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Thread: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

  1. #1
    Sir Adrian's Avatar the Imperishable
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    Default Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    GitHub is working on replacing the term "master" on its service with a neutral term like "main" to avoid any unnecessary references to slavery, its CEO said on Friday.
    The code-hosting portal is just the latest in a long line of tech companies and open source projects that have expressed support for removing terms that may be offensive to developers in the black community.
    This includes dropping terms like "master" and "slave" for alternatives like "main/default/primary" and "secondary;" but also terms like "blacklist" and "whitelist" for "allow list" and "deny/exclude list."
    The concern is that continued use of these racially-loaded terms could prolong racial stereotypes.
    "Such terminology not only reflects racist culture, but also serves to reinforce, legitimize, and perpetuate it," wrote academics in a 2018 journal.
    BLM protests spurs new efforts to clean out software language

    Now, spurred by the Black Lives Matter protests across the US, the tech community is engaging again in efforts to remove such language from source code, software applications, and online services.
    For starters, the Android mobile operating system, the Go programming language, the PHPUnit library and the Curl file download utility have stated their intention to replace blacklist/whitelist with neutral alternatives.
    Similarly, the OpenZFS file storage manager has also replaced its master/slave terms used for describing relations between storage environments with suitable replacements.
    Gabriel Csapo, a software engineer at LinkedIn, said on Twitter this week that he's also in the process of filing requests to update many of Microsoft's internal libraries and remove any racially-charged phrases.

    The rest of the article can be read here


    As a programmer I have to say I am completely appalled by the cash grabbing, virtue signaling, hypocrites that lead these tech companies. They saw a moment to get some free publicity and are now shoving down their newspeak down the throats of an entire profession. What's worse is that they're corrupting Linus Torvalds' vision to the core.

    Whitelist and blacklist are already neutral terms, as they predate the USA by 500 years ffs.
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  2. #2

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    What's the origin of the term "blacklist"?
    The Armenian Issue

  3. #3

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    (insert appropriate meme, because I'm not in mood to make it right now)
    Microsoft just went full libtard.

    Never go full libtard.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by PointOfViewGun View Post
    What's the origin of the term "blacklist"?
    Apparently an English tragedy called "The unnatural combat", written in 1639.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by nhytgbvfeco2 View Post
    Apparently an English tragedy called "The unnatural combat", written in 1639.
    What was the reason for picking the black color? Is modern usage of the term traced back to that instance or its just that that's the earliest recorded use of the term?
    The Armenian Issue

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    antaeus's Avatar Cool and normal
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    "This race stuff is all fine until I have to change the way I do something" - my father.

    "It becomes virtue signalling when they're telling ME to change something about my behaviour" - also my father

    The history of the word is irrelevant. As is the historic literal meaning. It is seen by some as part of the wider "black = bad, white = good" narrative that is present in society and could be seen as problematic when used alongside similar words that are racist by people who don't know the literal meaning.

    Either way, I don't really care what private companies do or say. If they do things I don't like, I use my power as a consumer to use different products *shrug*

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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    What a pointless change. But... not too horrible.
    I am annoyed mostly because they're idiots and because I want such idiotic practices to eclipse not spread. I don't care what Microsoft or github does with terms I rarely use and I won't change. This has to do with giving ground to SJWs.
    Is it a good move? A bad move? Meh, I don't care. If I didn't hate SJWs I wouldn't care at all. I dislike it because it's bowing down to a loud, obnoxious minority that along with crap that I don't care about also moves against things I care about.
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    This whitewashing of the language is no doubt a black mark in this post-modernist society. I think the people at Microsoft have gone yellow-bellied. There's no need to get red in the face about a few terms that might be construed as racist by some bored people in the peanut gallery. The rule of thumb should be whether or not a statement is facially racist, not some sort of eenie meenie miney moe choice vector by which the liberals attempt to just control what is alright to say one day and not alright to say the next. We're being sold down the river by people who pretend to have good intentions. Who in the US is actually shouting "hip hip hooray" about racism? Such hooligans wouldn't be tolerated by polite society, no more than an eskimo would tolerate a Brazilian summer. Such offenders in some Canadian provinces are actually carted off in the paddy wagon for such uppity behavior. I've had my fill of such political correctness, I'm in a veritable food coma I'm so fed up with it. I have postprandial somnolence.

    When bored race baiters try to export their standards on regular people, it comes across as tone deaf and cringey. They're not engaging in an intellectual exercise, they're finding new ways to whine about something. When it's done for profit or virtue points, well, the mask slips.

    Quote Originally Posted by PointOfViewGun View Post
    What was the reason for picking the black color? Is modern usage of the term traced back to that instance or its just that that's the earliest recorded use of the term?
    This desperate attempt to re-read some modicum of logic into a decision that was taken with no discernible amount of consideration other than choosing to view the world only through a racial lens is hilarious.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pontifex Maximus View Post
    This whitewashing of the language is no doubt a black mark in this post-modernist society. I think the people at Microsoft have gone yellow-bellied. There's no need to get red in the face about a few terms that might be construed as racist by some bored people in the peanut gallery. The rule of thumb should be whether or not a statement is facially racist, not some sort of eenie meenie miney moe choice vector by which the liberals attempt to just control what is alright to say one day and not alright to say the next. We're being sold down the river by people who pretend to have good intentions. Who in the US is actually shouting "hip hip hooray" about racism? Such hooligans wouldn't be tolerated by polite society, no more than an eskimo would tolerate a Brazilian summer. Such offenders in some Canadian provinces are actually carted off in the paddy wagon for such uppity behavior. I've had my fill of such political correctness, I'm in a veritable food coma I'm so fed up with it. I have postprandial somnolence.

    When bored race baiters try to export their standards on regular people, it comes across as tone deaf and cringey. They're not engaging in an intellectual exercise, they're finding new ways to whine about something. When it's done for profit or virtue points, well, the mask slips.



    This desperate attempt to re-read some modicum of logic into a decision that was taken with no discernible amount of consideration other than choosing to view the world only through a racial lens is hilarious.
    No niggard are you, Pontifex Maximus, to give thus to TWC, the fairest words in your vocabulary's realm.

  10. #10
    Sir Adrian's Avatar the Imperishable
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by PointOfViewGun View Post
    What was the reason for picking the black color? Is modern usage of the term traced back to that instance or its just that that's the earliest recorded use of the term?
    Black in medieval and early modern English meant bad/evil. Ex: the black prince, Black Bart, black heart etc. It originates in the bible and the natural world. The devil and hell are black. Night is black. Winter days are darker. Plague buboes are dark in color, etc The list of people to be executed was often named the black list. Whitelist is just the opposite of blacklist.

    Quote Originally Posted by antaeus View Post
    "This race stuff is all fine until I have to change the way I do something" - my father.

    "It becomes virtue signalling when they're telling ME to change something about my behaviour" - also my father

    The history of the word is irrelevant. As is the historic literal meaning. It is seen by some as part of the wider "black = bad, white = good" narrative that is present in society and could be seen as problematic when used alongside similar words that are racist by people who don't know the literal meaning.

    Either way, I don't really care what private companies do or say. If they do things I don't like, I use my power as a consumer to use different products *shrug*

    Begin slippery slope conversation below:
    "I don't care what private companies are doing as long as it does not affect me"

    People don't like to be called racists for no reason. The history of the word does matter, otherwise the history of whatever it is associated with also does not matter (the history of slavery in this case). You cannot cherrypick. Either a rule applies to everyone equally or to nobody.
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  11. #11

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Imagine living such an easy, carefree life that Microsoft changing a few words in their system is upsetting to you.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pontifex Maximus View Post
    This desperate attempt to re-read some modicum of logic into a decision that was taken with no discernible amount of consideration other than choosing to view the world only through a racial lens is hilarious.
    What a salty response. What failed position are you trying to compensate for?


    Quote Originally Posted by Settra View Post
    Black in medieval and early modern English meant bad/evil. Ex: the black prince, Black Bart, black heart etc. It originates in the bible and the natural world. The devil and hell are black. Night is black. Winter days are darker. Plague buboes are dark in color, etc The list of people to be executed was often named the black list. Whitelist is just the opposite of blacklist.
    Thank you. See Ponti? It's not so hard. Though I always imagined the devil in more of a burgundy color.
    The Armenian Issue

  13. #13

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Sure it must suck that one of your traits is considered an insult, but that's hardly unique to blackness. My religious beliefs (e.g., 'iconoclasm') are used as pejoratives all the time and I struggle to care. Sounds like a lot of people in the world need to toughen up a little to be quite honest.
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    Sir Adrian's Avatar the Imperishable
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coughdrop addict View Post
    Imagine living such an easy, carefree life that Microsoft changing a few words in their system is upsetting to you.
    Imagine having to spend nights on end to rewrite scripts and documentation because some wit in Seattle decided he is better than you.
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  15. #15

    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    The devil can keep his burnt brand of orange, I am the Lord of salt. You have to half heartedly support this decision because it's what the tribal narrative has become all about - sanitizing everything because of feels. I bet I could change my Twitter profile to black out and tweet some woke idiocy like "we have to take down all the statues of black people before the far right Nazi protesters deface them" and probably receive a good amount of support from those who aren't having their programming too scrambled. Erase, erase, erase until nothing is left because everything is racist.

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    antaeus's Avatar Cool and normal
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by Settra View Post
    People don't like to be called racists for no reason. The history of the word does matter, otherwise the history of whatever it is associated with also does not matter (the history of slavery in this case). You cannot cherrypick. Either a rule applies to everyone equally or to nobody.
    I entirely disagree. But we can agree to disagree if you prefer.

    Meaning is entirely context dependent and evolves over time. I would guess that a significant proportion of the words in the English language currently carry different meaning now to when they were first ushered, in what ever language they came from. The history of a word only matters to the extent that it influences the present usage - if it doesn't (as Pontifex is so kindly illustrating), then it is irrelevant.

    As I said... I just don't care whether Git changes blacklist to orangelist or blackawesome or whatever. What I do like is the crybabies complaining that the sky is falling on their heads because someone suggested changing a word. "Oh no! the woke kids are stealing another word! when will the calamity end!?"
    Last edited by antaeus; June 16, 2020 at 08:07 AM.
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    Muizer's Avatar member 3519
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by antaeus View Post
    Meaning is entirely context dependent and evolves over time. I would guess that a significant proportion of the words in the English language currently carry different meaning now to when they were first ushered, in what ever language they came from. The history of a word only matters to the extent that it influences the present usage - if it doesn't (as Pontifex is so kindly illustrating), then it is irrelevant."
    Yeah, but in the case of blacklist and whitelist, that has never evolved into something with a racial connotation afaik. I'm all for change and the master=slave thing certainly qualifies, but it is just untrue that 'bad' things were called 'black' as a reference to the perceived inferiority of black people. If anything it's the other way around. Banning the word 'black' as referring to bad is just unthinking, and needlessly alienates people, which is always a stupid thing to do.
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Black in medieval and early modern English meant bad/evil. Ex: the black prince, Black Bart, black heart etc. It originates in the bible and the natural world. The devil and hell are black. Night is black. Winter days are darker. Plague buboes are dark in color, etc The list of people to be executed was often named the black list. Whitelist is just the opposite of blacklist.
    In the Greek mythology, Tartaros is associated with the blackness.
    In Latin, the color black is also called ater and is associated to sadness and malevolent. The word atrocious comes from atrox which has a similar origin than ater, from *h₂eh₁ter- (fire).

    Definitely our vocabulary is doomed to its roots. Since changing everything is the hardest way, I suggest solving the problem with a different approach much easier:
    Let's rename black people or ban the use of "black" applied to them.

    Last edited by Genava; June 16, 2020 at 10:00 AM.
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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    I always knew my whitelist on Minecraft servers was designed to exclude black people. Oh wait...

    ...way for them to tokenize completely irrelevant terms in computing and bring race into something race had nothing to do with in the first place.

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    Default Re: Microsoft to replace industry standard terms like whitelist, blacklist and master on GitHub with politically correct "race neutral" words.

    Quote Originally Posted by Imperator Majora View Post
    I always knew my whitelist on Minecraft servers was designed to exclude black people. Oh wait...

    ...way for them to tokenize completely irrelevant terms in computing and bring race into something race had nothing to do with in the first place.
    Unrelated, but ironic.
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