Rubyists, we must do better

1. It originates from a racist usage. 2. It is primarily used with reference to racist ideas.

I still think that there may be reason to change it: e.g. allowlist/blocklist may be more easily understood, but whitelist/blacklist may be more easy to recall (since it is more standard terminology).

Interestingly, along the same lines as whitelist/blacklist, certain Chinese and Japanese have historically called Caucasians red-haired peoples, with connotations of otherness. One wonders if in another century someone would argue to change the colors of the red-black tree.

That last one isn't going to work in practice, regardless of your own libertarian or anarchist ideals.

This is a great point and one that needs to be heard more throughout this debate.

Changing RuboCop's name due to BLM isn't just inserting politics into software, it's inserting _American_ politics into software. "Cop" might be a negative here, but positive in other places. Demanding a name change of an internationally-used tool due to a localized problem is nothing short of cultural imperialism.

Its great that American policing is finally coming under scrutiny and that we're starting to see institutions bend to the pressure of change. But it's critical that we keep a level head during this time and separate the modern culture of American policing (a negative) from the idea of a police force (a positive). I'd love to see a shift in this communication, not just in the Ruby community in a worldwide a community; a shift from "All cops are bad" to "Here is what good cops look like". Places that are proud and admiring of their police forces need to speak up about it and why they feel that way and lead the rest of the world by example.

Bozhidar was incredibly patient.

That I can't tell if that's the case or not is equally alarming.

These terms amongst hundreds of others build up a mental association between blackness and wrongness.

The word "black", just by itself - look a dictionary definition. In addition to the raw color is used to connote a sad event, anger, or just evil ("it was a black day", "full of anger or hatred", "very evil or wicked").

On the flipside white is used to connote purity and goodness. In the context of America we're talking about a country which favored bleached white foods to anything else for the same reason.

I just don't get how people can't see the harm that is accrued from not the single example but the hundreds collectively.

Also, for the record, I think changing the name of the project verges on absurd.

Now the word "cop" is a label we associate with a job, it has been around for decades, it isn't derogative (unless you as a police officer are offended by it). What we have here, is people being offended by what has happened, not by the adjective of the job.

I mean you'll get fired or punched in the face if you use some of the stuff people mentioned flippantly a century ago.

YOU don't think anybody will ever be offended; that's a personal opinion that you hold, but your opinion doesn't apply when SOMEONE ELSE is offended.

I mean for example I'm not offended if people swear in HN, so say "fuck" and "shit" all you want, I don't care. But I'm not alone here, and there will be people who are offended and would prefer it to stay out of HN.

Like how you want politics out of software development.

Anyway, you say you want to keep politics out of software development, but this isn't a political issue, it's a moral issue. It's about what is right and wrong, not what the current political climate is.