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.

  • HornyOnMain
    ·
    10 months ago

    Lol, it's a pretty good example of how hexbear federating with the rest of lemmy has functioned to push back on a lot of the casual bigotry that got imported from Reddit

      • combat_brandonism [they/them]
        ·
        10 months ago

        applied to Unix desktop customization it was popularized on reddit

        but yeah that's the whole point, before that it was an obviously racist term

        • krolden@lemmy.ml
          ·
          10 months ago

          I thought i remembered a long time ago (early 2000s) that it was actually about using rice based ethanol in your sportscar to boost performance somehow.

          https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18615542

          https://ftloscience.com/producing-biofuel-from-rice-husk/

          • combat_brandonism [they/them]
            ·
            10 months ago

            at that same time & earlier it was predominantly used to refer to either car enthusiasts themselves or their asian-manufactured, cheap and easy to customize cars. as has been endlessly pointed out in this thread.