dejected_warp_core
The only time I’ve encountered people that care a little too much about what distro is being used, is right after having transitioned to Linux; the sheer liberating potential of the thing can make you lose your head.
I’ve come across a lot of professional bias about Linux distros, but that’s usually due to real-world experience with tough or bad projects. Some times, decisions are made that make a given distro the villain or even the hero of the story. In the end, you’ll hear a lot of praise and hate, but context absolutely matters.
There’s also the very natural tendency to seek external validation for your actions/decisions. But some people just can’t self-actualize in a way that’s healthy. Sprinkle a little personal insecurity into the mix and presto: “someone is getting on great with that other Linux I don’t use, so Imma get big mad.”
I agree with the post. It’s coded derogatory speech while being technically correct. Personally, I would go as far to say it’s a dog-whistle and is absolutely a flag, especially if it renders any speech clunky and labored, or side-steps a person’s gender transition status.
Also, here’s something I’ve observed that may be relevant.
IMO, most of the time people use gender when telling a story, it’s not relevant information in the first place. In light of recent events, public awareness, and politics, non-gendered speech (in English at least) is automatically the most inclusive way to go and it’s a good habit to develop. The exceptions here are where it’s information that supports the story, disambiguates complicated situations (e.g. talking about a drag persona), or where it’s gender affirming in some way (e.g. respecting pronoun preferences).
I see this happen a lot, especially where woman/female is used as extra information when expressing anger, frustration, and disgust. For example, I hear “this woman cut me off in traffic” far more than “this man cut me off in traffic”, with “this person” or “a BMW driver” as a maybe-neutral-but-also-likely-male coded qualifier. To me, it suggests a kind of negative bias for gender, which may or may not be unconscious (depends on the person). It may seem like a small thing, but it’s freaking everywhere and it’s gotta stop.
For the rare occasion where sex or gender supports the story, “my teacher, who is a woman, …” or “my teacher, (s)he…” does the job. Yeah, it’s is a bit tougher on the tongue, but you should only need to say it once for the whole telling.
Most Americans in such a situation would wind up defying their ancestors in similar ways. A lot of families in the USA can trace their lineage back to people that fled religious persecution, racial injustice, famine, war, and tyrannical government. Migrating to a dictatorship that is currently drafting/conscripting their populace straight into a shooting war is a monstrous step back from all that.
Nevermind that the Russians have/had nuclear stockpiles aimed at our heads. And the USA has Russia targeted in return. Come to think of it, choosing to be down range of the US is not a good idea in general.
The thing that baffles me about Wing Commander is that Mark Hamill was right there and already had an established character in the game’s canon. But even with a different story and cast, I don’t understand how anyone could have screwed up a bog-standard space opera that badly.
Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat deserve their respective paydays. They’re both stupid and fun. That’s what the source material is after all. But Mortal Kombat might do well with a little love: just throw a few million at Corridor Digital and update the CGI effects and re-release it.
Wood smoked salmon: ✅😀
Tobacco smoked salmon: ❌🤮
Honestly, Sony really sees itself as a premium(ish) brand that puts a heavy emphasis on novelty with a bit of sophistication thrown in. They also see Nintendo as a kid’s toy company. So, the expense (and some of the scarcity) is entirely the point.