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I generally don't like the way these discussions play out because there is plenty of vocabulary we've changed over time when it becomes less palatable to the co

by ljm 6y ago

I generally don't like the way these discussions play out because there is plenty of vocabulary we've changed over time when it becomes less palatable to the contemporary taste. It's easy to pull out all of the more innocent examples of the word while ignoring the perspective of those who don't appreciate it. There are definitely instances of taking it too far, and they tend to be the ones that get disproportionate attention because they generate easy outrage. But in all honesty, if what we're seeing happen right now is progress towards a fairer society, I'd rather not stand in the way of it just because I'm used to having 'master' as my main branch on git, and I'd prefer to have the people most directly affected make their voice heard on this kind of thing.

mc32 6y ago
So no “maître d'” no “maistro”, “meister” either... or is there a line somewhere? Am I not my dogs master? I mean, of course it should not be used to show relationships between people, but relationships between things or people and animals, I don’t see an issue.
- ljm 6y ago
  I don't think reductio ad absurdum is an appropriate reaction. Nobody is banning those words wholesale.
  - mc32 6y ago
    Of course no one can ban a word. Words exist independently of any authority... that said, it’s not an absurd proposition to think people will want to control those words for their own reasons. I don’t think my examples are a stretch given that it’s a stretch to tie conceptual data relationships to human relationships and see something untowards in it. Do we change the name for “Slavic” people too because it harkens back to their history where Slavs were the default slave people in Western Europe and the origin of the word’s English meaning? If anything, Slavs would have a point as it unfairly defaults them as being slaves etymologically.
    - ljm 6y ago
      I might well be wrong but this kind of authority over the use of language seems to be much more US-specific than I've seen elsewhere, which you could attribute to the overall dominance of US people in the places where these discussions tend to crop up (github, HN, Reddit, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.). I don't really know what to make of it except that these discussions about not using 'master', 'cop', etc. seem _heavily_ biased to the US perspective and current affairs in the US. I can understand it taking place due to the sheer cultural upheaval that has (quite frankly) been a long time coming, but my mild frustration about `US === the whole wide world` can take a step aside while we focus on the injustices fellow humans face.

by ljm 6y ago

mc32 6y ago

So no “maître d'” no “maistro”, “meister” either... or is there a line somewhere? Am I not my dogs master? I mean, of course it should not be used to show relationships between people, but relationships between things or people and animals, I don’t see an issue.

ljm 6y ago
I don't think reductio ad absurdum is an appropriate reaction. Nobody is banning those words wholesale.
- mc32 6y ago
  Of course no one can ban a word. Words exist independently of any authority... that said, it’s not an absurd proposition to think people will want to control those words for their own reasons. I don’t think my examples are a stretch given that it’s a stretch to tie conceptual data relationships to human relationships and see something untowards in it. Do we change the name for “Slavic” people too because it harkens back to their history where Slavs were the default slave people in Western Europe and the origin of the word’s English meaning? If anything, Slavs would have a point as it unfairly defaults them as being slaves etymologically.
  - ljm 6y ago
    I might well be wrong but this kind of authority over the use of language seems to be much more US-specific than I've seen elsewhere, which you could attribute to the overall dominance of US people in the places where these discussions tend to crop up (github, HN, Reddit, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.). I don't really know what to make of it except that these discussions about not using 'master', 'cop', etc. seem _heavily_ biased to the US perspective and current affairs in the US. I can understand it taking place due to the sheer cultural upheaval that has (quite frankly) been a long time coming, but my mild frustration about `US === the whole wide world` can take a step aside while we focus on the injustices fellow humans face.