Mozilla changes "bro" to "br" in Brotli Accept-Encoding/Content-Encoding due to gender issues - "bro has a gender problem, even though the dual meaning is unintentional. It comes of misogynistic and unprofessional due to the world it lives in."

Neo_Techni · 2015-10-10T18:29:08+00:00

You know you've gone too far when the letter o is triggering...

wanked_in_space · 2015-10-10T18:24:39+00:00

Tired meme:

Weeeoo Weeeoo.

Bro, did they just remove bro because they were sexist enough to think that women couldn't be bros? We do not have time for these sexist ideas.

Connador · 2015-10-10T18:31:47+00:00

For background:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotli

Brotli is an open source data compression library developed by Jyrki Alakuijala and Zoltan Szabadka.[1][2] It is similar in speed to the "deflate" compression algorithm but offers more effective compression.

It is named after a Swiss bakery product, Brötli, not unlike Zopfli, another compression algorithm from Google.

If bro is offensive, it's offensive to men, so banning its use on the basis that it might be misogynistic is really taking the ~~cake~~ Brötli.

What do terms like "bro" and "brogrammer" really mean?

After Pax Dickinson was fired from his job as CTO of Business Insider a few weeks ago, there has been a lot of talk by feminists about bros, bro culture, brogrammers (a combination of bro and programmer), etc. While the term, bro, and its derivatives have been around for a while, feminists have used Dickinson’s firing to assert bros and bro culture is everywhere there is a concentration of men especially in the tech industry. Is this really the case? To figure that out we have to see what the definition of “bro” is. Urban dictionary provides several definitions. Here is the first:

Obnoxious partying males who are often seen at college parties. When they aren’t making an ass of themselves they usually just stand around holding a red plastic cup waiting for something exciting to happen so they can scream something that demonstrates how much they enjoy partying. Nearly everyone in a fraternity is a bro but there are also many bros who are not in a fraternity. They often wear a rugby shirt and a baseball cap. It is not uncommon for them to have spiked hair with frosted tips.

The urban dictionary definition covers what most people would think a “bro” is, yet such a definition means that terms like “brogrammer” are a contradiction in terms. The definition of “bro” is consistent with what most people think frat guys and jersey shore guidos are like, not programmers. Most people think of programmers as men who lack social skills and maybe even have borderline Aspergers syndrome. Their idea of a programmer is a man who neither is part of a fraternity nor is at a lot of parties. (While programmers can come from all walks of life, the issue in question when it comes to defining terms like “bro” and “brogrammer” is people’s perceptions.) As far as most people’s perceptions are concerned, a “brogrammer” logically can not exist. The question must be asked, “why does the term, ‘brogrammer’, exist?” and “why would anyone say that a lot of frat guys and similar types have taken over the tech industry?”

Looking at how the terms, “bro” and “brogrammer”, are used by feminists reveals a different definition of the word being used by feminists. Ann Friedman writing in New York Magazine shows us what feminists really mean by terms like “bro” and “brogrammer”:

“Bro” once meant something specific: a self-absorbed young white guy in board shorts with a taste for cheap beer. But it’s become a shorthand for the sort of privileged ignorance that thrives in groups dominated by wealthy, white, straight men. “Bro” is convenient because describing a professional or social dynamic as “overly white, straight, and male” seems both too politically charged and too general

To feminists terms like “bro” and “brogrammer” are synonyms for straight white male. As Ann Friedman reveals, feminists can’t just say straight white men when they mean straight white men because it’s too “politically charged”. In other words, if feminists talk about straight white men, it’s obvious that feminists just hate straight white men. Instead, feminists are now using the term “bro” to make people think they’re only talking about a frat guy subset of straight white men when feminists are talking about all straight white men. It’s a trick by feminists to avoid criticism because most people aren’t going to defend stereotypical frat guy behavior whereas they might have a problem with blanket attacks on straight white men.

This also reveals that the term, “brogrammer”, is really just an attack on men in the tech industry. The explains the contradictions in people perceptions of a bro and a programmer. It has nothing to do with the behavior of men in the tech industry. What feminists really have a problem with in the tech industry is that there is a large group of men employed in jobs that aren’t under their control. Like with the term, “bro”, using the term, “brogrammer”, is an attempt by feminists to avoid criticism from people who might have a problem with blanket attacks on men working in the tech industry.

thebillstone · 2015-10-10T18:55:14+00:00

It looks like it has more to do with misandry as opposed to misogyny. This has to be one of the most absurd things I've ever read.

Globalization101 · 2015-10-10T19:37:31+00:00

Bro is just an abbreviation for brother. So in effect she is claiming using the word brother for a friend is woman hating.??? Another wtf moment in feminism. 0.o

flyingwaterlilly · 2015-10-10T19:33:55+00:00

What happened to that open-minded, witty and reasonable open source community? I mean, I'm sure there were some crackpots all along, but now they went overboard.

BaconCatBug · 2015-10-10T17:20:13+00:00

https://archive.is/msEZu Archive

rg57 · 2015-10-10T21:10:35+00:00

Reading the comment thread is even more disturbing than I expected.

Read the hidden "abusive" comments which are mocking the decision. It's the only bright spot. But the developers are too stupid to see what they've done.

Stephen1985 · 2015-10-10T23:19:57+00:00

This is a truly great day for equality. Men and women of the world rejoice.

ChaosOpen · 2015-10-11T00:04:00+00:00

Feminist can have a coding language's name changed because they claim that they are offended by it, how are women systematically oppressed again?

TheDude41 · 2015-10-11T03:29:03+00:00

Jesus what the fuck is wrong over there?

harryballsagna · 2015-10-10T19:30:03+00:00

I would say boycott....but is anyone still using their shitty products?

pnw_diver · 2015-10-10T20:17:32+00:00

How fucking weenie can it get?

rg57 · 2015-10-10T21:05:50+00:00

So, will this break any addons?

NibblyPig · 2015-10-11T09:24:20+00:00

>File menu

>menu

>men

TRIGGERED

rottingchrist · 2015-10-10T23:23:02+00:00

[permanently deleted]

SpiderEternal · 2015-10-11T00:50:42+00:00

I just lost 3 pages of respect for Mozilla. This word policing has to stop. Pretty soon no one will be able to use any word that might describe someone in any way. COMON!

whatsazipper · 2015-10-11T03:16:41+00:00

They've gone on the warpath after deposing Brendan Eich

bitchessuck · 2015-10-11T15:22:39+00:00

This is VERY misleading. It's not Mozilla that is pulling this, it is the IETF. In fact, one of the Mozilla employee points out how to stupid this is in the discussion. Although it's stupid that they give in to pressure from feminists etc. so easily.

But yeah, shitting on Mozilla seems to be popular at the moment, not sure why. They are literally the only ones still interested in an open web.

FredtheFailLord · 2015-10-10T22:43:22+00:00

Later in the thread mozilla said it's easier/lower memory to use fewer letters, which originally led to the .bro extension. .br is less descriptive but still 33% fewer letters

HugeSaladFork · 2015-10-10T22:46:55+00:00

I'm not saying this is worth switching but if you are looking for a good browser and don't want chrome spying on you, consider opera. It's nice.

Riktenkay · 2015-10-11T01:39:53+00:00

Saying bro is misogyny now? That's pretty fucking stupid bro.

7478 · 2015-10-11T02:51:01+00:00

This is what a bubble looks like when it's popping.

BaconCatBug · 2015-10-10T19:39:45+00:00

[permanently deleted]

antgly · 2015-10-10T20:28:22+00:00

Is it just me or is he nuts? Like seriously no coffee for him please.

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