[akoumjian]

The comments here on HN seem really knee-jerk. Some people like to claim no one is made to feel erased or reminded of their otherness when they hear this terminology. Some people seem to think we can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

What I see are people criticizing these changes because of a fear that perhaps, on some level, they have participated in a language and a culture that continues to demean or ostracize others. It is not a good feeling to realize this. Please ask yourselves why you are so attached to using terms like master/slave. If it had been different from the start, would you even care?

[umvi]

Is there a line you personally won't let political correctness police cross? If someone wants you to stop using innocuous words for arbitrary reasons, will you ever stand your ground or will you always yield?

master/slave, maybe there's a case to be made there. But "master" in general has other meanings besides "owner". And black/whitelist have been around for centuries and have nothing to do with skin color.

I, for one, am sick of being bullied by politically correct language police forcibly imposing their ideals on society via shaming and mob justice.