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

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

#271

Post by Confusion »

thedz wrote: post #86
kentonv wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it offensive? Yes. Does Github have the right to take it down? Yes. Is it unethical for Github to take it down? Not at all. But should they? I don't know, I don't think I would have. It's kind of scary to use cloud services where it's hard to tell if your content might be judged in violation of some rule and might suddenly disappear as a result. If the offensiveness were more extreme (say, a repo dedicated to maki…

Your first three questions/answers, summarized, is that "Github ethically and legally removed an offensive word" Should they? Yes. I feel slippery slope arguments get brought up way too much sometimes. Every issue is turning into a binary all-or-nothing ordeal, with no room for nuance or context. As long as what Github did is 1. ethical (removing a generally accepted as offensive word), 2. legal, then I see no proble…

That word is not generally accepted as offensive. If you believe that, you live in an echo box dominated by politically correct SJWs. You also completely forget the world isn't limited to the US and other cultures consider the equivalent of the word entirely differently.

'The Dummy guide to ...' can be more offensive than 'The retards guide to ...'.

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

#272

Post by DanBC »

seivan wrote: post #183

It's kind of scary how many people here consider the word retard offensive. I assume words like "fucker" or "dicks" would also trigger you? I get that Github as a private corporation gets to decide what they want or don't want but that's driven on how many people genuinely get offended so I'm assuming a large portion of people genuinely got bothered by this compared to all the other shit happening in the world.

Search my post history. I use words like cunt or fuck. I don't use the word retard because I recognise that it is frequently used by people committing a hate crime (an actual crime, like violence against the person, or sexual violence, or theft); and I recognise that use of the word contributes to a culture that de-personalises people with LD and makes it easier for doctors to murder them with the justification of "retards have no quality of life".

You're right about the numbers of people who see this use of the word as offensive. That's something that seems to be missed: this isn't a fringe view, it's mainstream opinion. For a lot of people it's not a border case. It's as obvious to a lot of people as eg banning ZippoCat would be.

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

#273

Post by PopeOfNope »

ectoplasm wrote: post #250
PopeOfNope wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just get annoyed when people mistakenly think they have a constitutional right to not be censored. And I say that where, exactly?

You didn't, OP implied it by using the term free speech.

So this entire thread has been a lesson in the pointlessness of pedanticism.

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

#274

Post by EugeneOZ »

brandonmenc wrote: post #265
EugeneOZ wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are caricaturists, nothing can offend them. You miss the point of their reasoning.

> nothing can offend them Then they didn't die to protect speech they were offended by. I don't know how much clearer this can be.

It's not required to be offended personally by something to protect freedom of speech, I can understand how else I should say it. And if you don't want to understand it - Charlie Hebdo also published caricatures about christian religion, so it was offensive for them too, for their friends. Muslims just were more aggressive.

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

#275

Post by waterlesscloud »

zobzu wrote: post #214
waterlesscloud wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the same wiki article you're quoting from - "Governments, private organizations and individuals may engage in censorship" It's simply incorrect to say that private companies cannot engage in censorship.

This is the internet, where retarded people redefine the words and their world view as they see fit. Most comments and up/down votes are about what people like/dislike not about what's either right, interesting or insightful.

I take every downvote on a comment of undeniable factual information as a clear indication of the downward slide of HN.

It is what it is, and the mods couldn't care less.

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

#277

Post by lazzlazzlazz »

BetaMechazawa wrote: post #47

This obsession with making every single website a hugbox these days is moronic. The word retard/retarded is seldom associated with actual retardation instead it's just a synonym for moron. Even if you dissagree with that you should still be able to see that even if we did s/retard/moron/ or replaced it with git, idiot etc it would still violate the TOS.

Even the words "moron", "idiot", etc. all have an etymological root in referring to the mentally handicapped.

I, for one, will think twice about relying on Github in the future if they try to police what is and isn't appropriate language.

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

#278

Post by duncan_bayne »

seivan wrote: post #268
hhandoko wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're not discussing about private conversation between two friends. I would be offended if a stranger said that to me. Wouldn't you? Of course, I can see that this is done for laughs, but not everyone sees that.

This repository doesn't belong to you. For all intents and purposes this is a private conversation in public. Not to mention going out of their way and report it to the Githapo to have them take it down. This is insane. I'm I the only one who sees the insanity of grown adults shitting their pants over vulgarity?!

> grown adults

Now there's an unwarranted assumption if ever I saw one ;)

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

#279

Post by dchest »

pmalynin wrote: post #12

Buy a $5 DO box and host it yourself. Use any language that you desire.

Pretty much every hosting provider has this in their TOS.

https://www.digitalocean.com/legal/terms/

3.2 You agree that you will not transmit, distribute, post, store, link, or otherwise traffic in Content, information, software, or materials on or through the Service that (i) is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libelous, deceptive, fraudulent, invasive of another's privacy, tortious, offensive, profane, contains or depicts pornography that is unlawful, or is otherwise inappropriate as determined by us in our sole discretion, (ii) you know is false, misleading, untruthful or inaccurate, (iii) constitutes unauthorized or unsolicited advertising, (iv) impersonates any person or entity, including any of our employees or representatives, or (v) includes anyone’s identification documents or sensitive financial information. DigitalOcean may permit, in its sole discretion, adult websites that abide by state and federal law and regulation.

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

#280

Post by anewhnaccount »

thedz wrote: post #199
Animats wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"This isn't censorship of the type that is illegal or not allowed. It is a private company deciding a word was inappropriate." As a Github user, that kind of thinking worries me. Google Code went away, and Sourceforge started packaging adware and spyware with other people's projects. They could do this because "they were a private company". Now Github's management is starting to throw their weight around. We now need…

> We now need to think about a backup plan in case Github management gets out of line. This is a distributed source control system. Keep a clone of the repo somewhere. Your source code is now no longer bound to Github.

What about your issues, pull requests, visiblity of forks?
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