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A fact from Sea Mither appeared on Misplaced Pages's Main Page in the Did you know column on 6 August 2014 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
I recently deleted the adjective "simple" where it is used to describe the islanders who may have originated the myth. Sagaciousphil reverted it. I am of the opinion that a scholar of mythology, such as might be interested in an encyclopedia entry on a mythological topic, would not view the islanders as "simple" and besides, the word assumes a position of superiority that tends to subvert the authority of the content. In other words, why would an objective piece insult the islanders like that? Hypnopompus (talk) 12:46, 10 August 2015 (UTC)
The source was written before our present obsession with political correctness, but your removal of the word "simple" carries with it the implication that all islanders were of the same opinion, not just the simple ones. EricCorbett13:09, 10 August 2015 (UTC)
Well, by removing the word "simple" I did leave the word "islander", which is as straightforward a descriptor as I think is necessary, operating under the assumption that not all islanders were of the same opinion. There's a more precise way to say the same thing I'm sure so no objections there. As for "political correctness", that is not a consideration. I just don't think we should go around calling people simple for their beliefs.Hypnopompus (talk) 19:12, 18 August 2015 (UTC)
... and not all islanders were simple, so I still don't see the problem. Have you considered that the people you're being so defensive about are long dead? EricCorbett19:15, 18 August 2015 (UTC)
By using the word "simple" the article correctly reflects the wording in the original source; editors should not guess the opinions of others. SagaciousPhil - Chat19:44, 18 August 2015 (UTC)
You have got to be fucking kidding. "Political correctness" my asscrack—this is straight-up horseshit, and there is no lack of alternate wordings that would avoid the problem. "removing the adjective is a slur on all islanders" deserves an award for disingenuousness. Curly Turkey 🍁 ¡gobble!05:58, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
User:Curly Turkey, while civility is a necessity for collaboration, and swearing repeatedly does not fit most, if any, definitions of the term, I quite agree with your sentiment. Having spent substantial time in many of the countries in which English is the primary spoken/written language (US, CA, UK, IE, AU, SA--if SA counts), I can say with relative confidence that this use of the word "simple" (meaning... what, exactly? Unsophisticated? Unintelligent? It's an extremely ambiguous term) is widely considered outdated, and that its appearance here will be jarring to most readers. It sounds less like Wikipedian 21st-century encyclopedic style, and more like a 1920s treatise on the island nations of the South Pacific.
User:Sagaciousphil, a source's use of a particular term (and "term" is being used loosely here) does not require us to keep it in the article; it is the encyclopedic information, presented in "Misplaced Pages style", that matters. Our job is to make the articles accessible and informative, not to recreate the language of the historical context of every source. No actual information is added to the article by the word "simple"; it is a judgment of the people involved which the reader is perfectly capable of making themselves, if they are so inclined. User:Eric Corbett, your final comment ("Whatever, ...") does feel more like a rude parting shot than an actual attempt at resolving the dispute. You haven't really displayed any comprehension of the other users' concerns, and in spite of your insistence on ignoring the point, it is pretty widely agreed that explaining the existence of mythological beliefs and traditions with reference to a culture's "simplicity" is not so much "politically incorrect" as "unhelpful and reductive". I would be happy to talk further on the matter, but for now I feel relatively confident in removing the word. YarLucebith (talk) 07:21, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
Do you know what disingenuous means? I suggest that you look it up before bandying that term around again, as you atre becoming increasingly offensive. EricCorbett12:15, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
"Assuming a pose of naïveté to make a point or for deception."—and here you are pretending that dropping the adjective would make "islanders" refer to all the islanders. Condescension fail. Curly Turkey 🍁 ¡gobble!12:33, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
"Islanders" does not necessarily mean all islanders. It can equally well be interpreted as some islanders. Incidentally, there is also the term "primitive islanders" later in the article, which seems an equally, if not more, questionable term. Why not "uneducated", or "unsophisticated"? Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:51, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
It's been explained to you several times why it's necessary to qualify islanders. That you don't like the explanation is something for you to come to terms with, not me. EricCorbett12:15, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
More than one have explained that that explanation is bullshit, and there are plenty of other potential alternative wordings. Perhaps the simplest: "perhaps invented by simple islanders to explain". Curly Turkey 🍁 ¡gobble!12:23, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
