
RuboCop: Is it time to change the name? - progapandist
https://github.com/rubocop-hq/rubocop/issues/8091#issuecomment-640158172
======
notmainacct
I'm actually dumbfounded that nobody has brought up the themes of the movie
RuboCop is (almost) named after. RoboCop (at least the original movie) seems
pretty in line with many progressive ideology criticizing privatization of
police and other government functions, criticizing militarization of police,
and lampooning gratuitous violence.

Spoiler Alerts: The story of RoboCop is the story of a police officer
overcoming systemic corruption within the police force after he is literally
dehumanized and turned into an excessively violent killing machine. The main
crux of the finale is that RoboCop needs to get around his programming that
prevents him from arresting other members of the police corporation which
pretty poignantly mirrors the many issues involving police policing other
police. While the main character is a "good cop" in this movie, I don't think
anybody will walk out of that movie thinking that police systems are not
deeply flawed and corruptible destructive.

RuboCop as a linter is very much in line with the ideals of what a cop should
be, and what a cop will be after reform (hopefully). RuboCop finds structural
problems, gives out warnings, and helps the community of whoever works on a
codebase work together in harmony.

~~~
geoah
The author actually says the same about the movie in his ps.

> P.S. I haven't seen RoboCop in a while, but I have a vague recollection he
> was a good guy, who was fighting against the oppressive system.

------
Fellshard
/sigh. Just buzzards circling around an opportunity to signal they're 'doing
something'.

------
slap
There's a very strong feeling of virtue signalling in these github comments.
"Woke" developers which have never heard of RuboCop before.

~~~
LeoNatan25
Don’t forget those offended by master/slave architectures,
blacklist/whitelist, etc. The world is getting stranger by the minute.

------
hirundo
coding-bunny solved this in the comments:

    
    
      echo "alias ruby_lint=rubocop" >> $HOME/.bashrc
    

...unless your objection is that _other_ people will see this suddenly
problematic word.

------
notokay
That's why you have to move out of the github. It already looks like Facebook,
what happens next?

------
JohnBooty
My first thought was that this proposed name change is a bit silly, because
"RuboCop" is clearly an homage to RoboCop, a movie that -- yes -- portrays a
"good cop" but overall is very critical of the police system in America.

My second thought is that as a white, middle-class American, I can't rely on
that kneejerk reaction.

I'm very lucky in that I live someplace where _my_ group is not
disproportionately targeted by the police. There are a lot of people in
America and elsewhere in the world who can't say the same.

Will changing the name solve anything? No.

But is it a tiny _positive_ step with very little cost? That is the bar that
needs to be cleared.

