This message is from the T13 list server.
For anyone who watches South Park..... Last year there was an episode where Timmy and Jimmy (the 2 handicapped kids) decided to start a gang. The rest of the characters who are normally very opinionated decided to "just stay of this one" I think I am going to just stay of this one and go play with my trcuks.... Gary Laatsch [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian A. Berg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 4:58 PM Subject: [t13] Los Angeles County: Master/Slave term verboten > This message is from the T13 list server. > > > This validity of claim below is documented at > <http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/master.asp> > > Brian Berg > > > > Claim: The County of Los Angeles has requested that equipment vendors > avoid using the industry term "Master/Slave" in product descriptions and > labelling. > > Status: True. > > Origins: Social > changes of our era have been accompanied by linguistic changes: as > discrimination based upon race, gender, or physical condition has become > less socially acceptable, we began to frown upon the use of pejorative > terms associated with race, moved towards more gender-neutral usages of > language (e.g., 'chairperson' instead of 'chairman'), and replaced terms > for describing the disabled with less stigmatizing ones (e.g., 'mentally > handicapped' rather than 'retarded'). > > Along with these linguistic changes have come tales of the "political > correctness run amok" variety - cases where certain usages were deemed > unacceptable merely because they bore a resemblance to terms now > considered inappropriate, even though the usages had little or nothing > in common with the now-inappropriate terms in a linguistic sense. For > example, we've read of the 1999 incident in which a mayoral aide > (temporarily) lost his job for using the word 'niggardly' in a staff > meeting, even though the word's origins have nothing to do with race, > and even though the aide used the word correctly (to mean 'miserly' or > 'stingy'). Or we've heard the (possibly apocryphal) tale of a writer who > was informed by his editor that his use of the hunting term 'duck blind' > was unacceptable, as the preferred substitute for the latter word is now > 'visually impaired.' > > How far we should take this linguistic sensitivity to social issues has > long been a subject of (often heated) debate. Can female members of the > fire department be referred to by the traditional title of 'fireman,' or > does true gender equality require that they be identified as > 'firewomen'? Is the existence of separate gender words for the same > concept itself a form of gender discrimination, requiring us to adopt a > neutral term such as 'fireperson' for everyone? Or should we just chuck > the whole thing and call everybody 'firefighters'? What one group sees > as socially progressive, another group is bound to view as a needless > discarding of the familiar and traditional. > > Another example of this phenomenon surfaced recently in reference to > 'master/slave,' a term commonly used in computing (and related > industries) to describe the unidirectional control of one device or > process by another. Equipment vendors who do business with Los Angeles > County received a message in November 2003 from the county's Internal > Services Department (ISD) informing them that "based on the cultural > diversity and sensitivity of Los Angeles County," labeling or describing > equipment with the term 'master/slave' is no longer acceptable: > > Subject: IDENTIFICATION OF EQUIPMENT SOLD TO LA COUNTY > Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 14:21:16 -0800 > From: "Los Angeles County" > > The County of Los Angeles actively promotes and is committed to ensure a > work environment that is free from any discriminatory influence be it > actual or perceived. As such, it is the County's expectation that our > manufacturers, suppliers and contractors make a concentrated effort to > ensure that any equipment, supplies or services that are provided to > County departments do not possess or portray an image that may be > construed as offensive or defamatory in nature. > > One such recent example included the manufacturer's labeling of > equipment where the words "Master/Slave" appeared to identify the > primary and secondary sources. Based on the cultural diversity and > sensitivity of Los Angeles County, this is not an acceptable > identification label. > > We would request that each manufacturer, supplier and contractor review, > identify and remove/change any identification or labeling of equipment > or components thereof that could be interpreted as discriminatory or > offensive in nature before such equipment is sold or otherwise provided > to any County department. > > Thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance. > > Joe Sandoval, Division Manager > Purchasing and Contract Services > Internal Services Department > County of Los Angeles > > > Note: You are receiving this email because you have registered with the > County of Los Angeles. If you do not wish to receive future L.A. County > Event news, simply click the link below, and update your registration > information to remove email notification. > > To verify that this wasn't a hoax or an internal joke which mistakenly > escaped to the wider world of the Internet, we called the Purchasing and > Contract Services division for the County of Los Angeles, and they > informed us that yes, they did issue this message, and yes, it was meant > seriously. The representative we spoke with said that someone within the > County bureaucracy - a person who probably didn't understand computer > terminology - had taken offense at 'master/slave' references and > complained to the board, whereupon the Internal Services Department was > obligated to issue notification requesting that vendors refrain from > using that terminology. > > Whether this message reflects more a "socially progressive" change or > one of the "needless discarding of the familiar and traditional" variety > we couldn't say, but - much to the chagrin of several vendors who passed > it along to us - the County of Los Angeles is apparently serious about > it. > > Last updated: 24 November 2003 > ___________________________________________________________________ > Brian A. Berg [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voice: 408.741.5010 > Berg Software Design FAX: 408.741.5234 > P.O. Box 3488 visit the Storage Cornucopia at www.bswd.com > 14500 Big Basin Way, Suite F Consulting: SCSI/FC/SAN/storage > Saratoga, CA 95070 USA Cell: 408.568.2505
