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I fully support the renaming of technical terms so that they are least offensive.
I have personally suffered no discrimination to speak of. But I have empathy towards those who express prevailing feelings about some terms that we use that cause them discomfort and offence.
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I have personally suffered no discrimination to speak of. But I have empathy towards those who express prevailing feelings about some terms that we use that cause them discomfort and offence.
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Things like master/slave and white/black lists. Here's one discussion of many
2/8 https://hackaday.com/2020/06/29/updating-the-language-of-spi-pin-labels-to-remove-casual-references-to-slavery/
2/8 https://hackaday.com/2020/06/29/updating-the-language-of-spi-pin-labels-to-remove-casual-references-to-slavery/
For most of my career these terms evoked nothing more than what they meant technically. But I do, and we all should, believe those who say that those terms evoke negative feelings for *them* due to *their* own very real experiences.
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Why would we ever wish for our colleagues to be uncomfortable while they are performing technical work alongside those who are not affected due to different experiences and circumstances?
This is the key argument for me, and it's an obvious side for me to be on.
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This is the key argument for me, and it's an obvious side for me to be on.
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Even more so because it's not a huge ask.
Firstly, be aware, attentive, and empathise with those who have had different experiences than you.
Secondly, start using different language and follow the prevailing alternatives.
Then, champion change.
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Firstly, be aware, attentive, and empathise with those who have had different experiences than you.
Secondly, start using different language and follow the prevailing alternatives.
Then, champion change.
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No one is seriously suggesting re-writing old datasheets or books, just to move forward with more consideration.
We're engineers; we certainly won't be "confused" by a variation of terms. Have you seen datasheets?!
whitelist -> allowlist
master -> main
Not a huge leap.
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We're engineers; we certainly won't be "confused" by a variation of terms. Have you seen datasheets?!
whitelist -> allowlist
master -> main
Not a huge leap.
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It's not a 'slippery slope' -- there won't be any of that "ControllerCard" or "Controller's degree" nonsense -- because there needs to be enough momentum and *reason* for terms to change; it's not done on a whim of individuals.
And it's certainly not 'virtue signalling'!
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And it's certainly not 'virtue signalling'!
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Renaming technical terms to be least offending is a reasonable thing to want, and it can be achieved with minor effort. We should just get on with making the changes in order for all of us, very different people, experiencing the craft of engineering with the same pleasure.
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