Meta post I’ve decided to make. I enjoyed the unixporn subreddit a lot when I used reddit more. I enjoy customizing my linux de as much as the next nerd.

But you definitely shouldn’t use racist slang to refer to the process.

To be clear, I didn’t know the origin of the term ‘ricing’ until fairly recently. I was chattimg with my friend and used it to describe my de setup. They informed me that apparently it’s from car customization, and is a pejorative against generally asian men who customize their car to look like a racecar.

After learning this I was sad to realize just how engrained it is in linux de customization culture. I personally have stopped using the term, and I would ask everyone here stop as well.

  • unix_joe@lemmy.sdf.org
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    1 year ago

    It’s a stupid term that is based on an antiquated mindset where Asian people are not creative and cannot invent anything of substance; we are only able to poorly imitate what the West develops. It needs to die.

    Also, I’ve been using and customizing the X Window-based desktop for 25 years and I’m not sure that the term “ricing” was ever used anywhere before Reddit and even then only within the past decade or so. Let it die with that culture.

    • xXthrowawayXx [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      1 year ago

      I’m with you especially on that last part. My most insane privately racist lug-mate called it modding or customization. Even in the windows shell hacking scene no one described it like that.

      I do like using “tuning” though, fond memories of import tuner magazine and my dearly departed first car and first computer.

    • roguetrick@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Now they need to just find an Asian person saying it’s not a big deal so they can dismiss your comment.

    • El_Rocha@lm.put.tf
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      1 year ago

      It’s a stupid term that is based on an antiquated mindset where Asian people are not creative and cannot invent anything of substance; we are only able to poorly imitate what the West develops. It needs to die.

      The term at least since the 90s means to modify stuff to your heart’s content and literally creating something new, unique and personal.

      Idk where you went to get that “can’t invent anything of substance” thing, but you might want to check your internalized racism.

  • inasaba@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Thank you for making this post. The number of times I’ve seen the term used here lately has been bothering me.

  • NormalC [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    I agree, it’s another example of racism being burned into the English language. You should always make an effort to change and adapt your vocabulary, to not do so is to endorse the very racist history that the term is based on.

    Also the term just doesn’t make sense? I have no idea what “rice” is supposed to evoke outside of its history in the car industry/communities. “Cooking” seems to be the better term because people on Unixporn “cook up” their desktop to make it as appealing as possible (to their tastes or to the tastes of the group). So a submission would be someone’s “cook/dish.” The whole “let them cook” remark is also a relevant catchphrase.

    We can do better, and why disregard that opportunity? “Rice” is a two-faced compliment with racist roots. It deserves the bucket.

    • midnight@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      I have no idea what “rice” is supposed to evoke outside of its history in the car industry/communities.

      Whoops, your virtue signal is showing.

      whoops

      Don’t go deleting it now.

      • NormalC [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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        1 year ago

        wdym, you think people can’t change? Most everyone here has used rice before because it was the dominant term in this comm. Now that this post is here, there’s no excuse for it. This is not the clever own you think it is.

        What a loser, get an actual argument instead of digging up my old comments that aren’t relevant to the current discussion, or just go back to reddit, they’d love you.

        • midnight@lemmy.one
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          1 year ago

          Lmao, it’s cute one of your comrades remove the image on your instance.

          I didn’t say people can’t change. But 8 days ago you used the term “outside of its history in the car industry/communities” and now you claim you have no idea what it’s supposed to be? Give me a break lol. Are you outing yourself as a racist from 8 days ago? Wow quick reform.

          This post doesn’t change anything. It’s just a bunch of hexbear snowflakes whining that a community has enough brain cells to know context matters.

          How exactly is your use of a term you deemed racist not relevant in a post where you and your comrades are going around calling people racist for using a term they don’t deem racist? Are you actually serious right now? You can’t see the relevance? Take your blinders off.

          At any rate, I didn’t dig up the comment on purpose. I was seeing how much hexbear engages with lemmy.ml/c/unixporn and wouldn’t you know it out of the 210 comments your instance had only 5 of them were not in this post. Not surprising since you only had 22 users subscribed here. Your comment was one of the 5 and I went to see if there was any consistency, expecting to see hexbear users call it out as racist if it came up as you all clearly think it is now. To my lack of surprise I saw the opposite, 80% not having anything to do with the term and your humdinger exposing yourself.

          You’ve underminded your entire argument and exposed your bad faith tactics in one fell swoop. You should probably stay in your safe space instead of trying to find things you think are you dunking on people.

          • NormalC [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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            1 year ago

            Cool story bro, stay mad. Even in your little mind of hexbears vs. The world, the hexbears won.

            The OP is a hexbear who previously brought this up in the subreddit. Now it’s brought up here and now you’re mad there’s pushback. You can’t engage with us on the and now you’re resorting to meaningless personal jabs.

            Stay mad poo poo pee pee.