How important is it to call things by their right name?
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@jdlh OK. I guess I'd just say, answer the question the best you can. If you don't think there's such a thing as a "right name", that may affect how important it is to use the right name for things.
@evan actually, I interpreted the question as a reference to the name of Lake Ontario. I don't prefer to engage with that particular act of Trump bullying as a good-faith issue of correct naming.
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How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan things? somewhat important.
people? VERY important.
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How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan I think the nature of this question comes down entirely to directionality. Who gets to decide what names are right and what names are wrong. I think the state has the least authority to naming. Individuals have a right to naming themselves but not necessarily others. There is also intent inherent in all names. Is the name being proposed with an intent to improve some situation or is the name indented to cause confusion.
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How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan Bimodal answer for me. I tend to think of people as a subset of "things", and calling people by their right name (ie, the name they want me to use) is extremely important. But for non-people things, humour and whimsy often triumph over correctness. For instance, the thing on the chocolate box telling you which one is which is the "instructions".
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How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan It depends on how important communicating effectively with other people is.
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How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan
I went with somewhat important. If what you're calling by name has feelings, very important. If I blank on the name of the freezer, it doesn't have feelings, and I'm inclined to call it "the...uhhh, upper fridge?" -
How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan
"Somewhat important."
In part because the communication context is important: correctly identifying The Thing to the audience trumps pedantic accuracy *unless* the incorrect choice causes actual harm and/or disrespect. So it's okay to call Lobularia "Alyssum" but not okay to misrepresent a product or dead name somebody.
And in part because of the issues of who gets to decide what the "right" name is? and what's the return on the investment of keeping up to date with it? The pushback from British birdwatchers after an international committee decided that dunnock, a name for an everyday common bird in use for a thousand years, must be replaced by "hedge accentor," a name birthed in committee, was considerable. And for the layman, keeping tabs on the renaming of government departments and agencies is almost as time-consuming and incidental as the taxonomy of flowering plants. -
How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan somewhat important because a key part of communication is negotiating a common vocabulary. I like to try to meet people where they are and only correct/advance if it's relevant and they're interested. If an elder asks me to help them with their "iPad" and it's an android tablet I'm not going to give them a 15 minute lecture on the difference. I'm gonna fix their tablet
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How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan but why do you ask?
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@diesch one good example might be saying Free Software instead of Open Source, or GNU/Linux instead of Linux. Another is using the right names for people, like Inuit or Roma. Or using the right terms for difficult social issues, like CSAM or death by suicide.
One person's "right thing" can be another person's wrong thing. Or the "right thing" can differ depending on the context. And sometimes the "adequate thing" is sufficient.
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@evan but why do you ask?
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How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan
The point of communication is communication. If you are not transferring the right meaning, it is pointless. But also, language is dynamic and shifting. The idea that there is a right name is fundamentally flawed. -
How important is it to call things by their right name?
@evan
Sorry, I missed this poll when it was active. I am replying to this from my Pleroma instance, (not from Mastodon), using a computer that runs GNU/Linux.
Let us call things by their right name. -
@evan
Sorry, I missed this poll when it was active. I am replying to this from my Pleroma instance, (not from Mastodon), using a computer that runs GNU/Linux.
Let us call things by their right name.@lohang it's still open!
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@lohang it's still open!
@evan Oh really? At my end it says the poll ended 39 minutes ago.
Possibly an issue with the ActivityPub software I am running... or maybe a time zone glitch! -
How important is it to call things by their right name?
Thanks to everyone who replied. Here are my thoughts:
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Thanks to everyone who replied. Here are my thoughts:
Calling things by their right name has been a prominent part of movements I've supported or been an active participant in for a long time.
Which letters should be included in 2SLGBTQIA+, what name to call occupied places, how we refer to software released under particular licenses.
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Calling things by their right name has been a prominent part of movements I've supported or been an active participant in for a long time.
Which letters should be included in 2SLGBTQIA+, what name to call occupied places, how we refer to software released under particular licenses.
Names frame how we think. They are declarations of power -- who gets to say what the right name is. They are expressions of ideas and ways of thinking. They can mean a lot.
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Names frame how we think. They are declarations of power -- who gets to say what the right name is. They are expressions of ideas and ways of thinking. They can mean a lot.
But calling something by its right name does not in and of itself right the wrongs. Calling the attack on Gaza a genocide is correct, but that has not stopped the genocide. Right thinking might aid in right action, but it is not a substitute for right action. It is the beginning of justice, not the completion of it.
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But calling something by its right name does not in and of itself right the wrongs. Calling the attack on Gaza a genocide is correct, but that has not stopped the genocide. Right thinking might aid in right action, but it is not a substitute for right action. It is the beginning of justice, not the completion of it.
So, I think my answer has to be somewhat important. There are too many other more important things -- such as conveying information, taking action, and achieving results.
