Rename Handicap Stones

[Joaz Banbeck]

...The origin of the practice is credited to one Admiral Henry John Rous, a steward of England’s historic Jockey Club, who in the 1860’s devised the Weight for Age Scale (often abbreviated to WFA)...

...the Scots also invented handicapping, that almost unique apparatus that allows players of any skill level to compete fairly against one another on the identical field of play...

The term handicapping originated in horse racing; a jockey was handed his odds for the race in a cap (hand-in-cap). But the concept far preceded the word. Early on, the act of allowing strokes in golf was called "assigning the odds," and was done by the precursor of the modern Handicap Committee Chairman, who was called "adjustor of the odds."...

In the 1870s, English clubs adopted the term "handicap"; events with odds were called "handicap contests" or "handicap tournaments." ...

Golfers have apparently used the word for about 140 years. It doesn't seem to have hurt that sport. It has been used even longer in horse racing, and they don't seem to be adversely affected by it. ( dare I say handicapped by it? ) So I see no need to change our use of it.

Where is the "I don't feel guilty, so don't change it" option?

[Bantari]

Really?!?

How about: The-stones-that-you-put-on-the-board-before-you-start-the-game-to-balance-the-assumed-and-alledged-difference-in-rank-which-might-or-might-not-translate-into-difference-of-strength-and-might-be-bogus-due-to-sandbaggers-anyways? This should satisfy the people who are oh-so-afraid of accepting the fact that they are (allegedly) weaker than their opponents and might need a handicap to have an interesting game.

PC is "by definition" silly: calling-things-by-what-they-are-not-to-possibly-avoid-offending-somebody-who-lacks-self-confidence-and-keeps-whining-about-it - but puh-leeze! I say - PLEASE, don't go there! When this is the path we take - the whole community will become even more of the nightmare it already is. Lets try fixing things by being more understanding rather than continue to nitpick at everything we possibly can!

Who came up with the idea?.... lets have some names!

[Phelan]

noob nuggets

This one is the most hilarious. I think I might start referring to them this way in friendly company.

[tundra]

droppings?

[hyperpape]

Ah, more politically correct do-gooders with too much time on their hands.

You forgot to point out that you probably also see "black" and "white" as racist, that "to kill" is immoral, and that tengen, the "origin of heaven" is insensitive towards other religions.

If only these people would expend as much energy into studying Go as they do in forcing their morals onto others, they might be 10 kyu by now.

You should really take a deep breath.

[HKA]

Bear in mind I tend to be the strongest player at my club each week - a testament more to the strength of my club than my own strength.

Nevertheless, I invariably refer to them as...

Targets

[Dokuganryu]

I think a person who insist on putting handicap stones on the goban, implying that his opponent is handicapped in any way, should be ashamed of his behavior, apologize and resign immediately. It is much better to obliterate him in the name of equality, and don't review the game afterwards, because both players surely have equal understanding of what happened.

[judicata]

The OP started this thread in jest. At least, this is obvious to me and to some posters in this thread.

Also (while it is ultimately irrelevant to the post), the history of the term "handicap" is interesting. Contrary to popular belief, the term's origin does not relate to persons with disabilities, poor people, or beggars asking for money by holding out a hat (or cap, as it were). The term "handicap" originated from a game (named, surprisingly enough "hand in cap"). The word was later expanded to describe methods of balancing games or sports--as in go or golf. Only later was it used to describe persons with disabilities.

While "politically correct" usage isn't a real issue here, I advise against a knee-jerk reaction that all "politically correct" (or "PC") terms are nonsense or should be ignored. In many cases, I absolutely agree that attempts at being "PC" are ridiculous or at least unnecessary. One of my favorite absurdities is the use of "ex-felon" instead of "felon." Why? Because a "felon" is someone who commits a felony, and some felons never serve prison time. We have other words to describe people who have finished serving sentences...

In any event, instead of thinking about whether a term is "PC," consider whether it is the most effective way to communicate. For example, "mentally retarded" has a long medical history, and "retarded" is another word for "slow." But in common usage, the term has become offensive, and used offensively (when I was growing up, "retarded" was a common insult). So the term is best avoided.