I'd learned about this last week, and this stuff is a bunch of Wikipedia searches so forgive me if I miss anything :]

Similar to git master and whitelist/blacklist having addressed racist origins, I've just learned that "ricing" -- i.e. way-far-from-default, colorfully souped-up *nix customizations -- came from a derogatory word for Asian "riced out" cars.

(click to enlarge spot where I came to learn about this)

Example in the lemmy.ml/c/linux community.

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The linked Wikipedia article doesn't list *nix ricing specifically, but it's probably not a far reach -- for example, tech's master-slave came from cars too.


Now I'm not here to start a debate on whether the term itself is bad. The arguments are done to death and predictable (old threadhope I can link here). Rather, I posit that we could probably invent a new term if we forced it hard enough.

For example, 4chan forcibly invented the use of the ok hand for "white power", as a collective prank (Wikipedia).

Further, Tumblr invented 'then beg' as an insult response to 'I beg your pardon/to differ'. (click to enlarge)

Based on Pukicho.

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So why can't Lemmy invent something too?

Here are some earlier takes. (click to enlarge for source, but they are listed below anyway)

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I surmise it has to be (1) somewhat unique and (2) short and nounable/verbable.

  • Customization doesn't fit -- it's too broad. Changing the wallpaper is a customization -- diagonalizing your screen is a rice (term to be replaced...).
  • Bespoke doesn't fit either. That's for a duct-tape script you hack together.
  • Pimping out... is not a good alternative. It preexists(citation needed?) and has inertia but it's not any better.
  • Souping up... doesn't roll off the tongue so much. But it's food-related (and thus not far from "rice"). Though I can't see myself saying "Yo, check out this epic soup."

Brainstorming welcome :P

  • fl42v@lemmy.ml
    ·
    19 hours ago

    removed the offending comments

    In one of which an Asian dude literally says it's not used as a derogatory anymore. Talk about being offended for others

    • Dessalines@lemmy.ml
      ·
      15 hours ago

      An stranger on the internet just gave you license to say a historically racist term, how convenient for you. Next they'll be some /r/asablackman posters saying its okay for you to use the n-word, because it doesn't bother them.

      • fl42v@lemmy.ml
        ·
        13 hours ago

        Should they've included a selfie or an id pic? Because when black ppl use that n-word you're trying to draw parallels with (which, BTW, is still a derogatory towards a person and has no other meanings, as far as I'm aware) nobody gets offended. And, aside from the use of the "r-word", their comment was a valid opinion on topic asking for that opinion

        • ProfessorOwl_PhD [any]
          ·
          8 hours ago

          It's not like black people using the N-word, it's like white people using the n-word because a stranger on the internet said it's ok.

          aside from the use of the "r-word"

          You don't think them casually dropping a slur might invalidate their opinion on whether a different word is a slur? Fucking LLM-ass logic right there.