it might be a problem for other people. > And those people can learn by hearing that they're wrong. They could also use this tool. The difference is this tool would tell you before you potentially upset someone.