Re:Why I Was Fired by Google
by zimpenfish on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @05:55AM
(#15016791)
It was never meant to stop or do anything because it was an observation about probability - much like Benford's Law is an observation about the frequency of digits but doesn't tell you anything about a particular one. (Clumsy analogy but hopefully makes sense.)
Even the more benign uses of the term probably have some eroding effect on its potency, even if small. "grammar nazi" comes to mind. People sometimes refer to themselves that way somewhat affectionately. We don't see people using "pedophile" the same way. I can't say I think Godwin's original complaint was wrong.