1. What is your proposal?

Words matter. Words mean things, but not always the things that you intended them to mean. Words accrue meanings as they are used, and sometimes those unintended meanings hurt.

In this talk, Rich will talk about why certain words (blacklist, slave, guys, lame) are getting additional scrutiny in our industry right now, and why we are actively pursuing alternatives in our code, documentation, and APIs. While some cry foul - Orwellian! Political Correctness! Virtue Signaling! - we want to give some context of why compassion matters, and why welcoming communities are ultimately better for all of us.

1. Who in addition to the speaker needs to be in the virtual room for this to succeed? This could be the audience you need to reach, other participants in the conversation, or other stakeholders.

This talk is for anyone who ever writes any words that will be seen by other people. (That's all of you.)

1. Is this a…

• 25 minute Talk

1. Anything else we need to know?

I am aware that this topic can be a bit of a lightning rod, generating everything from genuine confusion about motives to active hostility. I know that Fedora is one of the most welcoming projects I've ever had the pleasure to work with, but that even here there are people who will use this as an opportunity to fight.

1. Who are you?

• Name: Rich Bowen
• FAS ID: rcb
• IRC Nick, if not FAS ID: rbowen, DrBacchus