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

From: Ihor Radchenko <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2023 10:36:01 +0000

Richard Stallman <[email-masked]> writes:

>   > I assume that GNU kind communication guidelines also apply to the
>   > manuals. At least to some degree.
>
> Yss, they do.
>
> The points in the Kind Communication Guidelines are not rules -- they
> don't draw precise lines.  They are guidelines to apply, and how to
> apply them is a matter of judgment.  We should never write anything to
> offend a demographic group.  But when someone takes offense where no
> offense was intended, we have to judge the issue by its specifics.

Makes sense indeed. At least for the first guideline I quoted.

What about the second one?

	 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.

This bug report started by a report from a user complaining about 3
specific sections of Gnus manual (Note in 3.15 Exiting Gnus, sex joke in
3.16 Group Topics, and sex joke in 8 Scoring).

While removing the problematic parts is not something we have to do
(they clearly mean no offence), what about rewriting them in such a way
that sex topic is avoided and yet the jokes are retained.

I am attaching a patch from another user with some jokes being rewritten
using different terms.

>From 21303f2838c9cd57c30086bf68b7a0f1b19b537e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Yuu Yin <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2023 23:27:19 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] doc/misc/gnus.texi: change text to more neutral/inclusive
 language

Explicit or implicit sexual language is potentially unwelcoming,
unsafe, and/or offensive to some people. Also unecessarily distractful.
---
 doc/misc/gnus.texi | 72 +++++++++++++++++++++-------------------------
 1 file changed, 32 insertions(+), 40 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/misc/gnus.texi b/doc/misc/gnus.texi
index 1769b70c9bc..0b23f2c5c01 100644
--- a/doc/misc/gnus.texi
+++ b/doc/misc/gnus.texi
@@ -3868,11 +3868,10 @@ plastic chair.
 @cindex topics
 
 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
-them hierarchically according to topics.  You put your Emacs groups over
-here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
-you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway.  You can
-even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
-groups or the sex groups---or both!  Go wild!
+them hierarchically according to topics.  For example, you can Emacs
+groups at a specific topic and other groups in a misc section.  You
+can even group the blessed Emacs groups as a sub-topic to either the
+Emacs groups or the misc groups---or both!
 
 @iftex
 @iflatex
@@ -3889,9 +3888,10 @@ Gnus
   Emacs -- I wuw it!
      3: comp.emacs
      2: alt.religion.emacs
-    Naughty Emacs
-     452: alt.sex.emacs
-       0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
+    Blessed Emacs
+     240: alt.space.emacs
+     247: comp.talk.emacs.doctor
+     530: comp.talk.emacs.butterfly
   Misc
      8: comp.binaries.fractals
     13: comp.sources.unix
@@ -4289,9 +4289,10 @@ Gnus
   Emacs -- I wuw it!
      3: comp.emacs
      2: alt.religion.emacs
-    Naughty Emacs
-     452: alt.sex.emacs
-       0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
+    Blessed Emacs
+     240: alt.space.emacs
+     247: comp.talk.emacs.doctor
+     530: comp.talk.emacs.butterfly
   Misc
      8: comp.binaries.fractals
     13: comp.sources.unix
@@ -4306,7 +4307,7 @@ follows:
 @lisp
 (("Gnus" visible)
  (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
-  (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
+  (("Blessed Emacs" visible)))
  (("Misc" visible)))
 @end lisp
 
@@ -4360,14 +4361,11 @@ Gnus
   Emacs
      3: comp.emacs
      2: alt.religion.emacs
-   452: alt.sex.emacs
     Relief
-     452: alt.sex.emacs
-       0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
+     26984: gnu.emacs.bug
   Misc
      8: comp.binaries.fractals
     13: comp.sources.unix
-   452: alt.sex.emacs
 @end group
 @end example
 
@@ -4378,7 +4376,7 @@ topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}.  In addition,
 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
 . "religion.SCORE")}.
 
-Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
+Now, when you enter @samp{gnu.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file.  If you enter the same
 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
 score file.  If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
@@ -11900,9 +11898,9 @@ while people stand around yawning.
 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
 while all newsreaders die of fear.
 
-@acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
-of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
-other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
+@acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the
+encoding of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed
+pictures in articles.
 
 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
 @findex gnus-display-mime
@@ -18213,22 +18211,21 @@ Here is a typical scenario:
 
 @itemize @bullet
 @item
-You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
-to your sexual preference) in one month.  You don't want to forget it.
+You've got a space flight in one month.  You don't want to forget it.
 @item
 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
 @item
 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
 @item
-From time to time, as you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer and as the date
-is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
-appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
+From time to time, as you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer and as the
+flight is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you
+of your appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
 @item
 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
 of the night you're gonna have.
 @item
-Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
-message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
+Once the flight is over, the message will be automatically deleted if
+it is marked as expirable.
 @end itemize
 
 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
@@ -20476,13 +20473,8 @@ up being marked as having 0 lines.  This can lead to strange results if
 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
 
 @item Date
-For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
-@code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}.  I can't really imagine this
-ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
-this function.  Just in case.  You never know.  Better safe than sorry.
-Once burnt, twice shy.  Don't judge a book by its cover.  Never not have
-sex on a first date.  (I have been told that at least one person, and I
-quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
+For the Date header we have match types:
+@code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}.
 
 @cindex ISO8601
 @cindex date
@@ -21118,19 +21110,19 @@ That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown.  Say
 @section Reverse Scoring
 @cindex reverse scoring
 
-If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
-subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
-like this in your score file:
+If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Emacs} in the
+subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put
+something like this in your score file:
 
 @lisp
 (("subject"
-  ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
+  ("Emacs" 2))
  (mark 1)
  (expunge 1))
 @end lisp
 
-So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
-rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
+So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Emacs} and mark the rest
+as read, and expunge them to boot.

 @node Global Score Files
-- 
2.39.1

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>