Power Supply Torture Test

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Comments

Uneasy over "Torture" usage

[SimianOverlord]

A bit off-topic, but then the article was slashdotted anyway. I had hell with one of my power units, couldn't figure out why my computer components were failing so rapidly, until a post in Microsoft help and support forums sent me on the right track.

But I'm a bit ambivalent about choosing the word "torture" here, in a jocular or mock serious way. I don't think it's really appropriate to have the term become diluted down to mean anything else than the really worst things that humans can do to each other. Some words should be ringfenced and not put into common usage.

Maybe its just me, but isn't it kind of symptomatic to the overall reaction to atrocities like Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib to misuse the word tortture. It's like it loses its impact. I doubt they editors would have posted something titled "Power Supply Holocaust!" for instance. I think "torture" should be treated like "holocaust", with kid gloves. Otherwise, the language we speak, and therefore think in becomes almost ammoral.

Re:Uneasy over "Torture" usage

[Daedala]

You know, I'm not the most politically correct person out there. I have no problem with slaving hard drives, using "he" to mean "everyone regardless of gender," and other such shibboleths. But I did do a double-take at that headline. I don't precisely think it's a wrong use of the word. I do think that the headline itself was awkward and invited unfortunate comparisons. Allusion is a pretty common trope in English, and the headline could definitely be read as alluding to Abu Graib.

I don't watch tv. I have avoided the Abu Graib pictures as much as possible, because I just don't need to see it. But the most vivid picture, the one even I've seen, is the hooded prisoner with wires attached to his body. "Power Supply Torture Test" reminded me of that. My first response was "WTF? Oh, they're being cute. Yech."

I know it's industry standard, I just think it's tacky in this instance. I probably wouldn't have blinked at "torture test" in other headlines: "Hard Drive Torture Test" doesn't bother me. "Server Torture Test" doesn't either. But hard drives and servers aren't notoriously used in torture, either. Electricity, sadly, is.