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Comment by michaelpb | Hacker News Reader

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michaelpb·

GIMP?

If that's what you're referring to, then yup #1 worst-named FOSS ever.

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"Mongo" is a pretty bad slur for people with Down syndrome.

Oh wow, I had no idea! I've never heard of this. Thanks for letting me know.

I only knew it as the name of "Planet Mongo", the main planet in the Flash Gordon universe, an old science fiction comic that has been rebooted many times (which also had loads of extremely racist anti-Chinese elements)

In the Scandinavian countries "mongo" is used as both a slur and a general insult. However, since it manages the feat of being both ableist and racist at the same time, its popularity has waned quite a bit over the years.

I've never heard that, though I've heard the racist "loid" version.

Though I do love the dictionary definition of "mongo":

"Items found in the trash that can be salvaged."

Sums up my views of mongodb pretty well, actually.

And the version of the slur you're talking about is a pretty old one that I have not heard used in decades (of course that may be regional, generational, etc.)

But like you, I have never heard "mongo" used in the same pejorative context.

It is a very common slur among kids in Norway and originally means someone who has the "mongoloid" syndrome. These days it just means "you idiot" after "pro choice" succeeded where Hitler "failed" and got rid of most people with downs syndrome.

It might be rare in English but it is very common in other languages.

In sweden/norway/some other countries it is often shortened to mongo and used a slur.

I thought it was a jab at Cockroach DB

Could be that! Another terrible name hahah. Although in their defense I get the "cockroach" analogy, while "gimp" is just an offensive insult and/or a very NSFW BDSM term, and has no other meaning, which makes conversations even more awkward.

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