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Re: Diversity and offensive terminology in RFCs

Phillip Hallam-Baker <phill@hallambaker.com> Fri, 21 September 2018 04:22 UTC

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From: Phillip Hallam-Baker <phill@hallambaker.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2018 00:22:09 -0400
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Subject: Re: Diversity and offensive terminology in RFCs
To: Mark Rousell <mark.rousell@signal100.com>
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Some thoughts

1) I strongly agree that there are some words to be avoided. Slave for
example. I always refer to DNS servers as either Master/Subordinate or
Master/Copy

2) Master is from the Latin Magister meaning chief. I don't see a problem
with it unless people are going to use the term slave as well.

3) Since the man in the middle is always up to no good, I don't see that we
need to change that vocabulary. Yes, women can be supervillains too.

If you recall, Alice and Bob used to interact with a chap called Mallory.
Why did we switch to Mallet, well a person whose last name is Mallory
started going to some crypto reading groups at MIT.

The etymology of blacklist is difficult to say the least as the first
appearance in printed text is not necessarily when it entered the
vernacular. That point is probably the list of regicides and others in the
Indemnity and Oblivion act of 1660. Finding a relative listed there is
rather more prestigious than having one allegedly sail on the Mayflower.

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