Useful shorthand for the Nazis in power [LWN.net]

Useful shorthand for the Nazis in power

Posted Jun 16, 2025 8:47 UTC (Mon) by farnz (subscriber, #17727)
In reply to: Xlibre by Wol
Parent article: Ubuntu 25.10 to drop support for GNOME on Xorg

Coming from a German Jewish family, can we please stop conflating the Germans with the Nazis. Politics is horribly complicated, and lumping unrelated groups together in the same bucket does not help. Hitler wasn't even German!

I use "Third Reich" when referring to the period when Germany was governed by the Nazis; it's still clear what's meant, but doesn't trigger this sort of response.

I don't want to know your political/religious/sexual beliefs. If I don't know, I can't discriminate based on them. If you wear them on your sleeve, I will do my best to ignore them. If you shove them in my face I certainly will discriminate. Other people will take a different attitude ...

This is what unconscious bias is all about, and there's training that's all about ensuring that you consciously adjust for your own biases. It's unlawful to discriminate on certain characteristics, even if you do so unconsciously, after all.

to post comments

Useful shorthand for the Nazis in power

Posted Jun 16, 2025 9:43 UTC (Mon) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link]

"Unconscious bias" aka "like likes like".

(To some extent) I can't help but know things like your race. So that's the "if you wear it on your sleeve I will do my best to ignore it". My neighbours are dark skinned and wear turbans. I can't help but be aware of their race/religion, but they're nice people and we get on well. "You're you and I'm me".

If either of us started pushing our views, the friendly relationship would probably break down, but imho that is (a) disrespectful, and (b) as a fundamentalist-inclined Christian, it's also unChristian! "By their works shall ye know them", not by shouting your views from the housetop!

Cheers,
Wol