NonInclusiveLanguage sniff

[jrfnl]

A sniff to examine code and comments for the use of non-inclusive language and throw a warning when found.

Specifically, the sniff should look for sexist, racist, ablist or ethnocentric language, which can contribute to a hostile work environment.

Initial word list

Search for	Alternatives to suggest	Notes
whitelist, blacklist	allowlist/safelist/acceptlist, denylist/blocklist/rejectlist
master, slave	primary/main, secondary/replica
he, she, him, her, his, himself, herself	they, them, their, themself	may need to limit this search to comments
crazy	peculiar, baffling
dummy	placeholder

Input requested and very welcome !!!

Particularly on:

• additional words/terms to look for;
• what should be the preferred alternatives.

What to examine:

Search for these in:

• Comments and docblocks.
• Variable names
• Constant names
• Namespace names
• Class names
• Function names

For constructs, report on these only when the construct is declared, not when used, as usage cannot be changed until the declaration has been changed.

Additional notes:

• The sniff should be aware of variants of words, i.e. $white_list, whitelisting etc.
• The regexes used should be careful not to match too much, i.e. sheer should not match she, while master should not match mastering.

External references:

• https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-knodel-terminology-00.html
• https://developers.google.com/style/inclusive-documentation

[joemcgill]

This is a great initiative. Thank you for taking it up! I've found this list of disability terms with negative connotations a helpful resource.

[jrfnl]

@joemcgill Thanks, though the credit should also go to @jdevalk.

Thanks for the link. I've had a look through the list, but there are only a few words there which I can imagine people would ever use in a code-context, but maybe I'm wrong ? Please tell me if I am !

The only ones which sprung out at me from that list (other than those already listed above) were:

• "invalid" - the noun is the offensive word though, while in code, this is usually used as an adjective and I would not be able to distinguish between the two.
• "disabled" - similar situation.
• "dim" - similar situation, think "dimming the screen" which is quite different from calling a person "dim".

And possibly

• "blind" - as in "double-blind testing"

Specific words to search for with suggestions for alternatives are most helpful to get this off the ground.

@vavroom would you care to comment ?

[vavroom]

Very happy y'all are looking at this kind of thing :)

On the term disabled, I wouldn't be too worried. While for a very long time there's been a push to use "person with a disability", instead of "disabled", there's also been a massive push for using just disabled, by disabled folks. If you look on twitter for the #SayTheWord hashtag, you'll get a feel for it.

Also, the idea of ableist language is using a medical/disability related word in a negative context. A disabled button is pushing that envelope a bit. I'd not be too worried about it. Then again, I would hesitate to use disabled buttons but that's a story for another day :D

@jrfnl points out correctly that dimming the screen is very different from calling someone dim. Again, I wouldn't worry about it.

I'd be curious to know what blind folks think of "double-blind testing". I personally don't view it as objectionable, but then I'm not the target market of that kind of potentially ableist language.

[jrfnl]

@vavroom Thanks for taking the time to give feedback. Much appreciated.

[maccath]

This is a great initiative!

I was also wondering about the terms disabled/enabled.

It feels unnecessary when there are terms like inactive/off/deactivated/restricted that do the job just as well... But I'm not disabled, so I don't think I can speak with any authority. Thanks for your input @vavroom

[tomjn]

I think there should be room to add words that don't have suggested replacements, brazenly outright innapropriate words, such as the N word, or other derogatory terms, such as calling people with downs syndrome the M word, or the P word.

[ChrisWiegman]

Really glad to see this. Thank you!

[benlk]

This is a good idea!

• disabled is an HTML attribute, CSS selector, and property for elements in the DOM
• invalid is a CSS selector

In code there is no alternative to that string, much like when spellcheck trips over referer. Even limiting the scope of the sniff for these terms to comments will probably cause a tiring number of false positives.

[jrfnl]

@tomjn Good idea and those words which really shouldn't be used, should probably be an error.
I'd be very surprised to ever come across those in code in the first place, but you're right: may as well check for them.

Is it ok if I approach you privately to verify that I interpret the letters you mention correctly ? Or ping you to review the sniff to make sure I have added the right ones ?

[tomjn]

Sure, but it's hardly an exhaustive list, and the P/M words might be more used in the UK than internationally. Happy to review

[benlk]

If the sniffer is going to sniff for a list of naughty words, https://github.com/LDNOOBW/List-of-Dirty-Naughty-Obscene-and-Otherwise-Bad-Words aims to have comprehensive lists.

[maccath]

I think there's a difference between 'naughty' words and exclusionary language. For example, I can see a bunch of anatomical and sex related words on those lists which aren't necessarily used in a demeaning and derogatory way; it's less clear cut - and could end up being exclusionary in and of itself.

[jdevalk]

Honestly we should probably make that sniff a separate issue and just go for the main goal here.