Policy on meta-data/account names in the bug tracker

[Rich Felker]

I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best unprofessional,
and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and creating
a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
participation in the standards process.

Is there any policy to deal with this, or should there be?

Rich

[Don Cragun]

Post by Rich Felker
I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best unprofessional,
and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and creating
a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
participation in the standards process.
Is there any policy to deal with this, or should there be?
Rich

While it may be a clever triple entendre, we have been assured
that the reference is to this meaning that can be found in most
English dictionaries:
A large tropical bird of the gannet family, with brown,
black, or white plumage and often brightly colored feet.

- Don

[Thomas Dickey]

----- Original Message -----
| From: "Don Cragun" <dcragun-65eDfwRo+***@public.gmane.org>
| To: "Rich Felker" <dalias-***@public.gmane.org>
| Cc: austin-group-l-7882/***@public.gmane.org
| Sent: Saturday, August 2, 2014 6:57:47 PM
| Subject: Re: Policy on meta-data/account names in the bug tracker
|
| On Aug 1, 2014, at 7:58 PM, Rich Felker <dalias-***@public.gmane.org> wrote:
| > I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
| > likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best
| > unprofessional,
| > and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and
| > creating
| > a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
| > participation in the standards process.
| >
| > Is there any policy to deal with this, or should there be?
| >
| > Rich
|
| While it may be a clever triple entendre, we have been assured
| that the reference is to this meaning that can be found in most
| English dictionaries:
| A large tropical bird of the gannet family, with brown,
| black, or white plumage and often brightly colored feet.
|

I seem to recall reading that, but don't see it in the list archive.
(The relationship with the person's initials seemed to me apt).

His blog agrees with Don's comment:

https://www.blogger.com/profile/11424216634590390509

[Joerg Schilling]

Post by Don Cragun

Post by Rich Felker
I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best unprofessional,
and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and creating
a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
participation in the standards process.
Is there any policy to deal with this, or should there be?
Rich

While it may be a clever triple entendre, we have been assured
that the reference is to this meaning that can be found in most
A large tropical bird of the gannet family, with brown,
black, or white plumage and often brightly colored feet.

As Don mentions, in this specific case, there is an english meaning but
english is not the center of the world. The first name of a former college
is "Gayass", see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaya

for an overview of possible roots for the word. I hope nobody here would try
to prevent such a username.

Jörg

[Mark Brown]

Post by Rich Felker
I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best unprofessional,
and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and creating
a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
participation in the standards process.

While there is no policy to deal with this, I am notified of each new
registration as the website admin. I have in the past removed obvious
scam accounts, and also at least one truly offensive login name.

As I am aware of the multiple meanings for the word in question, I let
this account alone.

[Rich Felker]

Post by Joerg Schilling

Post by Don Cragun

Post by Rich Felker
I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best unprofessional,
and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and creating
a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
participation in the standards process.
Is there any policy to deal with this, or should there be?
Rich

While it may be a clever triple entendre, we have been assured
that the reference is to this meaning that can be found in most
A large tropical bird of the gannet family, with brown,
black, or white plumage and often brightly colored feet.

As Don mentions, in this specific case, there is an english meaning but
english is not the center of the world. The first name of a former college
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaya
for an overview of possible roots for the word. I hope nobody here would try
to prevent such a username.

In cases like this, where the word can also be a homophobic, racist,
etc. slur I would apply a heightened "smell test": unless the user has
a strong demonstrable connection to the non-offensive sense of the
word, any such use is at best an act of trolling that seems intended
to make others feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Even when the user
does have a strong connection to the non-offensive sense, I think it's
pretty unprofessional to use a username that could be misconstrued as
such by others. This is an environment where people should be behaving
as professionals and respectful of how such choices might be hostile
to others, rather than playing schoolyard games of arguing with the
teacher over whether they actually "said a bad word".

Rich

[Ross Johnson]

I agree with Mr Felker that a degree of self-censorship may sometimes be
desirable as "the better part of valour". But in all cases it is also
for the list membership to show professional respect to members who may
be suspect, and not prejudge. Sectional interests will always usurp
common-use words and names to serve their own agendas.

Regards.
Ross Johnson

Post by Rich Felker

Post by Joerg Schilling

Post by Don Cragun

Post by Rich Felker
I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best unprofessional,
and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and creating
a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
participation in the standards process.
Is there any policy to deal with this, or should there be?
Rich

While it may be a clever triple entendre, we have been assured
that the reference is to this meaning that can be found in most
A large tropical bird of the gannet family, with brown,
black, or white plumage and often brightly colored feet.

As Don mentions, in this specific case, there is an english meaning but
english is not the center of the world. The first name of a former college
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaya
for an overview of possible roots for the word. I hope nobody here would try
to prevent such a username.

In cases like this, where the word can also be a homophobic, racist,
etc. slur I would apply a heightened "smell test": unless the user has
a strong demonstrable connection to the non-offensive sense of the
word, any such use is at best an act of trolling that seems intended
to make others feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Even when the user
does have a strong connection to the non-offensive sense, I think it's
pretty unprofessional to use a username that could be misconstrued as
such by others. This is an environment where people should be behaving
as professionals and respectful of how such choices might be hostile
to others, rather than playing schoolyard games of arguing with the
teacher over whether they actually "said a bad word".
Rich

[Steffen Nurpmeso]

Rich Felker <dalias-***@public.gmane.org> wrote:
|On Mon, Aug 04, 2014 at 11:50:18AM +0200, Joerg Schilling wrote:
|> Don Cragun <dcragun-65eDfwRo+***@public.gmane.org> wrote:
|>> On Aug 1, 2014, at 7:58 PM, Rich Felker <dalias-***@public.gmane.org> wrote:
|>>> I noticed that the account name of the reporter for issue 529 (and
|>>> likely other issues but I have not checked) is at best unprofessional,
|>>> and could be taken as perpetuating sexism in the industry and creating
|>>> a hostile (w.r.t. sexual harassment, etc.) environment for
|>>> participation in the standards process.

|> is "Gayass", see:
|>
|> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaya

|to others, rather than playing schoolyard games of arguing with the
|teacher over whether they actually "said a bad word".

I agree, we currently celebrate the hundreth anniversary of the
so-called first world war. It happened that the tone became more
and more offensive or better say uprising until it became easier
to have a world war than to talk with each other. Well i have to
say that reading "All Quiet on the Western Front" ("Im Westen
nichts Neues" in German, i.e., no front there whatsoever) was one
of the books which influenced me massively; it has sections which
are _horrific_ (which most likely is why Goebbels and his henchmen
made so much propaganda against it). Hm. Regarding this topic
i once asked my stepbrother if he was abused sexually, since he is
catholic and was altar server at that time, but he said "no". So
indeed it seems that cannot be generalized. Of course you never
know, remaining silent because of indoctrination, pudency, fear or
for whatever reason, even that the adult is assumed to be trusted
more and that things get even worse is a likely trauma for those
tortured souls.

But the Boobie has really nicely coloured feet, and he also
reminds me of a bird that we managed to render extinct, i think it
was Australian-based?, what was the name of that one again...
Didn't it look pretty similar? There are only some paintings of
that kind of bird, including a really famous one, but which
actually turned out to be a lie, in sofar as the artist never saw
the animal but used parts of several other animals, even including
rhino, to fantasize how it looks like. Heh? That was the story,
wasn't it?? Maybe i remember the name of that dead species...

So i personally sympathize a lot with that reporter, what the
Boobie needs seems to be some courtesy and love (which therefore
mostly means leaving him alone and giving him some habitat) and
with some luck at least this species remains alive!

--steffen

[Steffen Nurpmeso]

I was informed off-list and ..

|reminds me of a bird that we managed to render extinct, i think it

Of course i had the Dodo in mind.

|Didn't it look pretty similar? There are only some paintings of
|that kind of bird, including a really famous one, but which
|actually turned out to be a lie, in sofar as the artist never saw
|the animal but used parts of several other animals, even including
|rhino, to fantasize how it looks like.

That was a complete miscompilation, the painting i referred to was
"Rhinocerus" by Albrecht Dürer.

And for the native english speakers: a "Bubi" is a young boy in
German. So here there was a complete stack of misunderstandings.

--steffen