“Gearslutz Will Be Changing Its Name”

The founder of the popular Gearslutz forum has announced that the site will be getting a new name.

The site, which describes itself as ‘The No.1 Website For Pro Audio’ has come under criticism for years for its name.

Common objections to the name include:

  • It’s unprofessional – the site has grown from being a gear forum to being one of the world’s most important resources for musicians, so many think that they name should evolve along with the site;
  • It’s sexist – the inclusion of ‘slut’ in the name is offensive and exclusionary; and
  • It’s blocked at work – the fact that the name incorporates ‘slut’ means that it’s blocked by many company’s proxy servers/firewalls – so you can’t check out the site at work.

The name change is in response to the launch of a Change.org petition. which asks Gearslutz to change their name to something that more appropriately represents the gear community.

Gearslutz founder Jules Standen initially rejected the petition, stating that “The name was, and still is, not intended to send a derogatory message to women or to discourage them from participating in the forum. It was simply meant to poke fun at some people’s pro audio shopping habits.” He basically argued that if you find the name offensive, it was your problem.

As the petition support grew to close to 5,000 signatures, though, Standen has reconsidered and decided it’s time to move forward:

“We recognize and agree that the word-play pun in the name has gotten old and it is now time to move forwards.

Gearslutz will be changing its name.

We have not yet decided what it will be but we can assure you that the new name will be more inclusive, and will stand the test of time. The site will operate as usual, only the domain name and logo will change.

This process is going to take a while as it is a significant technical task. Thus, we are asking you to bear with us as we embark on it.

Thanks and here’s to the future!”

Standen shared his thoughts on the name change in an interview with Working Class Audio, embedded below:

The change is expected to be implemented later this year.

218 thoughts on ““Gearslutz Will Be Changing Its Name”

  1. i never cared either way but after having kids and then they start learning how to read, ugh i do not want to explain that word to a 6 year old lol, way too soon. much love to gs fam =)

      1. I have young kids. I don’t mind them knowing about the word. But how can I say “don’t say that word to your school teacher” if their parents are openly using it. Hence I don’t browse GS when my kids are around.

        Similarly if I happened to be working in an open plan office I wouldn’t browse GS there for fear of getting called in by HR. A colleague might well complain if they didn’t know what the site was about.

        Quite possibly it’s more offensive in some cultures than others.

        Anyway, I think GS are about to get themselves a whole load more casual browsers from more diverse backgrounds. Hopefully a very smart move.

        PS Of course, I do browse synthtopia with my kids!

        1. > I don’t browse GS when my kids are around.

          Likewise, never listen to rap when kids are around. Or PG-13 movies. Absolute filth! Lord Tipper Gore, protect us!

        2. While that may by a suitable workaround for you and your kids, it doesn’t at all manage the eye-roll and hesitation of adult women who would otherwise want to engage in the forum, and that is an issue that should concern all of us.

      2. You’re floating a comparison between avoiding reality and a six year old contemplating the concept of a slut? Really?

    1. ‘someone who gets an unusually large emotional or pleasurable response from doing some activity repeatedly.’ wow. that was super duper hard. was there another outdated definition you had in mind? words only mean the things we agree on.

      1. I have no problem with people using the word poetically in this way. But as you know it is not the first meaning in the dictionary nor the primary etymological one, which is explicitly tagged as offensive in the dictionary and has had that meaning since the 15th century. So it is best avoided in the name of a site if you want to encourage broad participation and seem professional.

        I don’t know why so many people are opposing the name change, which is now agreed on anyway. To me this has nothing to do with feminism or wokeness or cancel culture, it is just about not being rude.

    2. Even the guy that came up with the name admits it’s a problem.

      I just want to be able to check out the site over lunch at work, without it being blocked or me ending up in HR.

      To the people that say that the SJW’s are destroying the world by changing the name ‘Gearslutz’ – grow a pair of balls, you pathetic whiners.

      For the rest of us, it will be great to be able to visit the site without embarrassment, over lunch at work.

      1. > I just want to be able to check out the site over lunch at work, without it being blocked or me ending up in HR.

        Sorry, why do you work for repressive fascists again, and why do you defend that as normal and OK in any way?

        1. OK… THAT was hysterical. Ridiculous as the rejection of the word by corporate firewalls has zero inference to fascism and even less as a case against free speech protection, but still, hysterical.

          1. What is ridiculous is American culture.

            And if you’re scared to go to HR over a silly word than please stop claiming others need to grow a pair. Or be that pathetic loan slave in your cancel culture and let your boss order you around.

            1. Dear HR…please make a special exception for me only to allow the word slut through my firewall so i can scan this internet group while at work and stop being a pathetic slave to cancel culture, thx.

              – said no one with a job, ever

              How about you evolve a little?

              1. I’ll rather stay a gearslut without a gearslutz account thank you very much.
                I’m done with forums that think they need to be politically correct when most that gets posted on these forums is everything but. They’re shaming themselves if they switch names that’s how I see it.

                First they had to shame the booth babes, now you can’t even call yourself a gearslut anymore cause it’s so shameful. I rather have the old days back. Even the synths sounded better.

  2. “It’s sexist – the inclusion of ‘slut’ in the name is offensive and exclusionary” – Oh please! If you’re offended by this, you need a slap and to wake up!

    But yes, the other reasons I fully agree with. It IS an unprofessional name.

    1. What I find unprofessional is the drip drip drip of statement this and announcement that. There’s nothing stopping them slapping a redirect and a banner that ‘x is now y’. It smacks of a publicity stunt. Altria still makes Marlboros and the site will still have the equally carcinogenic EMI&EMP forum for addicts. Just change it without all the fart huffing about ‘community’. It’s an ad business, get over.

    2. If you’re offended by this you probably have been or know someone who was a victim of sexual abuse or assault and the last thing they need is a slap from you. Grow up.

      1. Not really, People can be emotional and pissed off about thing by just reading comments.
        We all did it, I admit I did but I never felt “offended” by words on websites,
        I give this privilege only to my family and friends 🙂

    3. Why it’s not professional? Who said professional should be serious, lucking in self humor and always aiming for a broader market.

    4. It’s not about being “offensive”. It’s about a stupid name. It’s about emotional stuntedness. It’s about the right of the owner to change it to any name he likes.

    1. Muff refers to guitar pedal. Wiggler refers to turning of knobs. Seeing as muffwiggler isn’t a commonly known or used word by anyone outside of the modular synth world, any taken meaning beyond that is entirely subjective. Meaning the reader has put it there themselves. Anyone who takes offence to it is literally taking offence to their own stupid brain

      1. The avoidance to recognize the connection with a derogatory term for the female anatomy, and trying to point the problem towards those who make that obvious connection and rightfully offended by it is mind boggling. And childish

        1. Muffs are things you use to warm your hands or ears. You can also muff something up, meaning mess something up. And yeah there’s muffs as guitar pedals. Muff in some derogatory sense must be very rare usage, I’ve never even heard it used before.

          I’ll tell you what is derogatory and offensive though. “Peter”. It’s a slur used against a man’s anatomy and totally unacceptable. When can we expect your apology and name change? I can’t believe you’d just come on a family friendly site and say that word. It’s not OK.

        2. If you offended by name of websites it’s your problem yes.
          I don’t care who did you wrong, it’s not relevant to a name of website.
          Get over your inflated ego and your pretentiousness for rightfulness.

  3. GS is a dumb and silly name. I mean, why not a cool and meaningful name like TechRadar or Reverb or Synthtopia?

    Muff Wiggler? Sounds like something an adolescent boy came up with 20 years ago. Sorry, I just don’t think there’s a better word to describe those names than “dumb”.

    1. Personally, I don’t care what it’s called as long as I can watch people’s heads explode while they accuse each other of being company shills. Professionally, of course.

  4. maybe we can change it to gear whores. people are so sensitive over dumb shit but the things that actually matter go untouched. well glad we got this major issue buttoned up

    1. The GS admins are not the same people as those with the power to change “the things that actually matter.” The relevance of this point lying in that there is no singular all-powerful body that, while in the process of determining which things (or at least the things you personally are exposed to) do or do not get “buttoned up,” has made the tragic mistake of misprioritizing their efforts in relation to your own preferences. In other worlds, even if the things external to you might feel like some single nebulous force that’s got everything upside down, the truth is that GS is just a single website, and they’re making their own decision for the purpose of professionalism, etc. Hopefully you can handle this.

    2. What do you expect the website formerly known as Gearslutz to do about “the things that actually matter”? I’m sure the name of their business matters to them!

  5. To not shock any fragile moron today, everything has to be perfectly equal, neutral, inviting, bs from corpo brainstoming…
    And that leads to the most bland and fake society ever… sad world.

    1. It’s the casual sexism and racism that getting are boring and tired.

      This is a great opportunity, as others have noted, to come up with a name that doesn’t sound like it was created by 13 year old boy.

      1. When I was 13 I laughed so hard with Eddie Murphy in RAW. That show was full of racism, sexism etc and I loved it.

        People need to grow some skin. This cancel culture is toxic.

        1. This is so true!! I never cared for the name though and I did try to avoid it in the office.. but a hugely popular forum with lots of skilled an professional adults on it that simply succumbs to the minority woke activists that roam social media these days is unacceptable.

          Lets all grow up a litte and stop being childishly triggered by simple words.

          Every woke activist that finds a word that they think is inappropriate in their little world is simply a attention-whore. Stop whoring! Start living and let live.

      2. Putting “casual” before words doesn’t make them valid. Turning a *casual* forum on music gear into bland, inoffensive corpo speak isn’t anything but boring. There’s nothing “ist” about a website being called “gearslutz”, and given it was most popular during that name I don’t think much people cared. Have you ever met a woman? They aren’t the hypothetical ones you invented in your head who only refused to go to “gearslutz” because of the name. Plenty of women use that term in literal and non literal ways, both positively and negatively. People like you are just bored and want to feel like you’re doing something meaningful. Everything has to be the same and has to not offend you. It’s boring. There’s also nothing worse and more pretentious than the replacement to “space”. In demand by no one and yet enforced top down anyways, seems to be the trend, meanwhile the classics remain timeless and the website mentioned here will never surpass the former name and will likely continue sailing into irrelevance while people go elsewhere to express and be themselves. What’s funny about this though, is that if the website had a name stereotypical of males you would not care, and yet here the name isn’t even stereotypical of females because it’s literally a description regarding gear and commercialism.

    2. Why not just go all the way and remove this disgusting, oh sorry, uhm I meant, inappropriate word from the (English) Language/Dictionary altogether. There, that’s much better, just ignore everything (and censor everything while we’re at it).

      What an absolutely retarded path we’re going down. (IMO, Retard, as a word has it’s right to exist)

      1. You openly discriminate against age, sex and race, and yet couldn’t handle a website existing with the name “gearslutz” because your big brain can’t understand figurative language about gear (and mostly dudes, because we know how much you hate that) without making it about yourself. You say it ignores the opinions of anybody that’s not an old white guy, ignoring the decision of the article you commented under being about an established forum changing its name due the possibility of a single hypothetical woman being insulted by it. This would never happen the other way around.

        1. Years later, you still have an axe to grind about the guys that created a forum deciding that ‘Gearslutz’ wasn’t a great name in this day and age.

          You left four comments in less than a half hour, on a post from 2021. We know what triggers you!

          Sad!

  6. Always thought it was a fun name and very effective maybe people and software that takes offence should change for ones like they should have in the first place.

  7. Glad it’s being changed. It’s unnecessarily juvenile and turns people away from being included in the music community. Everyone should be invited in to be able to talk about music without feeling uncomfortable

    1. The idea that the former name turned people away is a complete lie that you made up and I’d bet it did the complete opposite since the name grabbed attention and was memorable. The forum didn’t grow on “inclusivity” and all of your buzzwords, it was a forum dedicated to a small hobby. Not everything needs to be for everyone, and if you think women are petrified of the word “slut” then I’d wonder the last time you even interacted with one outside of your internet circlejerk (which I’d imagine is not “inclusive” to someone like me which is fine).

  8. They could keep the abbreviation “GS” (as in: “I just saw on the GS forum…”), if they change it to GearSnowflakez 😉

    1. The real advancement for humanity would be the day that people who cares about words would have the words changed and the others who don’t, would just be tolerant and allow the name to be changed…because they don’t care in the first place. That’s what’s happening. Everyone is happy and no one is loosing anything.

      1. Tolerant? Really? You used the word tolerant, but then suggest a party change themselves to satisfy your feelings. Do you realize that is the opposite of tolerance?

    1. “Change this now”
      “Nuts means Cojones and Men are bad”

      “No scratch that, everything is bad and I want everything to change”

      Actually everything is awesome! Nuts and Balls get my vote!
      What about GearButts?

  9. The sites been called that for 18 years and now it’s too much? This is just dumb PC babies getting upset on other peoples behalf. Anyone with any actual sense can see that and understand that it’s obviously not meant to be offensive to any one person in particular and it’s just a tongue in cheek joke. So what if it’s “Unprofessional”? Why does music have to be so serious? But of course musicians have to continue to prove how pretentious they are and how they take themselves way too seriously.

    1. it’s a business decision really. adapt or die.

      with a simple name change, they basically open the door to increased ad possibilities, placement, revenue and audience. think piano and guitar schools, engineering institutes, online masterclasses, etc.

      in a competitive market, who wouldn’t want better place themselves for the future?

      1. If you are offended by the term “PC babies” then that ultimately says a lot about you more so than the term itself. Likewise if your really offended by the word “Slut” then maybe you need to look more into why you find it offensive rather than calling for it’s banishment.

              1. Jezus Broken Gadget is this the way you communicate at work too? Constantly beating around the bush like an insecure teenager? Just come out and say it already, here say it together with me like an adult: “Dear Mad Mike, I disagree with your statement”. See, that wasn’t so hard.

    2. Ad revenue is likely declining on the site. Companies like Sweetwater see the petition and think, do we still want to be on this site? I imagine some phone calls were made by the advertisers, who saw an opportunity to keep viewers but claim moral high ground after the change.

  10. I agree with changing the name, because gear-shaming is a vile scourge that needs to end.

    Everyone should be free to use whatever gear they like, even if it’s from Behringer.

  11. Can I get that domain for my high concept gay military fetish site tho? Promise will be very professional and inclusive. Not sure about the firewalls at work.

  12. The name Slutz derived from the Middle Low German term “schlütter” meaning “doorkeeper.” It is supposed that the name was originally occupational for the keeper of the supplies of a large household.

    Doorkeepers of Gear.

    Where’s the issue, unless only English speakers matter.

    1. “Where’s the issue, unless only English speakers matter.”

      The issue is prude Americans who think they control the English language.

      1. I’ve literally lived to see a “woke” generation try and cancel people like James Joyce and Yeats because they are offended. The real problem is that these people are poorly educated on anything other than garbage TV and Internet

          1. Snowflakes get offended by change and want to live in the past, when it was more socially acceptable to be a douchebag. Sad!

  13. Good. The name was always pretty stupid anyways.

    I have taught sound design basics to young people and it sucks that places like Gearslutz and Muff Wiggler are some of the biggest sources of information.

    I don’t understand how you could not see why the name sucks to a young girl coming into an already VERY male dominated field?

    And if your argument is that “slut” is a non-sexist and non-degrading term, it’s like using the racially offensive N-word and trying to come up with your own meaning for it, or saying that “I never meant any harm by it”. Some words have hundreds of years of baggage that come with them as very degrading and offensive. You can’t just wipe it away by saying that you and a couple of your friends never meant any harm by it…

    1. The “N-word”, is not “racially offensive.” I hear it in music on Spotify and every major music site many times hourly in my house. No move has been made to remove it from the music. I think what you mean is that language can be used as a weapon against only certain people like you, and only if you fall for it with the victors laughing as they use the words they please.

      1. Surely I don’t need to explain how the N-word is offensive if said by the majority of the people on earth? Anyways, you sure listen to a lot of rap! Great and very relevant arguments to what I said also!

        Also, no one is trying to remove the word slut from language.

        1. Let me give an example so a person with no backbone will understand. (for this example I’ll happily take a progressive vs conservative pov)

          On one side we have Bernie (probably the most progressive American than any American that is under his age) with Cardi B who’s screaming from the top of her longs girls want more ‘p’ licking. She throws in a couple of ‘n’ words in there as well.

          And on the other side there’re the conservatives shaming her, calling her a slut like its a bad thing, saying she’s shaming all black people for using the ‘n’ word and showing too much natural skin. And than they probably think they’re such feminists fighting for girl power.

          I’ll rather stick with Cardi B and her shitty music. At least she is telling what women really want. 😉

  14. c’mon guys, we all know the new name will be “uli’s fun house,” finally a real site where he can muse on anything he wants without fear of reprisal from the dreaded rule #3, complete with 90’s glitter background, dancing gifs, and one of them fancy website visitor counters at the bottom.

  15. Time for “gear storm” (to keep the GS acronym)? Storm both to refer to the amount of gear discussed and as a reference to “hormonal storm”, which is something some people (myself included!) experience for gear… 😛

  16. this really makes sense as business move. i don’t see PC concerns as too relevant.

    they’re interested in opening the doors to advertisers and increased audiences.

    i can understand, from their POV, why keep anything that might potentially hold them back from broadening their revenue? adapt or lose out to other forums that will surely fill the gap.

  17. Good grief, we really don’t have more serious problems?
    Just because some bra burners are swift to take offence he has to fawn upon them? Embarrassing….

    1. The word has been used for nigh on six hundred years to equate women – and specifically women – with being ‘dirty’, ‘loose’, ‘low’, ‘easy’. More worryingly, it’s usage extends to denigrating women for being ‘bold’ or showing ‘impudence’ – in short, not being subservient to men.

      Why then, should women today – already statistically absent from the music industry at large – be further denigrated for wishing to simply engage with the same forums as men?

      And if a subset of society that has been abused by society at large by way of a certain word, wishes that word no longer be used, how is that possibly a problem?

      1. There there Daniel, the problem of course is that the “politically incorrect” are always offended by any change for the better or any correction that reminds them of their bigotry, misogyny, racists views, or general ignorance at large.

      2. > The word has been used for nigh on six hundred years to equate women – and specifically women – with being ‘dirty’, ‘loose’, ‘low’, ‘easy’.

        The original use in Chaucer is a man who is slovenly, who indiscriminately acquires things that pile up.

    2. I’m pretty sure the owners of GS aren’t in the position to solve those more serious problems. So, they tackled what they could. If they want to be more inclusive, that’s their decision. If you want to start a site using the old name perhaps it’ll be available for sale in the future.

  18. Cannot help but notice the irony of a bunch of presumably adult men crying about ‘PC culture,’ ‘People making a big deal,’ and ‘people being sensitive’ about their precious little synth hobbyist internet websites changing their names.

  19. In college, I knew a guy whose last name was “Slutz”. He is screwed. Context doesn’t matter anymore, nor does critical thinking.

    1. Know what you mean. Wasn’t call that keen on Marathon bars in the first place, but after the Snickers change it somehow lost all appeal.

  20. Did you notice there is no way to be “against” a petition on “all.change.org”

    Any way, gearslutz is not really a “Pro” forum. Most of what written there is repeating adverting wording or just false. It’s not really technical or even endure critical thinking. gearslutz is a perfect way to describe this forum.

      1. “Anyone could start a petition to keep the name as it is.”

        True – but the people that are complaining about the name change are just the people that complain about everything and do nothing.

        They are loud, effete and ignorable.

  21. To keep the GS initial, I would recommend GearStorm that way it sounds militaristic, gamery and lethal. Just imagine a CS80 smacking you in the head during a literal storm of gear.

    1. being a baby about it is even worse, haha.

      srsly tho. it’s just business, not some evil woke conspiracy. they’re moving forward and opening their gates to a much bigger audience. like any business would do to adapt and grow in a time like this.

  22. Some day you will not be able to name anything at all. There will always be somebody who finds a reason to be offended. However -I think the GS-name has a different ring to it in the Americas than over here in Europe. I hope they come up with a similar unpretensious name tho’

  23. So much shit going on in America and people complain about silly words.

    What is next on their list, are they gonna block every song that has a ‘dirty’ word in the title?

    There was a time were people in music were progressive, not a bunch of hipsters with no backbone.

    Lets cancel everything that might shock someone even a little bit cause censuring is the way to go right?

    Let us all agree that most if not every man or woman that knows how to enjoy life has been a slut from time to time. That’s nature at its best and nothing wrong with that!

  24. I can’t believe they got “slut shamed” into changing their name. I thought we weren’t supposed to slut shame anymore…

    That being said, folks have a point about potentially opening up more opportunity to peruse the site, when they don’t have to worry about their HR or IT department, or their kids wondering about it.

  25. It is the usual suspects of course that take exception, for such “manly” men, it is bizarre to see so many take exception in such hormonal manner to what is well over due. To be candid, initially I thought it was an overreaction by gearslutz to make this move however after reading the misogyny and ignorance that has followed the announcement, it could not happen soon enough.

  26. white old men calling themself slutz because they are addicted to gear? this ironic self description is anything but sexist. feminist movement (which I find necessary and support) needs to just its aims to stay believable. anyway: If Gears-Lutz (as a German I always wondered, who is this Lutz) comes up with a new funky name, so be it.
    What about: Noisy Toy Addicts? Or is this offensive against people who suffer health threatening addictions?

  27. The other day I came across this DJ mixer by German company Reloop called KUT – it’s a not so polite word for a ladies female parts in Dutch (as spoken in the Netherlands which is the neighbouring country). Made me chuckle, does that make me anti-feminist?

    1. We have Bimbo pastries here in the SW USA. They kept their Mexican branding when they entered the market, but I still laugh seeing a Bimbo truck drive by.

  28. Changing a name is fine, it is the circumstances leading to the change that is debatable. The owners has full prerogative since it is his site but bowing down to group pressure?

  29. Ridiculous. Humor, like journalism, is dead and dying. Everyone is SO damn touchy and wimpy and eager to be ofeeeeeended anymore. Bunch a cry babies. Grow up. Quit working overtime looking for something that you can feel offended about. Get a life.

    1. Grew up in DC and hated the old name as soon as I understood a tiny bit about US history (around 12 years old so talking ~40 years ago).

      Also been on GS since 1872 or so and, tbh, the name didn’t bother me until someone pointed it out. Still, I’m all for the change. It doesn’t add any value as is so why fight for it?

      That said, this comment wins the thread for me.

  30. Why is everything ‘selectively’ offensive?
    While one may have concern about a daughter into music seeing ‘gearslutz’ are they comfortable explaining to her what a ‘slut walk’ is that was announced in the local newspaper? Slut is only derogatory if it is used against someone. Gear NERD can be as equally offensive.
    This attitude is a cancer. You may see yourselves as agents of progressive change, when in fact you are advocates of regressive fascist puritanism.
    Outrage (over a silly word) It’s when the idealism has taken over from an individuals ability to discern between things .The refuge of the clueless.
    Is the witch dunking group so quiet these days?
    I wish they’d respond by calling it GearKuntz

  31. most people are not real

    therefore they have no interest in reality

    the only thing they care about is showing off, having fashion shows, appearing fancy, and so on

  32. the entire situation is hilarious. and the fact that these dimwits are bending for a bunch of triggered little american snowflakes pretty much sums it all up.. the site is a joke. one big ego stroking sales pitch. and the mods, specifically adrian breakspear, deserve every bit of negative attention for their brown nosing bullying behavior on the forum. the forum is the LAST place anyone should ever go for advice on music, gear, career etc……. good riddance.

  33. This shows just how much of a lost cause the music industry has become thanks to this kind of generation now PC social justice crap and lets not forget about the pirates that own/operate the music industry (dan ek, sean parker). and for those of you with little girls, i’d be far more concerned with network tv’s incessant antiwhitemale f-bomb nudity prone garbage than a dumb music equipment forums name FFS. I swear Americans are getting dumber by the year and heres the proof!

  34. How about GearPrudez? 😉 The name lets people know that there will be no sexually offensive content to be found on the site?

    1. Revok

      The bulleted list in the article is Synthtopia’s summary of the key objections raised to the “Gearslutz’ name. It does not reflect any priority on the part of the forum organizers or the petitioners.

  35. No issue with the name change, what bugs me is it was brought about due to pressure from activist groups with an agenda. This forum has existed for many years, anyone who buys and or collects gear knows and understands the pun. Professional or not, it’s a forum created at a time when wokeness wasn’t pervasive to the point that a lowly forum was a target. This kind of thing is really dumb.

  36. The length of this reply thread depress me more than a simple name change. What they should implement is a better user ignore function, too much space is wasted on 14000-post-non musicians with too much money and no skills. There are of course nuggets of good info, but it gets buried by the GearSlutz.

  37. LOL! Trader Joe’s is more rock n roll than Gearslutz. Why kowtow to the outrage mob Jules? Starting to think PC culture isn’t the problem here… it’s people who don’t have a spine.

    1. Positive change is when you dictate people’s hobbies and speech, and intentionally twist and misinterpret things into a negative context. Just be yourself (act in a way that I am comfortable with), there’s are no rules in art after all (except mine).

  38. Any potential name change is a direct reaction to woke/cancel culture as the issues brought about by the name “slut” were well established for the 20 years the site has been operating. Furthermore, modern feminists pride themselves on being sluts so much so that they have parades to flaunt their sluttiness (slutwalks).

    It is, indeed, the communal will of associated advertisers such as Sweetwater and/or Musician’s Friend, Universal Audio..et al, who are wanting to distance themselves from non puritanical ideals due to:

    A: Sales for Worship purposes (i.e Religious) are a massive market because churches have deep pockets;

    B: Not jumping on the bandwagon of sensitivity is perceived as being just as bad as engaging in the objected act/word (Black/White – Us/Them – if-not For-than-you-are-Against logic.)

    Those that argue that it is an unprofessional name, fine. That didn’t seem to stop them from growing into the largest and most respected forum for audio professionals and amateurs on the planet.

    Call it “TakingAKnee4Audio”

  39. for as long as I can remember, I thought there already was an alternative “safe” url spelling for people to view the forum while at work or wherever? and the forum has always had a very strong non-political policy, hmm.. this definitely is all about appeasing the snowflake culture ad bucks. I’ve deleted my membership. the end.

  40. I think the fact that the name is unprofessional should be more than enough reason to consider a change. The fact that one may not be able to access it in their workplace is bad enough, and the petition makes a great point by mentioning how awkward it can be to even utter the name in an academic context.

    That being said, I don’t think anyone can, in good faith, argue that the word ‘slut’ is being directed toward women in this context. And context is key for understanding most words, wether they’re potentially offensive or not. Perhaps more importantly, if we stop using words like these when they mean something different than in their historical or more common usage, aren’t we left with only a derogatory term? It seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy to me :/ but, hey, I’m more than willing to change my mind if there’s a better argument to be made (or flaws on this one, should that be the case)!

    Also, on the argument that the name is keeping women out of the site, a name change will give us a testable prediction: if the argument is correct, we should see, over the next few years, an influx of women participating on the site; if not, the sexism that definitely exists in this industry is probably caused by other, in my guess deeper, issues.

  41. So I suppose my queer owned shop that hand carves nuts for stringed instruments should change it’s its name from “Slutz With Nuts”?

  42. “We recognize and agree that the word-play pun in the name has gotten old and it is now time to move backwards in conformity with the woke mob.”

    You should have said “Let’s give a fuck and name the site to gearwhores.com”!

  43. It’s funny how most of the people who are saying ‘it’s adolescent and unprofessional’ then proceed to be aggressive manbabies in the comments.

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