Re: [rain1 at airmail dot cc] Delete abortion joke

[Richard Stallman <rms at gnu dot org>]

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  > The problem with the joke is that it touches a difficult and complex
  > topic, namely abortion, and this could be a trigger for certain
  > individuals causing them to relive a traumatic memory.

It is not the joke that might lead people to think about abortion --
it doesn't refer directly to that -- but rather the name of the
library function, "abort", which is documented there.

Therefore, if you think that this is a real concern, let's put a
trigger warning at the start of the section.  I propose thus text:

   Warning: this section contains function names that might perhaps
   provoke unpleasant memories for some readers.  We suggest readers
   use their discretion about whether to read further.

A GNU manual, like a course in history, is not meant to be a "safe
space".  It is meant to address a subject.  It must cover the function
"abort", just as a course in Renaissance history must cover witch
trials and the inquisition.

However, there is no reason not to include the trigger warning if that
is of service to people.

Whether the joke is included has no effect on this issue.

Giving birth is far more traumatic than having an abortion, so we
might want to put a similar warning in sections that mention child
processes.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation (https://gnu.org, https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)
Skype: No way! See https://stallman.org/skype.html.