4 ms·

> But without more than the one "landlord" example, it is hard to really get a feel for what this may be doing. That is a strange example though... I have never

by azth 4y ago

> But without more than the one "landlord" example, it is hard to really get a feel for what this may be doing. That is a strange example though... I have never seen anyone complain about the word "landlord". The slippery slope is real. I'm sure they'll come after words like master, slave, "pregnant women", etc.

krono 4y ago
Maybe they'll end up with a similar approach to border disputes on Google Maps, where they show everyone what they want to see. Imagine how confusing it'd be if all your references to the "master branch" are replaced with references to a "main branch" for anyone else who reads your technical document.
ironSkillet 4y ago
Is this sarcasm? Because they already have: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/technology/racist-computer-engineering-terms-ietf.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/technology/racist-compute...
- azth 4y ago
  I meant in google docs, right now they don't "warn" you about them. I prefer that google does not dictate how I choose to express ideas.
  - djur 4y ago
    Doesn't look like they're planning to dictate that, any more than spellchecker dictates how you're allowed to spell things.
    - azth 4y ago
      They will by setting a trend and pushing people to think in a certain way.
    - xdennis 4y ago
      Yes, but the implication is that if you don't use the suggestions you are evil. If you type "teh" and refuse to correct it to "the", people will just say you're wrong. But progressives have started to frame everything as being either good or evil. (This used to be the domain of the religious right.) So if you stick to "landlord", you don't have a classic opinion on spelling, instead you're denying "landnonbinary's" right to exist. Something like this happened 8 years ago when a maintainer refused a merge request to replace "he" with "them" in libuv because he thought it was a valueless change. He was destroyed because of it. https://github.com/joyent/libuv/pull/1015 https://github.com/joyent/libuv/pull/1015
      - kaba0 4y ago
        I believe this side of the debate is way too exaggerated. I really dislike this language policing, but slippery slope is a logical fallacy for a reason.
        BitwiseFool 4y ago
        I think "slippery slope" concerns should not be dismissed so quickly when it comes to the behavior of highly motivated activists.
      - joshuamorton 4y ago
        > Yes, but the implication is that if you don't use the suggestions you are evil. Who is implying that? > He was destroyed because of it. He seems to be doing fine?
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
eli 4y ago
The slippery slope of optional purple squiggly underlines?
- marcusverus 4y ago
  For the 150 million kids who use Google Classroom[0] (which includes Google Docs), these optional little purple squiggly underlines would wield unquestionable authority, indelibly shaping word choice for millions of uncritical children, subconsciously guiding an entire generation away from words that might facilitate wrongthink. But thankfully the people wielding this power are unelected, unaccountable and far from Capitol Hill. Otherwise it'd be Orwellian authoritarianism, and that'd be awful! [0] https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/classroom-roadmap https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/classroom...
  - eli 4y ago
    Still sounds silly to me. The bogus anti-CRT panic is a much more real and direct threat to education. Or Texas’ longstanding ability to effectively veto the textbooks used by schools nationwide. The optional little squiggly underlines are fine.
    - teakettle42 4y ago
      > The optional little squiggly underlines are fine. I wonder if you'd still feel that way if someone you didn't agree with had control over the default squiggly underlines.
      - eli 4y ago
        If, say, Ron DeSantis was in charge of the system and was using it to discourage inclusionary language that would bum me out. But that hypothetical is still several orders of magnitude less serious than the current reality of banning the discussion of disfavored topics in classrooms under penalty of law.
        4y ago

by azth 4y ago

krono 4y ago

Maybe they'll end up with a similar approach to border disputes on Google Maps, where they show everyone what they want to see. Imagine how confusing it'd be if all your references to the "master branch" are replaced with references to a "main branch" for anyone else who reads your technical document.

ironSkillet 4y ago

Is this sarcasm? Because they already have: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/technology/racist-computer-engineering-terms-ietf.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/technology/racist-compute...

azth 4y ago
I meant in google docs, right now they don't "warn" you about them. I prefer that google does not dictate how I choose to express ideas.
- djur 4y ago
  Doesn't look like they're planning to dictate that, any more than spellchecker dictates how you're allowed to spell things.
  - azth 4y ago
    They will by setting a trend and pushing people to think in a certain way.
  - xdennis 4y ago
    Yes, but the implication is that if you don't use the suggestions you are evil. If you type "teh" and refuse to correct it to "the", people will just say you're wrong. But progressives have started to frame everything as being either good or evil. (This used to be the domain of the religious right.) So if you stick to "landlord", you don't have a classic opinion on spelling, instead you're denying "landnonbinary's" right to exist. Something like this happened 8 years ago when a maintainer refused a merge request to replace "he" with "them" in libuv because he thought it was a valueless change. He was destroyed because of it. https://github.com/joyent/libuv/pull/1015 https://github.com/joyent/libuv/pull/1015
    - kaba0 4y ago
      I believe this side of the debate is way too exaggerated. I really dislike this language policing, but slippery slope is a logical fallacy for a reason.
      - BitwiseFool 4y ago
        I think "slippery slope" concerns should not be dismissed so quickly when it comes to the behavior of highly motivated activists.
    - joshuamorton 4y ago
      > Yes, but the implication is that if you don't use the suggestions you are evil. Who is implying that? > He was destroyed because of it. He seems to be doing fine?
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]

eli 4y ago

The slippery slope of optional purple squiggly underlines?

marcusverus 4y ago
For the 150 million kids who use Google Classroom[0] (which includes Google Docs), these optional little purple squiggly underlines would wield unquestionable authority, indelibly shaping word choice for millions of uncritical children, subconsciously guiding an entire generation away from words that might facilitate wrongthink. But thankfully the people wielding this power are unelected, unaccountable and far from Capitol Hill. Otherwise it'd be Orwellian authoritarianism, and that'd be awful! [0] https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/classroom-roadmap https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/classroom...
- eli 4y ago
  Still sounds silly to me. The bogus anti-CRT panic is a much more real and direct threat to education. Or Texas’ longstanding ability to effectively veto the textbooks used by schools nationwide. The optional little squiggly underlines are fine.
  - teakettle42 4y ago
    > The optional little squiggly underlines are fine. I wonder if you'd still feel that way if someone you didn't agree with had control over the default squiggly underlines.
    - eli 4y ago
      If, say, Ron DeSantis was in charge of the system and was using it to discourage inclusionary language that would bum me out. But that hypothetical is still several orders of magnitude less serious than the current reality of banning the discussion of disfavored topics in classrooms under penalty of law.
      - 4y ago