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Ethics: Are we misusing the terms "master-slave". Do we even have a community / forum in which we can discuss this?

The recent world wide considerations of the diversity challenges in our society has highlighted that we in Engineering can be perpetuating some of the derogatory terms implicit within our use of "Master-Slave" for purely inanimate technical control scenarios. [1 - N]


We have policies on slavery that every volunteer, staff member and Trustee must read and abide to, but it appears we haven't noticed, to any significant extent, our own continued use of "slave" in our writings.


Do we even have a community or forum in which we can discuss this ethical, and publishing issue?


Philip Oakley

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53273923

[2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3243656.stm

[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53050955

[4 ] http://www.jstor.com/stable/40061475   "Broken Metaphor: The Master-Slave Analogy in Technical Literature"

[5] https://www.theiet.org/involved/volunteering-for-the-iet/volunteer-hub/our-policies/anti-slavery-policy/


Aside: Is there some tick box to get notifications of replies sent?
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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member


    “But for a bunch of white people on this forum to say "I don't think master/slave is offensive" is possibly missing the point.“


    Hi Simon, it’s a bit of a stretch to call 2 posters on this topic a “bunch”, and how are you assessing their ethnicity?
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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member


    “But for a bunch of white people on this forum to say "I don't think master/slave is offensive" is possibly missing the point.“


    Hi Simon, it’s a bit of a stretch to call 2 posters on this topic a “bunch”, and how are you assessing their ethnicity?
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