3 ms·

Anyone care to explain to me what is mean by "safe place"? Was it not safe before? Are Q&A platforms generally known to be unsafe to post on? Genuinely curious.

Anyone care to explain to me what is mean by "safe place"? Was it not safe before? Are Q&A platforms generally known to be unsafe to post on? Genuinely curious. It's such a peculiar choice of words it certainly has intrigued my senses.

ironSkillet 3y ago
I dislike the proliferation of this word. "Safe" has started to mean "free from critical commentary" in a lot of contexts. It's hampering objective discourse all over the place.
- coffeebeqn 3y ago
  It used to mean physically safe - ie. A gay bar - at least safe from outsiders. Once you move to “emotionally safe” then it basically becomes so vague as to be meaningless
resolutebat 3y ago
The "safe place" stuff is a reference to the recently implemented new Code of Conduct, which bends over backwards to accommodate gender pronouns etc. https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/10/10/iterating-on-inclusion/ https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/10/10/iterating-on-inclusion... Why SO thinks this is the biggest problem they should be solving, or why it took four years to roll out, is beyond me; for one, I can't ever recall discussing or caring about anybody's genitals or lack thereof when posting coding Q&As.
- stavros 3y ago
  Hell, I don't even recall ever seeing a pronoun on SO. Most of the discourse is about the answers themselves.
OJFord 3y ago
I believe it's called 'virtue signalling', it's a hot phrase (though perhaps past its peak by a few years) and associating yourself with it is only really a positive thing. What does it actually mean? Yeah, probably nothing. In fact as others say it might ironically actually not be true (an 'unsafe place', 'hostile to newcomers') in SO's case.
blueboo 3y ago
StackOverflow is notoriously unpleasant for non-power users. A selection of miserable anecdata over the years: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16934942 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16934942 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20859332 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20859332 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2166021 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2166021
- scambier 3y ago
  The answers from SO users on that last thread show how much they lack self-awareness. Nowadays the only way I end up on SO is through a google link, I 100% consider it a read-only site.

ironSkillet 3y ago

I dislike the proliferation of this word. "Safe" has started to mean "free from critical commentary" in a lot of contexts. It's hampering objective discourse all over the place.

coffeebeqn 3y ago
It used to mean physically safe - ie. A gay bar - at least safe from outsiders. Once you move to “emotionally safe” then it basically becomes so vague as to be meaningless

resolutebat 3y ago

The "safe place" stuff is a reference to the recently implemented new Code of Conduct, which bends over backwards to accommodate gender pronouns etc. https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/10/10/iterating-on-inclusion/ https://stackoverflow.blog/2019/10/10/iterating-on-inclusion... Why SO thinks this is the biggest problem they should be solving, or why it took four years to roll out, is beyond me; for one, I can't ever recall discussing or caring about anybody's genitals or lack thereof when posting coding Q&As.

stavros 3y ago
Hell, I don't even recall ever seeing a pronoun on SO. Most of the discourse is about the answers themselves.

OJFord 3y ago

I believe it's called 'virtue signalling', it's a hot phrase (though perhaps past its peak by a few years) and associating yourself with it is only really a positive thing. What does it actually mean? Yeah, probably nothing. In fact as others say it might ironically actually not be true (an 'unsafe place', 'hostile to newcomers') in SO's case.

blueboo 3y ago

StackOverflow is notoriously unpleasant for non-power users. A selection of miserable anecdata over the years: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16934942 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16934942 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20859332 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20859332 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2166021 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2166021

scambier 3y ago
The answers from SO users on that last thread show how much they lack self-awareness. Nowadays the only way I end up on SO is through a google link, I 100% consider it a read-only site.