Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

github.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 845 posts

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#141

Post by forrestthewoods »

mbillie1 wrote: post #93
CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

A private company choosing not to allow content for whatever reason is not censorship . People who choose to use the word "retard" are not a protected class, Github can ban this word as they see fit.

False. When Trey Parker and Matt Stone wished to show Muhammad in South Park Comedy Central overruled them and placed a big black censored box over Muhammad in the cartoon. If you want to say that a black box with the word censored doesn't qualify as censorship then you're retarded.

You are ever correct that GitHub can ban the word if they want. They're fully within their legal right to do so.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#142

Post by PopeOfNope »

Retra wrote: post #79
CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

You don't think standards of professionalism have a place in open source, or on GitHub?

"standards of professionalism" are used as a device of exclusion. It has a fairly narrow definition now, but that will change, just like the words "racist", "sexist" and "homophobic". You used to have to perform an action of actual malice to be accused of those things. Now, all you have to do is make an honest mistake and the entire internet's on you like jackals.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#143

Post by manicdee »

thedz wrote: post #116
CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

1. This isn't censorship of the type that is illegal or not allowed. It is a private company deciding a word was inappropriate. 2. It seems like most in this comment thread agree that this action, as a singular act, is a good thing. The word was offensive. Github asked the repo to change it. They did. The end. 3. As for the larger context, the problem with the frequent use of slippery slope arguments and cries of "ce…

First they came for the cussers and swearers, but I didn't speak out because I don't cuss or swear.

Then they came for the homophobes and cisgendered bigots, and I cheered them on, because I value diversity.

Then they came for the conspiracy theorists, and I didn't speak out because I don't believe the reptoids are evil.

Then they came for me, and there was none left to speak out.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#144

Post by andylei »

PopeOfNope wrote: post #135
thedz wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. This isn't censorship of the type that is illegal or not allowed. It is a private company deciding a word was inappropriate. 2. It seems like most in this comment thread agree that this action, as a singular act, is a good thing. The word was offensive. Github asked the repo to change it. They did. The end. 3. As for the larger context, the problem with the frequent use of slippery slope arguments and cries of "ce…

By the time #4 on your list happens, what makes you think anybody will be listening?

what kind of doomsday scenario are you imagining? all the open source repos in the world slowly die as github starts censoring increasingly larger portions of the english language?

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#145

Post by ThrustVectoring »

avolcano wrote: post #6

Fine with me. It's an offensive term and GitHub has every right to police their service and ban content like this. Am I supposed to be concerned by this, and if so, why?

Yes. It incentivizes loudly taking offense to things. Regardless of whether or not you care about the use of the word 'retard' being taken offense to, there are many things that you do care about. It's trivially easy to find examples - millions of Americans care deeply about violence in games and media. Should GitHub police the language a violent open-source video game uses to market itself? By setting itself up as the arbiter of what is and isn't acceptable language, GitHub will be petitioned by people who want to make things unacceptable to say.

Edit: Also, people can decide to find something to take offense over in order to attack a targeted individual. This should be very concerning to you - are you sure you've never committed anything that an uncharitable person could take offense to? Imagine a few dozen very angry people combing through your work, trying to find something to get outraged about.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#146

Post by ascorbic »

PopeOfNope wrote: post #113
ectoplasm wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is the selective censorship of certain reasonable uses of free speech that is concerning here. Free speech laws don't apply to corporate or private censorship. > Who decides what is and is not appropriate? The owners of the property. Can I come over to your place and say offensive things?

Free speech laws don't apply to corporate or private censorship. Nobody's suggesting we sue or otherwise bring criminal charges against Github. Your response is a non-sequitur at best. The owners of the property. Can I come over to your place and say offensive things? Legally? Yes, you can.

And legally you can eject him from your property if he does that.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#147

Post by aerovistae »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #96
aerovistae wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have a nice look at this list and let me know if you'd like to ban all of these too. After all, they have context and actual loaded meanings, and in many cases represent hundreds of years of oppression. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnic...

It's as if we as humans have some kind of context-sensitive language recognition capability, and can tell when a word is being used as a slur or if it has entirely unrelated meanings. We're slightly smarter than regular expressions. And yes, I'd fully expect Github to ban those too.

I'm sorry, but I believe that allowing even one idea to be banned from discourse is the first step towards a system where someone like Edward Snowden has to find asylum in Russia.

I don't believe in censorship or hiding away what was really said or done. If anyone has a problem with this developer's language, they can boycott his repo.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#148

Post by scruple »

mbillie1 wrote: post #93
CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

A private company choosing not to allow content for whatever reason is not censorship . People who choose to use the word "retard" are not a protected class, Github can ban this word as they see fit.

> ban this word as they see fit.

Then they're going to have a busy night.

https://github.com/search?q=retard&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#149

Post by Nyetan »

ebola1717 wrote: post #130
Nyetan wrote: post #63

This brings up a point that's been nagging at me for a while: does making a community more inclusive necessarily mean making it less distinctive? GenderDetector (formerly SexMachine [1]) is another example of this process, wherein what was formerly considered within the norm of politeness is now sufficiently far outside to cause outcry. I'm curious what other people think -- this has been on my mind for a while, and…

The parts of the "distinctiveness" and "cultural identity" we'd lose are exactly the ones we don't want in the first place.

Fair enough, I suppose. Still, I'll miss reading the occasional post outlining Linus' outbursts on the kernel mailing lists when that day comes.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#150

Post by tracker1 »

thedz wrote: post #116
CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

1. This isn't censorship of the type that is illegal or not allowed. It is a private company deciding a word was inappropriate. 2. It seems like most in this comment thread agree that this action, as a singular act, is a good thing. The word was offensive. Github asked the repo to change it. They did. The end. 3. As for the larger context, the problem with the frequent use of slippery slope arguments and cries of "ce…

Github is itself using an offensive term...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(slang)

Post reply on HN