News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Google's Civil War. Parent comment

Re:Google's Civil War by dictum on Sunday May 19, 2019 @01:08PM (#19954270)
Personally, I'd prefer "fucking up" to go away, along with "rape" as a colorful equivalent of ruining/causing damage to someone or something.

It associates sex with violence and destruction.

A similar thing used to happen with "gay", which kids would use as an adjective for frustrating or annoying situations.

My preferences notwithstanding, it's still better to be clearer about what's happening. "Fucking up that variable" says very little about the cause of the problem, and its possible solution.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google's Civil War by A2017U1 on Sunday May 19, 2019 @04:08PM (#19955206)
Personally I'd prefer to work in a company where basic elements of the English language aren't policed with authoritarian fervor and would seek out alternatives ASAFP.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google's Civil War by skinnymuch on Monday May 20, 2019 @12:44AM (#19957587)
What does fucking up have to do with sex? I’d imagine it’s used in a sexual context in a significant minority of the time. And that’s not what it’s associated with.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google's Civil War by wswkb on Sunday May 19, 2019 @01:37PM (#19954405)
When I think of something being "fucked up", the last thing I think about is sex. Those words have grown a meaning of their own, away from the one they had.
[ Parent | on HN ]