[fennecfoxen]

> I'm making a pedantic (clearly) suggestion about a small visual irritant for the very good reason that because of the (hopefully) temporarily toxic environment in our field, some other human beings I care about might feel a bit put out by the choice of word A over word B.

The problem is that an ugly little debate exists outside of this thread. You don't actually get to drag in small pieces of pedantry like that in isolation.

So, on the topic of this debate:

There are serious real problems in the world and in the software industry with people who are jerks, and (in particular, topically) unwelcoming and offensive to women. This is a very bad thing. And there are people who wish to fix this by changing the language we use. That's a legitimate position to propose and advance.

It's also a legitimate position to object to. But there are those come into the discussion wielding the hammer of Moral Authority, and often they suggest that if you fail to join the crusade to change a word like "man-hours" then you're an ignorant bigot riding high on all your privilege (you can already find some posts on this thread suggesting ideas from this group). Really, it isn't strictly about treating women decently, it's about demanding your subscription to and endorsement of a particular worldview and series of political prescriptions... it's about securing power and finding ways to stifle your opponents and detractors.

A POX ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES.

[jellicle]

I think even your strawmen have strawmen.

[fennecfoxen]

100%, and that's what you get condensing a minor culture war into a paragraph or two on the Internet :P