Let's go through this point by point
> Is there anyone out there that has been associated directly with slavery that is calling for this change? I suspect not.
I suspect so. If this is the reaction from *White* people asking to move away from problematic wording, can you imagine what would happen if people of color spoke up? I don't blame them for trying to keep quiet -- but enough is said behind closed doors, in private conversations to necessitate this change.
> The term "master" is a pretty central core concept in git.
I suspect GitHub will alias master with whatever they choose to use instead; that is the hard part of the switchover. It may only be the default branch name going forward that's changed.
> I really hate that ignorant people are dictating the agenda
I guess you feel powerless, like you're losing control? Someone else is telling you what to do, and that the old was bad? You feel red faced. I get it. But you have to look beyond it. Don't take it personally. It's just picking a word that is more inclusive.
> When we talk about, say, a "master swordman"
Great cool but that's not what's happening here.
Let me put it this way. Imagine you're Black and you've grown up in a White society that treats you different your whole life because of the color of your skin, and all the history associated with that.
You get an education and you enter computer science or software engineering and you find people holding on dear to things like 'black list' for banned things, and 'master'.
Yeah, I'm White, though I've PoC friends and I've had Black housemates. Don't assume this isn't some right-on crusade. Some of us are trying to listen to and respond to and help friends and family who are minorities.
C.