As usual with these forced changes in language, like master and main, there is zero proof these word are offensive. Usually it’s only the activists who care instead of the supposed victims who need to be protected.
It’s a very tiny but very vocal minority pushing these changes. Unfortunately a lot of those people work at Google and other tech companies with a huge reach.
The master/main thing drives me bonkers. Master has several meanings in English, one of which is in "master recording"; the original recording of a song, or the final, delivered recording of a song. It has zero to do with slaves. Another definition of "master" is to fully and completely understand and grok a topic of learning, or a technique.
> It’s a very tiny but very vocal minority pushing these changes
This vocal minority would have no power if it didn't also serve corporate interests. I don't think all these companies are "victim" of a vocal minority here, American companies actively push these ideas because while people are bickering on wedge issues or blame each other's race/sex for all their problems, there is no time left to look into the ethics of their business practices.
> It’s a very tiny but very vocal minority pushing these changes.
I agree. Though I think it's arguably more than a 'very tiny' minority, it is still a minority nonetheless. My wife and I are pretty far to the left, but in the sense that we really want to see America become a modern social democracy, a la Western Europe. The culture wars over racism and other minorities doesn't really resonate with us. But the Republican platform really doesn't resonate with us. I think there are a lot of other people like us that are aghast at the current political climate, where the wings seem to have taken over.
I miss the old Democratic Party, when it cared more about labor. I wish we could have some of that back, along with a healthy dose of Medicare for All. And maybe we could stop tossing around the word 'privilege' as accusation, while we're dumping the war over what words are least offensive to sensitive readers. I haven't even met any black person (and a third of my team is black!) who cared about that shit, they just want to be treated like everyone else.
Do you think there will come a point when you will vote Republican? It's anecdotal but the last year I've heard several Democrats saying they are voting Republican next election.
I think that is unlikely, but never say never. It is pretty easy, as a Gen X white male, to feel like the Democratic Party most assuredly doesn't have my interests as their priority. But the lip service they give single payer healthcare is a good bit stronger than anything the GOP will ever support, even if it remains just lip service.
For me to vote Republican, though, it would need to be more than just voting against Democrats because I think they're misguided. The GOP would have to stand for something. "Whatever Democrats don't like" isn't much of a platform.
It’s a very tiny but very vocal minority pushing these changes. Unfortunately a lot of those people work at Google and other tech companies with a huge reach.