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> What's powerful about this name change is that it pushes us to alter a habit, in my case one embedded deeply in my fingers, something that I do every day with

by drngxn 6y ago

> What's powerful about this name change is that it pushes us to alter a habit, in my case one embedded deeply in my fingers, something that I do every day without realizing that I'm doing it This is the entire point, this sentence right here.

nicky0 6y ago
Because every time I have to stop to write main instead of master, I become less racist?
wtetzner 6y ago
But why is it important to change that habit, if it has no beneficial impact?
- josteink 6y ago
  To the avid anti-racist, the racism being there is a dogmatic fact. You cannot argue using reason that there is no racism to fight, because he has decided that there is, there must be. So to the anti-racist whatever action they do is perceived meaningful, even when completely absurd. It’s clearly a new kind of piety, a new kind if religion.
aksss 6y ago
The sentence right there is what a lot of people find inane and absurd, though, too. It’s often less a case of people not “getting” what the nominal intention is; it’s that people do get the nominal intention and think it’s an idiotic waste of time that’s being done to satisfy a pretty ignorant and narrow-minded view of language and history. It also has no limiting principle to what gets targeted except the energy of ninnies. It’s worth considering now where your line of tolerance is going to be - the point where you think, “okay, this has become too ridiculous, even for me”. Is it when I suggest removing “chain” from blockchain because it evokes slavery? Point being that many people see this issue with GitHub as having crossed the line of absurdity already.
- medium_burrito 6y ago
  Folks, we have the unsung hero of the thread right here. Remove the chain from blockchain!
Dylan16807 6y ago
But you could do that by changing any word. Renaming 'rebase' would be equally effective. So if that's the point, then it shows that we shouldn't be doing this.

by drngxn 6y ago

nicky0 6y ago

Because every time I have to stop to write main instead of master, I become less racist?

wtetzner 6y ago

But why is it important to change that habit, if it has no beneficial impact?

josteink 6y ago
To the avid anti-racist, the racism being there is a dogmatic fact. You cannot argue using reason that there is no racism to fight, because he has decided that there is, there must be. So to the anti-racist whatever action they do is perceived meaningful, even when completely absurd. It’s clearly a new kind of piety, a new kind if religion.

aksss 6y ago

The sentence right there is what a lot of people find inane and absurd, though, too. It’s often less a case of people not “getting” what the nominal intention is; it’s that people do get the nominal intention and think it’s an idiotic waste of time that’s being done to satisfy a pretty ignorant and narrow-minded view of language and history. It also has no limiting principle to what gets targeted except the energy of ninnies. It’s worth considering now where your line of tolerance is going to be - the point where you think, “okay, this has become too ridiculous, even for me”. Is it when I suggest removing “chain” from blockchain because it evokes slavery? Point being that many people see this issue with GitHub as having crossed the line of absurdity already.

medium_burrito 6y ago
Folks, we have the unsung hero of the thread right here. Remove the chain from blockchain!

Dylan16807 6y ago

But you could do that by changing any word. Renaming 'rebase' would be equally effective. So if that's the point, then it shows that we shouldn't be doing this.