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> "we are the thin blue line" > This isn't okay. I don’t get it. What does it even mean? It seems unrelated to them stepping down, too.

by sshine 2y ago

krapp 2y ago
>I don’t get it. What does it even mean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20250208204416.GL1130956@mit.edu/ https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20250208204416.GL1130956@mit.ed... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43043312 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43043312 >It seems unrelated to them stepping down, too. I can't in good faith remain to be part of a project and its community where those words are tolerated. Those words are not technical, they are a political statement. Even if unintentionally, such words carry power, they carry meanings one needs to be aware of. They do cause an immense amount of harm.
- sshine 2y ago
  But, as he disclaims in the beginning, he wasn’t actively participating anymore. Feels like slamming the door because you were leaving anyways, not because you were angry in the first place. It rides on the wave of FLOSS contributors leaving because of something dysfunctional, and he was leaving because he wasn’t active, but makes it about something political, since it would get read because of mentioned context. Had he just posted his opinion and not left, it would not have been noteworthy.
  - krapp 2y ago
    It isn't required that one be active in a community to consider oneself part of that community, or to be angry about something that community does. I see no reason to assume bad faith or doubt their sincerity of motive. Consider that the phenomenon of FLOSS contributors "leaving because of something dysfunctional" isn't simply a trend that people choose to ride on, but a sign of actual political and philosophical conflict within the community.
zozbot234 2y ago
"Thin blue line" is a reference to police as a kind of army regiment, standing their ground against the perceived "breakdown" of social order. Its present-day use can only really be understood in the context of violent policing in the U.S. It's the kind of thing that's really blatant flame bait with its direct reference to real-world politics, and has no proper role in what ought to be a 100% technical discussion.
- hitekker 2y ago
  This gatekeeping feels weird. As the sibling commenter points out, both sides of the aisle have used "thin blue line" to refer to themselves. I'm neutral to it, and I voted for Hilary, Biden, and Kamala. But you could be right if some people in the conversation voted for "defund the police". Those people may be enraged by a single mention of a "thin blue line" and be unable to focus on the technicals.
bitwize 2y ago
It means Ted Ts'o is entering his "win stupid prizes" arc.
perihelions 2y ago
It's a widely-used idiom with no severe connotations, outside of some social media politics bubbles. AFAICT, it's completely normal and tolerated language, *including* within mainstream US-left politics—the other commenters are just wrong about this. Example usage 1: - "The ex-chief of staff to former President Barack Obama said Democrats are "the thin blue line" between Americans and the special interests Trump is courting." https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rahm-emanuel-makes-dark-prediction-about-what-trump-will-do-to-the-oval-office_n_675036e3e4b0617b1e77604b https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rahm-emanuel-makes-dark-predi... (Dec 4, 2024) Example usage 2: - "Defenders of Democracy: The Thin Blue Line chronicles the causes and consequences of the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, Congress, and the electoral certification process featuring perspectives from police officers and family members of fallen officers. The film highlights the gravity of the events that will undoubtedly leave an enduring impact on political history." https://www.pbs.org/show/defenders-of-democracy-the-thin-blue-line/ https://www.pbs.org/show/defenders-of-democracy-the-thin-blu... ("Defenders of Democracy: The Thin Blue Line" (2024))
- krapp 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - perihelions 2y ago
    - "mainstream us-left politics" does not represent the left, it represents the mainstream" I'm not following you; the context is someone is trying to get someone *fired from their job* for using this language.
    - krapp 2y ago
      You're claiming that the American left has no issue with the term "thin blue line" or its context because that term is accepted by the mainstream. I provided links to demonstrate the contrary, illustrative of the fact that the American left does in fact have an issue with the term and its context, and that the mainstream of American politics and media does not represent the actual culture of American leftism. Also the Noveau kernel is as far as I understand a FOSS project. There are no "jobs" from which one can be "fired."

> "we are the thin blue line" > This isn't okay. I don’t get it. What does it even mean? It seems unrelated to them stepping down, too.

by sshine 2y ago

> "we are the thin blue line" > This isn't okay. I don’t get it. What does it even mean? It seems unrelated to them stepping down, too.

krapp 2y ago

>I don’t get it. What does it even mean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20250208204416.GL1130956@mit.edu/ https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20250208204416.GL1130956@mit.ed... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43043312 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43043312 >It seems unrelated to them stepping down, too. I can't in good faith remain to be part of a project and its community where those words are tolerated. Those words are not technical, they are a political statement. Even if unintentionally, such words carry power, they carry meanings one needs to be aware of. They do cause an immense amount of harm.

sshine 2y ago
But, as he disclaims in the beginning, he wasn’t actively participating anymore. Feels like slamming the door because you were leaving anyways, not because you were angry in the first place. It rides on the wave of FLOSS contributors leaving because of something dysfunctional, and he was leaving because he wasn’t active, but makes it about something political, since it would get read because of mentioned context. Had he just posted his opinion and not left, it would not have been noteworthy.
- krapp 2y ago
  It isn't required that one be active in a community to consider oneself part of that community, or to be angry about something that community does. I see no reason to assume bad faith or doubt their sincerity of motive. Consider that the phenomenon of FLOSS contributors "leaving because of something dysfunctional" isn't simply a trend that people choose to ride on, but a sign of actual political and philosophical conflict within the community.

zozbot234 2y ago

"Thin blue line" is a reference to police as a kind of army regiment, standing their ground against the perceived "breakdown" of social order. Its present-day use can only really be understood in the context of violent policing in the U.S. It's the kind of thing that's really blatant flame bait with its direct reference to real-world politics, and has no proper role in what ought to be a 100% technical discussion.

hitekker 2y ago
This gatekeeping feels weird. As the sibling commenter points out, both sides of the aisle have used "thin blue line" to refer to themselves. I'm neutral to it, and I voted for Hilary, Biden, and Kamala. But you could be right if some people in the conversation voted for "defund the police". Those people may be enraged by a single mention of a "thin blue line" and be unable to focus on the technicals.

bitwize 2y ago

It means Ted Ts'o is entering his "win stupid prizes" arc.

perihelions 2y ago

It's a widely-used idiom with no severe connotations, outside of some social media politics bubbles. AFAICT, it's completely normal and tolerated language, *including* within mainstream US-left politics—the other commenters are just wrong about this. Example usage 1: - "The ex-chief of staff to former President Barack Obama said Democrats are "the thin blue line" between Americans and the special interests Trump is courting." https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rahm-emanuel-makes-dark-prediction-about-what-trump-will-do-to-the-oval-office_n_675036e3e4b0617b1e77604b https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rahm-emanuel-makes-dark-predi... (Dec 4, 2024) Example usage 2: - "Defenders of Democracy: The Thin Blue Line chronicles the causes and consequences of the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, Congress, and the electoral certification process featuring perspectives from police officers and family members of fallen officers. The film highlights the gravity of the events that will undoubtedly leave an enduring impact on political history." https://www.pbs.org/show/defenders-of-democracy-the-thin-blue-line/ https://www.pbs.org/show/defenders-of-democracy-the-thin-blu... ("Defenders of Democracy: The Thin Blue Line" (2024))

krapp 2y ago
[flagged]
- perihelions 2y ago
  - "mainstream us-left politics" does not represent the left, it represents the mainstream" I'm not following you; the context is someone is trying to get someone *fired from their job* for using this language.
  - krapp 2y ago
    You're claiming that the American left has no issue with the term "thin blue line" or its context because that term is accepted by the mainstream. I provided links to demonstrate the contrary, illustrative of the fact that the American left does in fact have an issue with the term and its context, and that the mainstream of American politics and media does not represent the actual culture of American leftism. Also the Noveau kernel is as far as I understand a FOSS project. There are no "jobs" from which one can be "fired."