• wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
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    9 hours ago

    Does the same argument apply to calling janitors custodians “sanitation engineers”? I’ve seen that some places.

    Like, if the word “custodian” is too offensive, then maybe it’s just because the job sucks and comes with stigma, and anything you call it is going to sound derogatory after a few years…

    I get that it’s a critical job, and the people in those roles should be treated with dignity and respect like everyone else. The social stigma is wrong, for sure. But simply changing the title doesn’t solve anything…

    • finalarbiter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      9 hours ago

      What? That’s a very different situation than what I was talking about with software development. I thought I pretty clearly outlined the core of what it means to be an engineer- Custodians aren’t doing engineering work. As you said, that doesn’t make the role less important or less deserving of dignity.

      Just calling someone an engineer because it sounds better is silly and demeans both the actual role and the work that engineers do.

          • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
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            5 hours ago

            Yeah the explanation was fine but the “What? That’s a very different situation” seemed unnecessarily hostile. But maybe it just have my panties in a bunch today, it could be me

            • finalarbiter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              5 minutes ago

              I wasn’t intentionally trying to be rude, it genuinely took me aback. I’m sorry to have come across that way.

              From my perspective, tt felt like you hadn’t actually read my argument and were responding in bad faith, since this comparison is the sort of thing that people say to dismiss software engineering as a sort of thought-terminating cliche.