Master/Slave, etc.

[Tom Phillips <tphillips -at- CCMGATE -dot- MBSBOOKS -dot- COM>]

     Before I give my opinion, let me just say that I'm not going to quote
     anybody in this posting. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and
     there are so many shades of gray on this issue that I would not feel
     justified in saying "This individual is wrong" or "That individual is
     off his/her rocker".

     If the labels for a jumper on a CD-ROM drive are labeled "Master" and
     "Slave", should we as tech writers use different words in our
     instructions so as to avoid offending a small percentage of the
     population?

     If I am a user and am trying to install a CD-ROM drive, do I want
     clear instructions or politically correct instructions? Imagine if the
     manual read, "Now set the jumper on the back of the unit to
     'Primary'". Ok, no problem. But when I look at the back of the unit,
     and see that nothing is labeled 'primary'? Uh oh, what the heck am I
     supposed to do? Help me, Obiwan! (Sorry, Lucasfilm--please don't sue
     me!)

     As technical writers, I am curious as to how everyone would respond to
     this choice:

     Choice 1 - Providing instructions that will be clear to %95 of the
     population but offend %5.

     Choice 2 - Providing instructions that will be clear to %50 of the
     population but offend %0.05.

     Personally, I'm going to have to go with choice 1. It is a simple fact
     of life that it is impossible to please everyone. If I were to use the
     phrase "He was a waste management artisan" instead of "He was a
     garbage man", I would probably still manage to offend someone. Maybe
     it would be an artist who is offended by the association of art with
     waste? Maybe it would be a manager who is offended by the association
     of management with art? I repeat, you can't please everyone.

     So here is my main point. Should we, as technical writers, sacrifice
     clarity for political correctness, or sacrifice political correctness
     for clarity? Keep in mind that the "job description" includes the
     ability to provide clear and concise documentation for complex
     problems and procedures. Given a choice, I'll sacrifice political
     correctness. I'm sure there are those who will label me as sexist or
     close-minded, but I'm neither. I merely have my own opinion, and that
     happens to be what it is. Each of you is entitled to agree or
     disagree.

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