[jrek]

To be far these restrictions operate in a fairly narrow domain (Developer documentation) where some restrictions on idiomatic usage are probably warranted to maximise the number of people that can fully comprehend the docs (for example not all languages refer to adapters as 'male' or 'female' and the meaning may not be obvious to a non native speaker.)

Secondly, "This guide contains guidelines, not rules. Depart from it when doing so improves your content."

[f6v]

> the meaning may not be obvious to a non native speaker

In Russian you’d say “mom-dad” adapter. I mean, the principle it refers to is universal.

I also think this is the first step towards aggressively policing the language, even though it starts as a guideline.

[pseudalopex]

It says the metaphor isn't universal. Russian having a similar metaphor doesn't disprove that.

[mschuster91]

> I also think this is the first step towards aggressively policing the language, even though it starts as a guideline.

Language changes over time, as easy as that. Sometimes change comes in gradually over decades or centuries, sometimes change comes revolutionary (e.g. rap music lingo establishing itself in mainstream culture).

Especially in the example case of music, "policing" has been a constant reality (e.g. "bleeping out" of words or outright refusal to air content on TV/radio or parents forbidding their children to listen to rap or metal music because of "satanism" fears), yet no one complained there while now there is constant complaining about replacing of actually racially charged words?!

[will4274]

> Especially in the example case of music, "policing" has been a constant reality [...], yet no one complained

Ummm. Did you somehow grow to adulthood without being a teenager? Did you grow up somewhere other than the United States? The notion that nobody has ever complained about censorship in music is so hilariously wrong, it makes me want to send you CAPTCHAs to see how well the bots are doing nowadays.

Seriously, go listen to every top selling rap album from the first twenty years. The majority of them complain about censorship.

[dragonwriter]

> Seriously, go listen to every top selling rap album from the first twenty years

Well, what Wikipedia calls the “Golden Age” as opposed to “Old School” period, sure; anything just after the PMRC decided sex, drugs, and the occult in music were problems requiring government action in the absence of industry self-censorship.

[mschuster91]

The thing is, the ones who complained were the rappers. The mainstream didn't care about censorship in music, to the contrary - the (WASP) mainstream wanted censorship. And it is exactly this social group that is now crying about not being allowed to use actually offensive words.

[will4274]

Spoiler - WASP kids listen to rap. Artists like Eminem were the mainstream when they were complaining about censorship.

[f6v]

> yet no one complained

I constantly complain about Eminem’s music videos cutting the words out.

> replacing actually racially charged words

You said it yourself, language changes. Just don’t charge the words, simple as that. Words are sound waves, or pixels on the screen. And it’s people who give them meaning. It seems to me that the ideas behind the words won’t get anywhere if you just ban words.

[flippinburgers]

Departure from this list probably means very difficult political navigation.