Subject: Re: bug#61325: 30.0.50; Jokes in GNUS manual

From: Ihor Radchenko <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 12:49:06 +0000

Po Lu <[email-masked]> writes:

> Where are the jokes about politics or race in Emacs documentation?

No. I am asking it in more general context. Trying to align my
understanding of acceptable and not acceptable jokes.

There is a lot of disagreement in the interpretation as we can see, so
it would be useful to arrive at a common ground. Ideally, adding the
official stance to FSF maintenance policies, to the already existing
section on humour.

> Anyway, people who find such jokes offensive, instead of taking them in
> good humor, are not a ``significant number of people''.  They are just
> very loud.

In my question, I specifically emphasized that I am talking about topics
sensitive for large groups of people - whole cultures.

> We never did agree to follow their rules.

I assume that GNU kind communication guidelines also apply to the
manuals. At least to some degree.

<https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/kind-communication.html>:

    Please avoid statements about the presumed typical desires, capabilities
    or actions of some demographic group. They can offend people in that
    group, ...

    ...

    If other participants complain about the way you express your ideas,
    please make an effort to cater to them. You can find ways to express
    the same points while making others more comfortable. You are more
    likely to persuade others if you don't arouse ire about secondary
    things.

I think that the above two guidelines can be applied to some of the
discussed jokes.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
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