County of LA nixes vendors' use of 'Master/Slave' (IDE HDs, monitors...)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

From Snopes. Really fresh, and TRUE! OK, I admit: there IS such a thing as too much language sensitivity. Sheesh.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/master.asp

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.

(...)
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 (...)

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 County of Los Angeles... is committed..." Yup.

[Turbineguy]

1. Here' s a few words that can replace:

bwana and colonus
caporal and helot
padrone and hierodule
cacique and odalisque


I hope that's clear.

[Mentalist]

2. Yet some claim

that PC doesn't exist.

[Loonman]

3. Pathetic

What about the slave/master cylinders in your car?


PC thought police piss me off.

[TacticalPeek]

4. So, PC would be Mistress/Slave?

:silly:

[smallprint]

5. This is a dupe... but i'll post anyway

I posted this in the original thread:

I used to work in the operating room of a hospital in southern california, and one of my jobs was to move the video monitors in and out of rooms. The first thing I noticed was the "master" and "slave" labels. For a while I didn't really think about it, although I wondered if any of the African-American staffers thought it was offensive. Then, I did some reading on the history of surgery-- it turns out the so-called "father" of gynecology, J. Marion Sims, did all of his early experiments on his SLAVES, WITHOUT ANESTHESIA. Many died, and many more were mutilated and traumatized. Since then, I've been a lot more sensitive about the terms "master" and "slave" in science...

[TexasMexican]

8. ban words

So should the words "master" and "slave" be banned from the english dictionary?

Or should they be banned when used together?

What do you propose we should do?

[smallprint]

11. It's up to the people who use the equipment

If they want to use those terms, they should.

If people who use them are offended, they shouldn't.

[Terwilliger]

6. The Republican snopes strikes again

Instead of looking at the Bush administration for so many little facts and foibles, they go out of their way to publish a story about political correctness. Oh, isn't that quaint. :nuke:

[TexasMexican]

7. actually

I think we are doing this to ourselves.

Instead of actually doing something useful people are lobbying to remove master/slave on computer drives?

Thats a definate misallocation of resources.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. I don't think so.

There are plenty of anti-Clinton myths debunked there.

[slackmaster]

10. They should do away with "male" and "female" connectors too

Obviously discriminatory labels.