Linux Kernel Preparing New Guidelines For Using Inclusive Terminology

[coder]

I was not talking about a few words in the kernel and you know this damn well.

Except that's what the article and the thread is about.

I acknowledge that you're trying to tie this into some larger scheme where you're the oppressed and victimized minority, but that's not what this is. I'm not even saying there's not some element of truth to that narrative - just that you're being so defensive that you're being just as oversensitive as those you oppose. This is not about erasing your culture or edging you out in any way.

These people includes you

Don't pretend you know me or what I'm about.

[coder]

Dueling needs to be legalized again. So all who feel offended can gun down offenders or be gunned down.

Sure, because there's no problem so big that guns can't make it worse.

[coder]

But the replacements for master / slave... The "surrogate" thing is very, very vague to me. So now, I think about many colleagues whose English is definitely less than stellar and I can already feel their pain. I already impose that our developments are commented in English, use English words for variables, functions, etc and every now and then we have to change some names because the original naming was not the best translation (ie lacking clarity for native English speakers),

I hear you and I sympathize. I can only hope that people use appropriate, logical, precise, and easily-understood terms instead.

By the way, I don't see why "slave" would have to be racist: slavery has been common at all times, over the whole World. For example, my ancestors were under the threat of slavery by the North Africans for several centuries (all the villages on the Northern coast of the Mediterranean were raided by the Arabs in search of slaves). And today, slavery has never been so common in the human history, but it does not happen in North America, so I guess nobody cares...

I don't entirely follow your point, but if some people find the use of master/slave terminology to be uncomfortable, I don't see why it's a problem to use different terminology. No one is saying that it can only be seen as problematic through the lens of black slavery in the Americas.

Of course not, but the people starting this whole thing are...

Are you sure about that?

[bavay]

coder Sorry, from the LKML post I missed Dan Williams in the 5 authors (I could not find his affiliation before, so I could not find him). But it is still very North American...

No one is saying that it can only be seen as problematic through the lens of black slavery in the Americas

Well, the LKML post only puts slavery in the context of historical black slavery in the Americas. And somehow, the current trends only see it this way and wrongly let people consider that slavery is past. Which I fear could hurt the efforts by some organizations to fight modern day slavery (see an overview at globalslaveryindex.org). Moreover, I also prefer deeds to words: whoever feels offended by slavery (and we all should!) should supports those working to fight it and refrain from supporting those who benefit from it (basically not buying products that have a high probability of relying on slave labor and avoiding supporting countries that benefit from slave labor). Looking at the abomination of slavery, swapping words in computer code seems like a cheap way to feel good about oneself...

[cynical]

I get that you feel threatened by BLM, but maybe it's not about you.

The Soviets had a phrase to describe people who uncritically followed what they were told. It’s not very flattering.

Luckily people are waking up to reality after all the destruction this movement has caused in the cities. Hopefully the damage done will be limited. If not we’ll just learn the lesson all over again.

[aht0]

Sure, because there's no problem so big that guns can't make it worse.

Notice how the looters, after face-off, proceeded to break window of the neighbouring, undefended store. Because they got scared. Guns can also make it better. If all stores had owners with guns defending them - how many would have been vandalized?

Same with dueling - when you face the possibility of being called out for your words with potentially lethal consequences to your life - you most likely start picking your words much more carefully.