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Why the trans flag emoji is the 5-codepoint sequence it is

hecate.pink

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Re: Why the trans flag emoji is the 5-codepoint sequence it is

#41

Post by Analemma_ »

LAC-Tech wrote: post #38

Why are flags part of unicode? I thought the point of unicode was to add something for every glyph ever written in every text so they can be stored digitally as plain text. Flags are... not text. And who decides what sorts of flags and valid which aren't? I mean... we know who.. .but humour me. (didn't read the article because the website is deliberately unreadable. zero guilt)

The point of Unicode is to try and be the One True Encoding and remove the need for all other language encoding standards, so there's never any more "mojibake" or cross-border compatibility issues. In order to do this, every feature that has existed in other encoding standards has to be supported in Unicode, or else people will stick to that other encoding in some circumstances.

With emoji specifically, they were popular in Japan dating all the way back to the 90s, via carrier-specific encoding standards. The lack of emoji support in messaging was a reason that the iPhone and Android were slower than expected to take off in Japan, and so Apple and Google asked the Unicode Consortium to add emoji support, so they could have this feature on their phones while sticking to a universal encoding standard. IIRC, the Unicode Consortium was actually hesitant to do this and didn't want to be involved with standardizing pictograms into Unicode, but eventually relented.

Re: Why the trans flag emoji is the 5-codepoint sequence it is

#42

Post by octoberfranklin »

jrockway wrote: post #27

I like how the Unicode Consortium really doesn't want to accept any more flags, but you can still probably shoehorn them in if you're Apple or Google and you have a glyph sequence that is backwards compatible. One way of getting things done -- just do it. I knew the details behind this because Windows 10 didn't include font with the trans flag by default, and so it always rendered as flag + trans symbol. I eventually…

China really doesn't want to accept more flag emojis. For fairly obvious reasons.

Re: Why the trans flag emoji is the 5-codepoint sequence it is

#44

Post by periodjet »

OhioMan2943 wrote: post #34
RebeccaTheDev wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To add on to this: if you're a "guy" still trying to feel out some really confusing feelings, playing a vixen online allows you to explore those feelings without it impacting your real life. It's the same reason it's pretty common for trans people to report preferring to play characters of their true gender in video games. It gives you a safe, low-stakes way to explore gender. With furry especially, that particular f…

[flagged]

I mean, it’s quite obviously not to anyone with even a tiny modicum of common sense, and I say this as a trans person (although not a furry).

Modern psychology has built up an incredible memeplex that is accepted unquestioningly despite being an enormous load of bullshit / giant house of cards.

All relativist extremists fall back on it and use it to justify their detachments from and disdain for the shared reality we all inhabit together. Sad to witness, and only growing stronger, it seems.

Re: Why the trans flag emoji is the 5-codepoint sequence it is

#46

Post by SchemaLoad »

LAC-Tech wrote: post #38

Why are flags part of unicode? I thought the point of unicode was to add something for every glyph ever written in every text so they can be stored digitally as plain text. Flags are... not text. And who decides what sorts of flags and valid which aren't? I mean... we know who.. .but humour me. (didn't read the article because the website is deliberately unreadable. zero guilt)

The reason I've heard is because Japanese phone companies had invented their own version of emojis on their own encoding scheme pre unicode, and to switch over, they needed unicode to also include support for these emoji, which is why a lot of them are very Japan specific.

Emojis then blew up with the rest of the world once people worked out how to enable them on the iphone. And since unicode has unlimited space for new emoji, there is little reason to deny any widely used symbol an emoji representation.

Re: Why the trans flag emoji is the 5-codepoint sequence it is

#48

Post by bawolff »

octoberfranklin wrote: post #42
jrockway wrote: post #27

I like how the Unicode Consortium really doesn't want to accept any more flags, but you can still probably shoehorn them in if you're Apple or Google and you have a glyph sequence that is backwards compatible. One way of getting things done -- just do it. I knew the details behind this because Windows 10 didn't include font with the trans flag by default, and so it always rendered as flag + trans symbol. I eventually…

China really doesn't want to accept more flag emojis. For fairly obvious reasons.

I dont really think that makes sense as Taiwan flag is already there.

Re: Why the trans flag emoji is the 5-codepoint sequence it is

#49

Post by bawolff »

LAC-Tech wrote: post #38

Why are flags part of unicode? I thought the point of unicode was to add something for every glyph ever written in every text so they can be stored digitally as plain text. Flags are... not text. And who decides what sorts of flags and valid which aren't? I mean... we know who.. .but humour me. (didn't read the article because the website is deliberately unreadable. zero guilt)

The part i dont like is that country flags are encoded via country code, so if the regime changes (and adopts a new flag) all the flags in your document retroactively change.

This could have very different meaning. E.g. flag of Afghanistan before vs after the Taliban took over.

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