Re: Rename offensive terminology (master)

On 2020-06-14 at 00:05:33, Sérgio Augusto Vianna wrote:

I want to take a second to respond to this because I think there's something this discussion may be missing that I want to make explicit.

When we use language, that language has a context. Part of that is situational and part of it is based on how the receiver perceives it. Very little of it actually comes from what the actual intent of the sender is, because we can't be 100% certain of the sender's actual intent without explicitly asking them (and not always even then). Even if we can, that doesn't usually change the perception of the receiver, so it doesn't change the message that was received. And it's important to note that the message that was sent and the one that was received can be very different.

There is nothing we can do to avoid this context because it's inherent in language and in the enormity of human experience. We can only control what context we deliver to others by being aware of how other people perceive our words.

I'd like to illustrate this with an example from my own experience. In Britain, the word "faggot" refers to a type of meatball which many people enjoy. In many English-speaking countries, it's also a slur for a gay, bisexual, or queer man. Even if, when I hear that word in a culinary context, I can objectively tell myself that the word is meant with neutral intentions, it still brings to mind the fact that I and many of my friends have been called that and with that, my experiences of discrimination and harassment. One could say that I'm just easily offended, but whether I want to be reminded of those experiences or not, I am. My mind just goes there. The context here has nothing to do with the sender, who probably meant well, but the message I received in, for example, reading a restaurant menu, was a negative one.

A reasonable person who wants to communicate well will be aware of this context and will choose to use a different phrase if they don't want to communicate that negative context. For example, the restaurateur may choose to use the phrase "savory ducks" on their menu instead. If they choose not to, then we may draw conclusions about their intent when they use the language they use.

Similarly, when we use the words "master" or "slave", even in contexts where they have different meanings, we send context along with that use. Black people, although able to objectively distinguish the two contexts, may receive a reminder that they or people like them have been subject to bondage, inequality, oppression, or discrimination. If that is not the context we wish to send to them, then we should consider using different language. Nothing prevents us from using those words except for our desire to communicate or not communicate a certain context.

And while I admit that in this discussion one may say that one word is an obvious slur and one is not, that doesn't mean that the context the receiver receives is necessarily that different. It may vary in its intensity, but the underlying negative context may still be there.

I do want to underscore that free software is not exempt from this phenomenon because we use language, and all communication with words is subject to these same limitations and to the human experience.

The proposed patch series makes the branch name configurable, so you may choose to use a default branch name which suits you. It sounds like you may choose to stay with "master", and you are welcome to make that decision. However, as with all language, that comes with context, and others will receive and interpret that context and draw their own conclusions about your intentions.

On a final, slightly different note, I also want to remind folks that are here that we have a code of conduct, which encourages us to use welcoming and inclusive language and be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences, and to refrain from insulting or derogatory comments. I know that this isn't always easy, but I encourage community members to consider their comments carefully with that in mind, especially when feelings are as strong as they are here. If you want to take some time to remind yourself of what it says, it's available as CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md in the root of the repository.