[Kye]

>> "Therefore if someone says their pronouns are all Apache Attack Helicopter (and someone will), and you are aware of it, you are obligated to say things like "I think Apache Attack Helicopter made a good point". If I'm familiar with it, yet choose to say "I think they made a good point", I would have violated the code of conduct."

This would be obvious trolling. No one sincerely identifies as an Apache Attack Helicopter. No one doing this is making a worthwhile contribution, so there would be nothing worth engaging with. Report and move on.

[atonse]

Here’s a better example that’s not as obvious: if I am not aware that ze was an accepted pronoun and someone told me to use it, how do I know its real and not them jokingly using “the” with a French accent? Should I report it as someone fooling around?

[Kye]

Is the post otherwise good? If so, Google/quack/whatever for ze pronoun and see what comes up. Search engines are better at surfacing explanations for them these days.

In practice, you won't encounter them often, and it should be obvious if they're a troll. Those should be reported and otherwise ignored. You can worry yourself sick with these hypotheticals. You are more dynamic than you give yourself credit for.

[emiliobumachar]

Fun fact: googling "apache attack helicopter pronoun" turns up a few things, and it may not be immediately obvious to all good-faith searchers that it's bogus.

https://www.google.com/search?q=apache+attack+helicopter+pro...

[drstewart]

>If so, Google/quack/whatever for ze pronoun and see what comes up.

No, I don't think I will waste my time Googling every little thing to avoid manufactured outrage.

[Kye]

Do you typically refuse to learn new things because some people who know those things are toxic assholes? I never would have learned anything about computers, writing, or music with a policy like that.

You do you. I'll be over here learning new ways to expand on the human experience.

[atonse]

It's not about refusing to learn new things. You're missing the point. It's about having to think about (and having to apologize for it if you don't think about) something that's completely irrelevant to the conversation.

Others have rightly pointed out that there are some StackExchange networks where your pronoun matters. And I'm sure in those, it's worth putting in the effort. But for StackOverflow, MathOverflow, Electronics, these things are absolutely, positively irrelevant to the subject. It neither adds nor takes away a sense of inclusivity because _it's not relevant_. It's a neutral thing.

[repolfx]

Honestly, if I didn't read Hacker News and get exposed to this stuff I'd assume someone asking to be called "xe" was obvious trolling. I mean, who spends time inventing a non-existent gender with a word that is equally non-existent and then flames everyone for not using it? That sort of thing is classic trolling behaviour.

[Kye]

I've met lots of people who use these pronouns and I've never seen one go on the attack because someone got it wrong unless said person was an asshole. You should eject xem from your life. That kind of behavior is toxic and contrary to helping people learn.

[repolfx]

This is clearly something very culturally local. I've never met anyone who uses such pronouns. I'm not even sure I've ever met a transgender person at all. If I did they didn't mention it and it wasn't noticeable.