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Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

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Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#291

Post by dragonsngoblins »

teh_klev wrote: post #84
jFriedensreich wrote: post #28

The US has a serious problem with saying normal things like fuck, cunt and shit. I find it extremely offensive to hear beeps in series and even the verge author self censors his article. Fucking stop being hypocrites.

Twitter seems to filter through the prism of US standards of speech. Woe betide you if you're Scottish and use the word cunt. In Scotland there's quite a lot of nuance in the usage of cunt. In fact I go so far as to say that the use of "profane" language is a bit of an art form in Scotland, but sadly not appreciated by our Facebook and Twitter overlords. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdCmFg4xIPI

Ditto in Australia. In fact we even have a saying about it: "Australia: where you call your mates cunt and you call cunts mate".

Obviously context and tone play a lot into it and both "cunt" and "mate" can be friendly or threatening/derogatory depending on delivery and circumstance, but I imagine it would be remarkably difficult for people who aren't immersed into Australian culture to figure out which is which based on text alone

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#292

Post by thiagomgd »

IgorPartola wrote: post #223
feanaro wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, perhaps people just shouldn't be offended by names. There are more important things in life.

If your driver’s name was Hitler Did Nothing Wrong Nazis Rule, would you want to drive with them? I think name filtering like this is incredibly dumb and have never seen a good implementation of it. But “don’t be offended” is rarely the blanket answer people seem to think it is.

If that's the person's name, should they be excluded from those apps? Also: shouldn't they change their names in those extreme cases?

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#293

Post by perl4ever »

asveikau wrote: post #266
spacechild1 wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> traditionally Caucasian names like "Cummings" It always amazes me when US Americans talk in terms of human races like it's the most normal thing in the world. And no, “Cummings“ is not a “Caucasian name“ (whatever that is supposed to mean), it's an English name. I don't want sound too harsh, it's just that as a Central European with all our recent history, things like this really rub me the wrong way.

As an American I agree and this was also my reaction to the comment. There are a number of these things, though. I personally get a little irritated with the way many people here use terms like "Hispanic" to contrast with "white people". To me, "Hispanic" is a wide spectrum of ethnicities but really more of a linguistic, cultural and national/political specifier, with lots of overlap with "white". People who are tryi…

"To me, "Hispanic" is a wide spectrum of ethnicities but really more of a linguistic, cultural and national/political specifier"

Every form I can remember seeing in the US that asks whether you are Hispanic says that it includes people of any race.

So how do you like this election season?

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#294

Post by asveikau »

perl4ever wrote: post #293
asveikau wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an American I agree and this was also my reaction to the comment. There are a number of these things, though. I personally get a little irritated with the way many people here use terms like "Hispanic" to contrast with "white people". To me, "Hispanic" is a wide spectrum of ethnicities but really more of a linguistic, cultural and national/political specifier, with lots of overlap with "white". People who are tryi…

"To me, "Hispanic" is a wide spectrum of ethnicities but really more of a linguistic, cultural and national/political specifier" Every form I can remember seeing in the US that asks whether you are Hispanic says that it includes people of any race. So how do you like this election season?

> Every form I can remember seeing in the US that asks whether you are Hispanic says that it includes people of any race.

Yes, that is the "correct" thing that goes on the form, written by people who have bothered to look into this question. It isn't how people talk in casual speech.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#295

Post by fapjacks »

cortesoft wrote: post #100
qwerty456127 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is all bullshit anyway. A word is just a word and whenever it insults somebody it's their own problem. I would rather change my actual name to Fuck if I wasn't too lazy to deal with problems like that. I once read a story of a Vietnamese man named Hui. He had to go to the court to protect his right to be named this way in Ukraine where the word is used widely and has only one meaning - a dick.

This is a nonsensical argument. A word has meaning, which is why it is a word and not a sound. If I yell insults at you, you are saying that doesn't mean anything? And if you get insulted, it is your own fault? No, words have meaning based on a common understanding between the person saying the word and the person hearing the word. If I insult you and you understand it, it is me who did the insulting, it is not 'your…

> If I yell insults at you, you are saying that doesn't mean anything? And if you get insulted, it is your own fault?

Yes. You should check out Seneca, and/or Epictetus.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#297

Post by Piskvorrr »

GrantZvolsky wrote: post #126
Macha wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what about Mr. Fucks, the fast food worker with no network to get his issues in front of a Lyft employee? He's probably just unable to use the service.

That guy's so used to services failing him that he doesn't use his real name unless necessary.

In other words, you are saying he's a non-person. How very nice of you.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#298

Post by FlowNote »

dang wrote: post #283
FlowNote wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, this is pure dishonesty manifest. Islam throws gays off of buildings and beheads women. Christian city made you sad one time because your Dad made you go to Church. Your hopes to prevent analysis of moral arbitrage is nothing more than cheerleader cherry-picking.

We've banned this account for violating the site guidelines. You can't do flamewar like this here, let alone religious flamewar. If you don't want to be banned on HN, you're welcome to email hn@ycombinator.com and give us reason to believe that you'll follow the rules in the future. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

No wait, misread that. My bad.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#299

Post by foxyv »

Names are funny, you can't really tell people what names they can use because they are THEIR NAMES. You try to censor certain names and you will trample someone who has a name you didn't expect just because of their background or race.

Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana_Pepsi_Vandyck

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#300

Post by gdy »

homonculus1 wrote: post #290
rjeli wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if you are aware but Chapelle is black

Does the skin color of the person vibrating the air impart some intrinsic quality to it? The point of the comment above is that the meaning is informed by the listener, you can import all the traumas and neuroses of those around you or you can listen mindfully and limit the impact to whatever is the speaker's intent and capacity to harm you.

In the historical context, where in the US people with white skin had people with black skin as slaves, yes, it obviously does.
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