On Mon, Aug 1, 2011 at 12:45 PM, Margaret Wasserman
<mrw(_at_)lilacglade(_dot_)org>wrote:
Hi All,
Within the IETF, it has become common to use the term a "A Modest
Proposal..." as a title for actual proposals for process change within the
IETF. This causes some cultural dissonance for me, personally, and I want
to make sure that people are aware of the origin of this term, and the
potential for misinterpretation of proposals that are titled this way.
It is not my intention to criticize Hadriel, or anyone else who has used
this phrase. I am sure that no one who has used this term has intended to
be offensive to me or to anyone else. I am not personally offended, and I
am not looking for an apology. I just want to make sure that people
understand how the use of this term resonates with me, personally, and
potentially with others.
The original article by Jonathan Swift, titled, "A Modest Proposal...",
was a satirical suggestion that widespread famine and poverty in
Note that he did have the sense to publish it anonymously.
Marshall
Ireland could be addressed by the Irish selling their children to the
wealthy as a source of food (http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html). This
was a very loaded article that made an outrageous proposal, clearly not one
that was meant to be taken seriously. This article has been interpreted in
many different ways, though. Despite the fact that the article may have
been intended to be supportive of the Irish cause (by satirizing England's
indifference to Irish poverty and famine), the article was, nonetheless,
highly offensive to many Irish people for a number of reasons. Although i
can't personally see it, I have also been assured that the article is
uproariously funny. Whether you find the article offensive or humorous,
though, "A Modest Proposal..." is a culturally charged reminder of a very
difficult time in Irish/English history, an
d the term is likely to evoke complex feelings in people who are still
culturally sensitive about that topic.
So, if you are making a satirical, uproariously funny suggestion that you
do not intend to be taken seriously, but that might be misinterpreted as
incredibly offensive to all parties involved, then "A Modest Proposal.."
might be just the right title... (Although you might want to think twice
before you hit "send" :-)).
But, if you are making a serious proposal for how to improve things in the
IETF, I would personally feel more comfortable, and therefore better
disposed toward your suggestion, if you would not use the term "A Modest
Proposal.." to describe it.
You are, of course, free to use any title you wish for your own
proposals... My only purpose in sending this mail is to educate people who
might not be aware of the history of this particular phrase, so that they
might have a better basis for deciding whether or not to use "A Modest
Proposal..." in the titles of their own proposals.
Thank you for listening,
Margaret
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