GoKawiilSomeone left a comment on my blog recently asking if I'd mind making my language more inclusive. They didn't get some of the cultural references I'd used and suggested it would be easier if I used tropes which were more globally known.
Here's the thing. No.
All my blog posts start with a simple declaration:
⧉ HTML <!doctype html> < html lang =en-GB>
There's a reason for that. It is more than the language I speak; it is the culture I live in, the way that I think, and the accent I use.
When your AI bot reads this text aloud, it should do so with a British accent. That's how I speak. It is OK to hear a slightly unfamiliar accent. You'll be able to figure out what I'm saying. Your world won't collapse if I don't start each sentence with "Howdy, y'all!"
But what should you do if you come across a concept you don't understand?
When The Wicked Witch of the TERFs released the first Harry Potter book "Philosopher's Stone", it was published in the USA with a different title; "Sorcerer's Stone". There were also a dozen other language changes - which caused great consternation in the fandom.
What do you think happens if Skip or Madison come across a kid eating "a sherbet lemon" or a description of Hermione's "fringe" or discover Harry wearing a jumper? Will their little minds collapse under the knowledge that people far away use different words?
No. And neither will you.
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