[NFB-Web] Terminology shift

Sun Jul 5 14:17:39 UTC 2020

IMO all this PC stuff is more of a bother than it's worth. I wasn't
raised PC, and speak how I speak, I figure I'm to set in my ways to
change, and while I don't set out to intentionally offend or hurt
others with my words, if they are offended then they can either choose
to bring it to me civilly and we can discuss it civilly and try to
reach an accomodation or go away mad and stay offended in which case
it's a them problem. I do not believe in change for the sake of change
especially when what your changing does not stand any time tests.

On 7/5/20, Erik Burggraaf via NFB-Web <nfb-web at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Darrell,
>
>> On Jul 4, 2020, at 9:05 PM, Darrell Shandrow via NFB-Web
>> <nfb-web at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Do we have to over think this?
>>
> We do have to think very seriously and carefully about it.  This is far from
> a cut and dried issue.  I would be the last one to intentionally use wording
> for the purpose of offending some party or other, but I also love language
> and using words in context the way the language intends them to be used.
> Most words have more than one meaning.  Many have 10 or even 20 meanings and
> general usages.  To transfer a feeling onto a word and try to flush that
> word down the toilet is to dispense with all of it’s other meaning and
> context.  Since the intent is at issue here, not the word, I could use many
> words to intentionally convey the superiority of my view and the inferiority
> of yours.  Should we outlaw any and all words that have negative undertones
> or connotations to any group or characteristic or class of people and only
> use the least offensive word in every situation at the cost of our human
> expression?
>
>> We're simply making the responsible decision to change some of the words
>> we
>> choose.
>> Are we making a responsible decision or are we running with our gutt
>> because of traumatic recent events?  In my experience, over censorship of
>> the words we use generates as much coltural backlash as the original
>> problem.  To bring this home, when blind people talk in America, thousands
>> of people cheer.  When Sighted people say Blindness is a cancer here in
>> Canada thousands of people cheer.  The difference in the way blindness and
>> blind people are viewed in between the two countries is so dramatic that
>> blind people of good sense either cower behind any accomplishment or
>> success they can generate for themselves and hope the sighted pass them
>> by, or they flee this country and go to America.  It’s alright to say
>> blind here if you are totally blind you poor thing, but if you have any
>> sight at all, you don’t say blind.  You hang a one of a panoply of terms
>> on yourself.   Visually impaired , low vision, sight saving, legally
>> blind, and a whole lot more.  The blind who have sight take refuge from
>> the stigma and fear of blindness in all these pc terms, convincing
>> themselves that all the terminology means more sight than a blind person.
>> In fact, the sighted are already conscious  of the fact that they have
>> more sight than we do.  The Legalistic vocabulary merely draws attention
>> to the fact that they the sighted are the haves and we the visually
>> impaired are the have nots.  In NFB parlance, the blind can compete with
>> the sighted on terms of equality given training and opportunity, but we
>> have the blind trying to compete with the sighted on terms of sight and
>> that is setting people up to fail.  On top of that,, people are vehemently
>> afraid to say the word blind to my face, but they don’t know how to ask
>> which of the over pc euphemisms I prefer.  So they sand in front of me
>> rooted to the spot with fear at confronting my blindness.
>
> I have been a webmaster off and on for over 20 years.  In fact, I remember
> you from the first ever web design course I took with Cathy Ann that started
> me out on my first windows computer.  I’ve earned my crust at various times
> with it.  I’ve helped people and organizations do better.  I’ve met great
> people.  In fact, being a webmaster to me has contains connotationss of
> service because the people I helped with my skill could not possibly have
> done what I have done.  They wouldn’t have the time or the interest, even if
> they had the talent.  In being of service I grew my own knowledge, increased
> my own resources and generally became stronger and better.  Does society not
> have a responsibility to acknowledge my very positive experience and
> connotations surrounding the word webmaster?  Why should I trade my good
> memories and positive experiences for something that doesn’t currently mean
> anything to me, even if I would continue to grow as a web… something else?
>
>> In your examples, we can easily replace the word "master" with "expert.”
> Yes we can, but what if the word “expert” falls out of favour because not
> all people are “expert” in all things?  Suppose that it becomes
> unfashionable to assert your own expertise in any subject lest you offend
> they who have not your expertise, even if they themselves have expertise
> which you do not.  They in tern would never hurt your feelings by asserting
> expertise in their own field so as not to diminish you for having not their
> expertise.  And if you think that sounds far fetched, look how many programs
> for children have dispensed with anything that smacks of competition.  To
> declare a winner is not to celebrate the achievement of some children but to
> declare the lack of achievement of others.  We can’t have the losers feeling
> down about themselves.  So, we just won’t celebrate any winners.
>
>> We evolve. The world changes. Why don't we show our ability and
>> willingness
>> to change with it?
>
> We should never change with the world for the sake of change.  We should be
> working together to make positive change that benefits as many people as
> possible.  We should understand and direct the change with our input, and
> make good compromises that benefit as many people as possible.  We should
> understand all the ramifications of the changes we make and think about the
> long term impact.  Blithely adopting every new idea is at least as bad as
> fearing change.  If we don’t evolve, we die, but our evolutions need to be
> long term responsible and mutually beneficial.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Darrell
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFB-Web <nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of David Goldfield
>> via
>> NFB-Web
>> Sent: Saturday, July 4, 2020 4:58 PM
>> To: NFB Webmaster's List <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: David Goldfield <david.goldfield at outlook.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NFB-Web] Terminology shift
>>
>> If someone is very good and skilled at telling stories is it then wrong to
>> say that this person is a master storyteller? To say that one has mastered
>> a
>> certain skill doesn't imply that the skill in question is a slave of that
>> individual. It just means that the person is particularly good with that
>> particular skill. If this is the case then I'm wondering if the term
>> webmaster necessarily has racist undertones? If I am called a webmaster
>> does
>> that mean that the Web site or the Web authoring tool that I use is my
>> slave? Does a master piano player consider the piano to be his or her
>> slave
>> or servant? I'm just putting these questions out there as food for
>> thought.
>> No controversy or disrespect is intended.
>>
>>
>> David Goldfield,
>> Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist JAWS Certified, 2019
>>
>> WWW.DavidGoldfield.org
>>
>> On 7/4/2020 6:36 PM, Darrell Shandrow via NFB-Web wrote:
>>> Hello Everybody,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This is not ridiculous at all, and it is easy for us to change.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Instead of webmaster, we can talk about a web administrator or website
>>> manager.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Instead of master and slave (for old IDE hardware, servers configured
>>> in high-availability mode, etc.) we can use terms like primary and
>> secondary.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hope this helps.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Darrell
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: NFB-Web <nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Skye via
>>> NFB-Web
>>> Sent: Saturday, July 4, 2020 10:19 AM
>>> To: nfb-web at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Skye <Starry_sky at live.com>
>>> Subject: [NFB-Web] Terminology shift
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hey all - there is a concerted effort in the technology community to
>>> retire the use of certain terms that references an overlord/master
>>> superiority (or terms with racial overtones).  So being a "webmaster"
>>> is no longer an acceptable term or title.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>   _____
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2020 14:29:35 -0400
>>> From:  <mailto:blind at trailstone.com> <blind at trailstone.com>
>>> To: "'NFB Webmaster's List'"  <mailto:nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
>>> <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: [NFB-Web] NFB national convention webmaster division annual
>>> meeting
>>>
>>> Gary,
>>>
>>> Is there an agenda for the webmaster division at the NFB national
>>> convention yet?
>>>
>>>
>>> Tuesday, July 14, 2020
>>>
>>>
>>> 6:00 - 7:30 PM-WEBMASTERS MEETING
>>>
>>> . A meeting for all NFB affiliate and division webmasters to discuss
>>> the importance of an informative, accessible, and visually attractive
>> website.
>>>
>>>
>>> . Gary Wunder, Chair
>>>
>>>
>>> Graham Mehl
>>>
>>> blind at trailstone.com <mailto:blind at trailstone.com>
>>>
>>> NFB Central Maryland Chapter, President
>>>
>>> NFB of Maryland Website and Technology Committee, Chair
>>>
>>> LCB graduate, 2016
>>>
>>>
>>>
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