Thursday 25th November 2003
Political correctness, much loved by mid-ninties comedians and the tabloid press for its unceasing stream of asinine proclimations about what may or may not be said in polite conversation, has reared it's ugly head in sunny L.A.
The LA County Internal Services Department has issued a diktat that all PC equipment vendors cease using the terms 'master' and 'slave' when referring to IDE drive configurations, citing a complaint to the department's board to the effect that the terms were offensive. As progressive and forward-looking as the LA governance may be, this seems like a step too far even by their standards:
The order itself:
"One such recent example included the manufacturer's labeling of equipment where the words "Master/Slave" appeared to identify the primary and secondary sources. Based on the cultural diversity and sensitivity of Los Angeles County, this is not an acceptable identification label.
We would request that each manufacturer, supplier and contractor review, identify and remove/change any identification or labeling of equipment or components thereof that could be interpreted as discriminatory or offensive in nature before such equipment is sold or otherwise provided to any County department."
We notice the ISD doesn't suggest replacement nomenclature for that certain arrangement of IDE drives. Perhaps they could ask the new LA governer for his input, he's a sensitive guy...
Political correctness, much loved by mid-ninties comedians and the tabloid press for its unceasing stream of asinine proclimations about what may or may not be said in polite conversation, has reared it's ugly head in sunny L.A.
The LA County Internal Services Department has issued a diktat that all PC equipment vendors cease using the terms 'master' and 'slave' when referring to IDE drive configurations, citing a complaint to the department's board to the effect that the terms were offensive. As progressive and forward-looking as the LA governance may be, this seems like a step too far even by their standards:
The order itself:
"One such recent example included the manufacturer's labeling of equipment where the words "Master/Slave" appeared to identify the primary and secondary sources. Based on the cultural diversity and sensitivity of Los Angeles County, this is not an acceptable identification label.
We would request that each manufacturer, supplier and contractor review, identify and remove/change any identification or labeling of equipment or components thereof that could be interpreted as discriminatory or offensive in nature before such equipment is sold or otherwise provided to any County department."
We notice the ISD doesn't suggest replacement nomenclature for that certain arrangement of IDE drives. Perhaps they could ask the new LA governer for his input, he's a sensitive guy...
