5 ms·

What's the problem with using a word like fat in a way that has no negative connotation (as in fat client)?

by kabes 5y ago

alpaca128 5y ago
Same as "sanity check". It seems people with severe anxiety or similar issues prefer to change their surrounding environment to not be reminded of their possible perceived shortcomings instead of getting professional help. It's sad that this happens in the first place, but also in the same breath as change proposals in the name of fighting racism and other discrimination. I don't want to sound insensitive, but people who struggle with encountering terms like "fat" or "sanity" in their everyday life could achieve a significantly better quality of life by improving themselves. I know that from first-hand experience and from professionals who actually have patients with fear of flying and all kinds of other ailments, and I think being so accomodating actually hurts the affected people more in the long term than it helps.
- objectivetruth 5y ago
  If making an innocuous and minor change to your vocabulary to help a colleague bothers you so much, maybe it's you that needs the professional help. (Your implied "solution" of "all people with severe anxiety should just get professional help to solve it" incorrectly presumes that professional help always solves that problem AND greatly over-estimates the number of people that have access to said professional help.) That's just me, though. I'm already an oddity on HN because I don't care if an employer fires people for saying racist things nor do I care if a social media company chooses to end its professional relationship with a user that posts anti-vax nonsense.
- tsss 5y ago
  I think those people just want to impose their will on others and engage in attention seeking by constantly being offended about anything and everything. People with anxiety usually want to do the opposite: Stay in the background and not attract any attention to themselves.
  - alpaca128 5y ago
    True, that's definitely a big reason. There are enough public examples where people were outraged in the name of other groups that they didn't even ask or talk with about the issue beforehand.

What's the problem with using a word like fat in a way that has no negative connotation (as in fat client)?

by kabes 5y ago

What's the problem with using a word like fat in a way that has no negative connotation (as in fat client)?

Same as "sanity check". It seems people with severe anxiety or similar issues prefer to change their surrounding environment to not be reminded of their possible perceived shortcomings instead of getting professional help. It's sad that this happens in the first place, but also in the same breath as change proposals in the name of fighting racism and other discrimination. I don't want to sound insensitive, but people who struggle with encountering terms like "fat" or "sanity" in their everyday life could achieve a significantly better quality of life by improving themselves. I know that from first-hand experience and from professionals who actually have patients with fear of flying and all kinds of other ailments, and I think being so accomodating actually hurts the affected people more in the long term than it helps.

objectivetruth 5y ago
If making an innocuous and minor change to your vocabulary to help a colleague bothers you so much, maybe it's you that needs the professional help. (Your implied "solution" of "all people with severe anxiety should just get professional help to solve it" incorrectly presumes that professional help always solves that problem AND greatly over-estimates the number of people that have access to said professional help.) That's just me, though. I'm already an oddity on HN because I don't care if an employer fires people for saying racist things nor do I care if a social media company chooses to end its professional relationship with a user that posts anti-vax nonsense.
tsss 5y ago
I think those people just want to impose their will on others and engage in attention seeking by constantly being offended about anything and everything. People with anxiety usually want to do the opposite: Stay in the background and not attract any attention to themselves.
- alpaca128 5y ago
  True, that's definitely a big reason. There are enough public examples where people were outraged in the name of other groups that they didn't even ask or talk with about the issue beforehand.