Je ĵaŭ, 2019-05-02 je 01:10 +1000, Daniel Playfair Cal skribis:
As English speakers, we choose how our language evolves. It is a choice to keep using a word just as it is a choice to swap it for a new one. It is not censorship to make a choice one way or the other. Nobody in this thread has suggested that anyone should be sent to jail for talking about the master branch (or any such thing). If changing the word we use is censorship, then continuing with the word we have must also be censorship. The only important question is which word is better to use today and in the future.
I never mentioned the word censorship.
There is obviously not going to be statistically bulletproof data for whether renaming a branch increases contributions, or has any other specific effect. There are too many variables to measure it reliably.
I'm not asking for that. I'm asking for at least _some_ kind of demonstration or rationale, because none has been provided, other than the assertion that the word "master" is inherently tied to the practice of slavery, and therefore must be harmful to the inclusivity of GNOME. I do not agree with that assertion. Merely saying it does not make it true.
But it is also obvious that making an effort to use language that does not exclude certain groups is likely to increase participation.
Agreed, but I never said otherwise.
There are many people and groups that face oppression today or have in the recent past and it is important to be sensitive to that. I think acknowledging this is not some sort of insane joke or "extreme" point of view, it is simply basic kindness and understanding for other people and their experience. If this particular issue seems irrelevant to you, that does not mean it is irrelevant for everyone - and it is not a strong argument either way. Whoever you are, there are words and ideas that will remind you of bad things and make you uncomfortable, and its normal and reasonable for others to make a small effort to avoid these when they are not relevant.
Agreed, but I never said any of those things. I don't know if any of those statements were aimed at me or were just general observations. If they were aimed at me, please read my messages and interpret them charitably before writing. I feel like I'm being strawmanned into having said things that I did not. If there was any confusion: I want GNOME to be a welcoming, inclusive project. I think it's okay and desirable that GNOME take steps to change things around to make it more inclusive. I just don't think that the name of the default branch is problematic to the extent that it warrants changing. With kindness, Carmen
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