(no subject)

[geekchick]

Today is Setting Orange, day 38 in the season of The Aftermath, 3269.

You people have just gone completely around the bend.

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Los Angeles officials have asked that manufacturers, suppliers and contractors stop using the terms "master" and "slave" on computer equipment, saying such terms are unacceptable and offensive.

The request -- which has some suppliers furious and others busy re-labeling components -- came after an unidentified worker spotted a videotape machine carrying devices labeled "master" and "slave" and filed a discrimination complaint with the county's Office of Affirmative Action Compliance.

fuzzyfruit already said pretty much what I was thinking.

In other "you're kidding, right?" news: MPAA, RIAA seek permanent antitrust exemption. Orrin Hatch says they need the exemption because of "market realities". Riiiiight.

Comments

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

This is so ridiculous, it's actually sadly amusing... not that it will actually make any difference. Unless someone actually wants to invent new terms for describing control hierarchies in technical applications. Maybe we could try referring to the controller card in a VME rack as the "lord" and the other cards as "serf cards", since feudal references aren't likely to spur lawsuit threats by employees...

[gsh]

I for one am sick of the knee jerk reactions over this. It was a fscking *request* for gawds sake. It isn't like they are going to *do* anything about it. I have three mailing lists, two news groups, and this thing exploding all over LJ. Will people get a sense of proportion?!?

</rant>

[geekchick]

Well, other than have employees waste time going through and finding everything labelled with master/slave and relabel it because somebody, somewhere, might just be offended. It's the same thing as the DC official who basically *had* to resign because he used the word "niggardly" and a bunch of people got their panties in a bunch about it ("I don't think that word means what you think it means."). I'm not sure why my reaction of "you people are idiots" is any more knee-jerk or disproportionate than their firing off the memo in response to the complaint, or even that of the person sans Cloo[tm] who fired off a discrimination complaint in the first place. It's political correctness gone too far.

[gsh]

Well, it wasn't a hypothetical "someone might be offended". Someone *was* offended. And asked their (I don't know the persons gender) supervisor of something could be done. And the supervisor wrote a memo *asking* for that term not to be used.

I seriously doubt *any* employee time is going to relabel things, since it isn't a requirement to do so, only a request.

The DC guy was out of a job for about a day, he got a new job (not in public relations) when even some of the rabid "The man is keeping the black man down" crowd said "that wasn't an insult".

Are we at a point where even *asking* not to use language that has offended someone (not asking about hypotheticals) gets 'you people are idiots' responses?

Person A got offended, asked supervisor B to do something, supervisor B wrote a letter asking the world not to use a term. Person A is happy, supervisor B didn't commit anyone to anything, the world functions the way it did, except now there is one happier person in the world.

Do we really nead to blast person A and supervisor B with 'you people are idiots?'

I say no.

You mileage might vary.

I admit to getting annoyed at the 59th rendition of 'you people are idiots'. Sorry to have ranted in your journal, but it was the straw that broke the camels back.

I hope you and C and Gateway and Piglet whose name I don't remember have a good Thanksgiving.

*offers holiday hugs*

[geekchick]

I seriously doubt *any* employee time is going to relabel things, since it isn't a requirement to do so, only a request.

From the article quoted:

Dennis Tafoya, director of the affirmative action office, said in a separate memo that an "exhaustive search" had been undertaken to find all such labels and replace them with more "appropriate" ones. A form was sent to all departments to identify equipment carrying the labels "master" and "slave" or any other offensive terms.

Someone has got to spend taxpayer money wasting a day taking care of that. There was a quote on the news broadcasts this evening too that said that anything labelled with master/slave would be relabelled. I'm sure that's not going to happen outside paid working hours.

The DC guy was out of a job for about a day, he got a new job (not in public relations) when even some of the rabid "The man is keeping the black man down" crowd said "that wasn't an insult".

The point isn't that he got another job however quickly, the point is that he couldn't keep the job he had because of other people's ignorance and their being too willing and too quick to see insult in everything.

Are we at a point where even *asking* not to use language that has offended someone (not asking about hypotheticals) gets 'you people are idiots' responses?

Don't you think the response might be because the original request was completely ludicrous? And are we alternatively at the point where the world has to be fucking bubblewrapped to guard against someone possibly getting offended? If I say that I'm offended by the word "artichoke" because "choke" triggered a flashback to an assault, do you really think that I'd deserve to be taken seriously if I filed a harassment complaint at the grocery store because they put up signs in the produce section for artichokes?

Do we really nead to blast person A and supervisor B with 'you people are idiots?'

I say no.

You mileage might vary.

And I calls 'em as I sees 'em; the request was ludicrous, the person complaining I am quite sure was ignorant of the terminology (if they'd ever seen it before, I'm reasonably sure they wouldn't have waited until now to complain) and followed their jerking knee in to the office to file a complaint. Yes, I think the person in question is ignorant and I think that the people who sent out the memo are doing nothing but reinforcing the idea that the world should be whitewashed to such a point that no one anywhere should ever see anything they might possibly find offensive at first glance.

Anyway. I suspect we're not ever going to see eye-to-eye on this. Hope you and Pam have a good holiday, and that you get back to feeling 100% soon.

[gsh]

The quote from Tofoya dude wasn't there earlier in the day, and I admit it might change things. Although I've been on the other end of the "exhaustive search" which meant look around the office when the supervisor is on the phone, and tell him everythign has been checked. I agree that any effort spent replacing stickers is wasted. The story as I had seen it had only mentioned the memo, which since it was a "request" was somethign I didn't take too seriously.

The guy in dc resigned as soon as it happened, there wasn't even time for there to be speculation as to 'will he be fired'.

I can't/won't label the request ludicrous unless I know something of the origional complaintant, which I don't. I will label it as unlikely to change the Master/Slave terminogy of parallel ATA hardware. But that will die a natural death now that Serial ATA is out.

[geekchick]

The quote from Tofoya dude wasn't there earlier in the day, and I admit it might change things.

That I'd believe, although I'm pretty sure it was there when I read the article earlier today. CNN has a habit of updating stories throughout the day.

I can't/won't label the request ludicrous unless I know something of the origional complaintant, which I don't.

Serious question, not trying to provoke although it may come out that way: can you think of any reason that request could be justified other than "one person saw it and took offense"? Honestly, I can't come up with a reason off the top of my head, but that doesn't mean there isn't one.

Your Reward...

[gsh]

Serious question, not trying to provoke although it may come out that way: can you think of any reason that request could be justified other than "one person saw it and took offense"


Nope. And if someone is offended, a memo seems ok. But nothing further. I sure don't want people relabeling existing stuff.

[gsh]

I wish to apologize for using the term "knee jerking" in your journal.

[geekchick]

Hey, not to worry. A little heated discussion every once and again is a good thing. =) Plus, if you get all worked up maybe it will help your sinuses drain or something. ;) (Are you feeling any better yet?)

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

MPAA, RIAA seek permanent antitrust exemption. Orrin Hatch says they need the exemption because of "market realities". Riiiiight.

I guess that invisible hand actually belongs to Orrin Hatch. Who knew?

[geekchick]

I guess that invisible hand actually belongs to Orrin Hatch. Who knew?

*snerk* =)

Interestingly, in the article they mention that Mr. Hatch had previously not been a very big fan of the organizations in question once he started having to deal with them as a songwriter. Wonder what exactly it took for him to change his mind?