Linux kernel coders propose inclusive terminology coding guidelines Options

[Christian J]

https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/06/linu...pose_inclusive/

Words to be avoided include "slave", with suggested substitutions such as secondary, subordinate, replica or follower, and "blacklist", for which the replacements could be blocklist or denylist.

The proposal also noted that "non-inclusive terminology" has a "distracting effect" and "injures developer efficiency."

And here I thought it's Orwellian newspeak that has a distracting effect and injures developer efficiency.

[Christian J]

Mozilla is jumping on the bandwagon too:

Primary Password is replacing Master Password

Firefox is removing terminology from the browser that has been identified as derogatory or exclusionary. We’re listening to conversations happening within the Mozilla community and in the world at large, and are paying attention when people tell us that some terms we use in Firefox exclude and damage people.

‘Master-slave’ is a metaphor that perpetuates racism. Firefox strives for inclusion and clarity; we have no need for terms derived from harmful metaphors when we have plenty of alternatives that are more inclusive, more descriptive and non-racist. For this reason, all instances of Master Password are being replaced with Primary Password in the Firefox browsers and products.

Deprecating the term Master Password is also in accordance with the "Derogatory Language" section of the Mozilla Community Participation Guidelines.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/primar...master-password

Even assuming that "Master Password" did perpetuate racism, apparently none of them realized it until this very year...

[pandy]

It's something uncanny about all this. It isn't just stupid, it's also a kind of whitewashing. Yes, some of those words can/could mean something bad, but that's how it is/was.

Remember when they almost decided Astrid Lindgren movies shouldn't be allowed on TV anymore? Because they represent an outdated view on women. For example Malin cooking, washing and taking care of her siblings all the time. Yes, they do show an outdated view on women. Because that's how it was in those days! Shouldn't today's children know about that?

Or when Tintin in Congo shouldn't be allowed in libraries because Africans were depicted in a stereotypic and derogatory way? Yes, they really are depicted that way, but that wasn't unusual in the 20th (the album came 1930). Maybe we should remember that.

Next step, we can't talk about nazis. That will make what they did go away, right?

[Christian J]

It's something uncanny about all this. It isn't just stupid, it's also a kind of whitewashing.

True, what Mozilla calls "listening to conversations" actually means blindly obeying the shrillest Twitter crowds while ignoring everybody else. It does reveal a worrying lack of integrity.

Remember when they almost decided Astrid Lindgren movies shouldn't be allowed on TV anymore? Because they represent an outdated view on women. For example Malin cooking, washing and taking care of her siblings all the time. Yes, they do show an outdated view on women. Because that's how it was in those days! Shouldn't today's children know about that?

Can't remember those movies, but for such people history (or even reality) means nothing. It's all about forcing their views upon others.

Or when Tintin in Congo shouldn't be allowed in libraries because Africans were depicted in a stereotypic and derogatory way? Yes, they really are depicted that way, but that wasn't unusual in the 20th (the album came 1930). Maybe we should remember that.

I actually have that comic, I recall it pokes fun at everybody (whites included). Generally speaking I suppose some black people may feel a bit sensitive to white satire, due to Americas history of racism and many African countries' colonial history --if a black Congolese had written Tintin in Congo I suspect much fewer had objected. Of course none of that is reason to remove it from libraries (wether it should be part of the Childrens' Comics department in the library I can't say, maybe it's considered more adult literature today). I do believe that Identity Politics' encouragement of minorities to regard themselves as perpetual victims is far more damaging than any comic book. It's also completely dishonest, since the real goal is not creating "justice" but chaos. Thankfully many black people are seeing the propaganda for what it is, and that victim mentality is actually holding you back rather than empowering you.

Next step, we can't talk about nazis. That will make what they did go away, right?

Oh, I'd say they're more obsessed with nazis than ever, it's almost like a religion now. Maybe they need a neverending supply to justify their own paranoid worldview, if so the Nazi spectre won't go away anytime soon... This reminded me of https://www.vice.com/en/article/dpwamv/when...s-0000620-v22n4 --note how few American Nazis there were even back then (as opposed to today, apparently).

[pandy]

Can't remember those movies

Are you even Swedish?

I actually have that comic, I recall it pokes fun at everybody (whites included).

Yes, that's how I remember it too. But the Africans do look a little stereotypical.
https://www.google.com/search?q=tintin+in+congo&tbm=isch
But so they do in The Phantom, Guran (english?) not the least, and I haven't heard any complaints about that. Which is strange since new episodes are still produced so that could easily be changed.

This reminded me of https://www.vice.com/en/article/dpwamv/when...s-0000620-v22n4 --note how few American Nazis there were even back then (as opposed to today, apparently).

Whereas in Sweden there were plenty. And alas are again.

[Christian J]

Are you even Swedish?

Who knows?

Actually I threw out my TV set maybe 25 years ago (good riddance), and can't remember much of what I watched even before that.

But the Africans do look a little stereotypical.
https://www.google.com/search?q=tintin+in+congo&tbm=isch

True. Some traditional African sculptures are even more stylized, but of course then they likely depict people of the same ethnic group as the artist (that's not to say Africans can't be racist towards other ehtnic groups, but I'm not aware of any such artworks).

But so they do in The Phantom, Guran (english?) not the least, and I haven't heard any complaints about that. Which is strange since new episodes are still produced so that could easily be changed.

My impression is that these outrages often strike at random targets, see for example
https://unherd.com/2020/01/cast-out-how-kni...-purity-spiral/ (audio can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d70h ).

Whereas in Sweden there were plenty. And alas are again.

During the 1930s it's said the whole Swedish establishment was pro-Hitler (though not necessarily more educated about politics than people are today).

I don't think there are that many serious nazis today, maybe a couple of thousand? It's another thing that young people use rough language on Internet communites (where still possible), but I think that's more to do with trying to be edgy as a reaction to the political correctness.

[pandy]

I don't have a TV set either (but I do use Play services). But "Saltkråkan" is etched in my brain.

During the 1930s it's said the whole Swedish establishment was pro-Hitler (though not necessarily more educated about politics than people are today).

Many people were, especially in the upper classes. I think I've known some. But some should maybe be forgiven. I really think people didn't know/understand what was going on in the beginning. Soviet was gnawing up Finland and was maybe seen as a greater threat. So Germany could have been seen as the savior in the beginning.

I don't think there are that many serious nazis today, maybe a couple of thousand? It's another thing that young people use rough language on Internet communites (where still possible), but I think that's more to do with trying to be edgy as a reaction to the political correctness.

Not many wear brown shirts. But not so few in the top of one of one of our largest political parties have roots in the neo-nazi movement. And not so few people have views that could be considered to be close to nazi, even if they don't actively burn the people they hate. Not yet, anyway.