A year ago, Intel engineer and Linux kernel maintainer Dan Williams proposed to introduce inclusive terminology in the official OS kernel coding document. The proposal called for the replacement of common technical phrases deemed offensive and racist, in particular master / slave and whitelist / blacklist. The first to sign Williams’ proposal were Chris Mason e Greg Kroah-Hartman. Other maintainers also approved the proposal, but the changes were only accepted after heated debate. Opponents mainly argued that the change was insignificant and that replacing “master / slave” in a line of code would do nothing to remedy the legacy of slavery. Android, GitHub and Splunk all supported the change in the description of the conceptual relationship from “master” to “main” and from “slave” to “secondary.” Apple followed suit by declaring that the replacements would be introduced in internal codebases. in public APIs and open-source projects, such as WebKit and Swift, and that developers would be encouraged to embrace new terminologies such as primary / secondary, primary / replica, primary / secondary, or host / client. Instead of “blacklist / whitelist,” to describe what is allowed and not allowed, allow-list / deny-list have been introduced. The changes were all encouraged at both the code and the documentation level.
While the impetus for change a year ago can be found in the moment of reckoning that the country was going through after the murder of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the need has long been felt to develop more inclusive terminology in technology. Changing some of these words in the code and documentation is not much different than asking for the removal of a statue of a Southern general. Terms like “master / slave” have a clear reference to the period of slavery. Other terms such as “blacklist” and “whitelist” may seem less charged in face value, but perpetuate the idea that “white” equals good and “black” equals bad. Continued use of these terms therefore fuels our conscious and unconscious prejudices.
And, of course, the prejudices aren’t limited to ethnicities.
Using inclusive language means avoiding expressions and terms that could be considered sexist, racist, exclusive or prejudiced in any way against certain groups of people. Ethnicity and gender are usually at the top of the list when considering diversity and inclusion, but many other aspects need to be considered. The language must evolve over the years in order not to exclude anyone. It is also important to point out that the goal is not just to avoid offensive language. Rather, it’s about making everyone feel accepted for who they are, from a developer reading a manual to a child playing a video game, to a businessman signing up for a new email service.
At the recent Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple went beyond inclusive language and published a detailed guide for developers to design inclusive applications. In the guide, Apple states that “designing an inclusive application is an iterative process that takes time to do properly. During the process, be prepared to examine your assumptions about how other people think and feel, and be open to the evolution of knowledge and understanding “. Interestingly, the points Apple encourages developers to consider are no different from what we all should consider in life in our quest to create a more inclusive society. On language in particular, Apple emphasizes the importance of tone, not just words. The tone can, in fact, send messages that the developer may not have expected.
Apple argues that each person has a unique perspective, but that perspective is built on the intersectionality of human characteristics and experiences involving age, gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, sexuality, physical attributes, cognitive attributes, permanent, temporary and situational disabilities, language and culture, religion, education, political or philosophical opinions and the social and economic context.
When it comes to genre, developers should consider both language references and design. Using an avatar or emoji that can’t be traced back to a specific genre or, even better, providing the tools to the user to design their own avatar or emoji could go a long way, for example, to make everyone feel more accepted. This is even more important when creating characters within an app. A fitness application, for example, should feature exercise movements demonstrated by people with different ethnic backgrounds, body types, ages and physical abilities. Apps, like books, are supposed to be mirrors, windows and sliding doors, to quote esteemed children’s literature educator Dr. Bishop. They should have characters we can recognize ourselves and others in.
Avoiding stereotypes and generalizations is equally important. From households to attending college or owning a car, some implications are made that are based on what is considered a common experience. Focusing on a hobby, friend, or personal quality avoids being dependent on culture, money or skills.
Accessibility features are very important to Apple. Unsurprisingly, there is extensive guidance on the subject that encourages developers to do two things: First, avoid assuming that a disability may prevent someone from wanting to use their app. Secondly, consider that all users may face a temporary disability such as low vision due to an eye infection. When it comes to writing about people with disabilities, the focus should be on the people, not the disability.
Words always matter, but the ones that are used in books, educational material, everything that forms the thinking of young minds and that is designed to be used by many people, count even more. My teenage daughter notices every time that a game is missing black people or worse still when the only role they have is that of the “villain”. They realize when the binary world we still live in is forced into their fantasy world through the way costumes, colors and roles are conceived within a game.
I’m sure some will label these latest efforts by Apple and other Silicon Valley companies as “politically correct”, or “woke culture.” Not so: thinking about the words we use, the characters we create in video games or the ideal roles and users we use in designing new services should be the starting point, and should be based on empathy towards everyone else. Being inclusive isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s about making smart business decisions. The more inclusive you are, the wider the market you can target.
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