[NFB-Web] Terminology shift
Peter
pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com
Sun Jul 5 15:31:08 UTC 2020
Hello everyone,
Especially when the NFB has bigger fish to fry than ridiculous squabbles over what we call someone or something. There's way too much of this junk going on today. The NFB doesn't need to be encumbered by such stuff.
Peter Donahue
-----Original Message-----
From: NFB-Web <nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of David Mehler via NFB-Web
Sent: Sunday, July 5, 2020 9:18 AM
To: NFB Webmaster's List <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
Cc: David Mehler <dave.mehler at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NFB-Web] Terminology shift
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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>>
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