General > General Technical Chat
'Master' and 'slave': Tech terms face scrutiny amid anti-racism efforts
madires:
--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on July 07, 2020, 10:38:47 am ---Michigan State University's Vice President, physicist Stephen Hsu was forced to resign last month, because he dared point out research that showed that statistically, there is no racial bias in police shootings in the USA. The student union demanded his resignation, because that was against the Black Lives Matter pledge the University had made, accusing Hsu of "scientific racism".
--- End quote ---
Those students have disqualified themselves from becoming scientists. But they have potential as politicians of an oppressive regime. >:D Anyway, it's the same danger we face when the do-gooders trying to ban master and slave gain sufficient momentum. The result would be superficially hidden racism and a lot of collateral damage without changing anything regarding racism. Racism is in the heads of people. That can't be easily fixed by renaming terms.
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: madires on July 07, 2020, 01:07:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on July 07, 2020, 10:38:47 am ---Michigan State University's Vice President, physicist Stephen Hsu was forced to resign last month, because he dared point out research that showed that statistically, there is no racial bias in police shootings in the USA. The student union demanded his resignation, because that was against the Black Lives Matter pledge the University had made, accusing Hsu of "scientific racism".
--- End quote ---
Those students have disqualified themselves from becoming scientists. But they have potential as politicians of an oppressive regime. >:D Anyway, it's the same danger we face when the do-gooders trying to ban master and slave gain sufficient momentum. The result would be superficially hidden racism and a lot of collateral damage without changing anything regarding racism. Racism is in the heads of people. That can't be easily fixed by renaming terms.
--- End quote ---
Even is Stephen Hsu is right about the statistics, he was an idiot for bringing it up while videos of obvious police brutality was circulating. One powerful anecdote is more upsetting to people than reams of statistics. Basically, he more than likely ended up fired for being an idiot courting controversy, not necessarily for the facts of the statistics themselves.
Nominal Animal:
I just realized something:
Can you hate something you find truly funny?
I do not think so. If people generally cannot hate what they find funny, wouldn't it make sense to encourage "racist" (no, funny stereotype) jokes about every kind of people?
One of my favourite jokes about Finns is a Norwegian one: The Great Misfortune at Lake Inari. (Den store ulykken ved Inari-sjøen, or something like that.)
Matti and Pekka, two Finnish lumberjacks, decided one winter day to go ice fishing at Lake Inari.
Since it is a large lake at 68°57'N, and it was end of January, it snowed heavily, with visibility just a few feet.
With great effort, the two men drilled holes in the ice using a hand auger – ice was over half a meter thick –, and started fishing.
It was cold. And pretty miserable, too.
Suddenly, Matti remembered that he had packed an unopened bottle of Koskenkorva vodka!
He dug it out, cracked it open, and took a hefty swig.
The stinging heat flowed down his throat, and his mood brightened.
He thought, "I bet Pekka would appreciate a gulp too."
So, he yelled at Pekka, "Come here! I've got Koskenkorva!"
Alas, it snowed too heavily, and Pekka was too far: he didn't hear.
That was the Great Misfortune at Lake Inari.
Nominal Animal:
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on July 07, 2020, 01:38:50 pm ---
--- Quote from: madires on July 07, 2020, 01:07:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on July 07, 2020, 10:38:47 am ---Michigan State University's Vice President, physicist Stephen Hsu was forced to resign last month, because he dared point out research that showed that statistically, there is no racial bias in police shootings in the USA. The student union demanded his resignation, because that was against the Black Lives Matter pledge the University had made, accusing Hsu of "scientific racism".
--- End quote ---
Those students have disqualified themselves from becoming scientists. But they have potential as politicians of an oppressive regime. >:D Anyway, it's the same danger we face when the do-gooders trying to ban master and slave gain sufficient momentum. The result would be superficially hidden racism and a lot of collateral damage without changing anything regarding racism. Racism is in the heads of people. That can't be easily fixed by renaming terms.
--- End quote ---
Even is Stephen Hsu is right about the statistics, he was an idiot for bringing it up while videos of obvious police brutality was circulating. One powerful anecdote is more upsetting to people than reams of statistics. Basically, he more than likely ended up fired for being an idiot courting controversy, not necessarily for the facts of the statistics themselves.
--- End quote ---
Ah, yes: Do not bring up relevant hate facts, because people are so unable to control their impulses they'll tear you apart. Especially at an university.
This does not exactly sound like a rational society to me; nor a society I want to be a part of; nor what the generally accepted role of universities are in our societies.
If the most educated of us cannot even look at statistics without getting into a destructive frenzy, I say we should head back to the savannah: we're not ready for civilization yet.
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on July 07, 2020, 01:51:10 pm ---
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on July 07, 2020, 01:38:50 pm ---
--- Quote from: madires on July 07, 2020, 01:07:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on July 07, 2020, 10:38:47 am ---Michigan State University's Vice President, physicist Stephen Hsu was forced to resign last month, because he dared point out research that showed that statistically, there is no racial bias in police shootings in the USA. The student union demanded his resignation, because that was against the Black Lives Matter pledge the University had made, accusing Hsu of "scientific racism".
--- End quote ---
Those students have disqualified themselves from becoming scientists. But they have potential as politicians of an oppressive regime. >:D Anyway, it's the same danger we face when the do-gooders trying to ban master and slave gain sufficient momentum. The result would be superficially hidden racism and a lot of collateral damage without changing anything regarding racism. Racism is in the heads of people. That can't be easily fixed by renaming terms.
--- End quote ---
Even is Stephen Hsu is right about the statistics, he was an idiot for bringing it up while videos of obvious police brutality was circulating. One powerful anecdote is more upsetting to people than reams of statistics. Basically, he more than likely ended up fired for being an idiot courting controversy, not necessarily for the facts of the statistics themselves.
--- End quote ---
Ah, yes: Do not bring up relevant hate facts, because people are so unable to control their impulses they'll tear you apart. Especially at an university.
This does not exactly sound like a rational society to me; nor a society I want to be a part of; nor what the generally accepted role of universities are in our societies.
If the most educated of us cannot even look at statistics without getting into a destructive frenzy, I say we should head back to the savannah: we're not ready for civilization yet.
--- End quote ---
A person in a leading position is expected to know that humans are not 100% rational... if he did not know that humans are not rational and likely to react badly to the way he presents himself then he is not suitable for the job. If he did know, and did it anyway, he is also not suitable for the job, for being a sh!t-stirrer. Think moderator vs. hot headed participant in an Internet debate - which role do you expect senior figures to play?
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