[Openid-digital-directives] Cultural sensitivity when referring to death, dying, and the deceased

[Dean Saxe]

Hello,

On recent calls, we have discussed the issue of the words used by different
people, languages, and cultures to refer to death, dying, and individuals
who have passed.  Out of these discussions I have learned that there are
cultural taboos to discussing these topics and, in some cases, an aversion
to specific words or words that sound similar.

As an American raised in a Jewish home, my perspective reflects the
tradition in which I was raised.  While there is no aversion to speaking of
deceased individuals or discussing the topic in Judaism as it was practiced
in my home, there are specific rituals attached to a person’s passing.  I
don’t believe any of those rituals will be of relevance to DADE CG.

However, I can only approach this topic from my personal understanding and
background, which I suspect is true of most of us taking part in DADE CG.
With this in mind, I’d like to open a discussion to understand how
different people approach the topic from their cultural and religious
backgrounds with the goal of finding suitable language that we can use
within DADE CG during our discussions and in our written documents. The
DADE CG co-chairs want to be able to discuss the topic while minimizing
discomfort to DADE CG members and those who consume the work of DADE CG.

My request to the DADE CG members follows:

Can you please share a perspective based on your personal background
(culture, religion, language) regarding our choice of language to refer to
the concepts of death, dying, and the deceased?  Are there any rituals that
might intersect with DADE CG that we should be aware of as we write
guidance or discuss DADE CG in public forums?

If you can respond to the mailing list, that would be great.  However, if a
public response on the mailing list is not within your comfort zone, please
feel free to respond to me or the other co-chairs directly.  We will take
all of your feedback to find a path forward that allows us to talk openly
with respect for one another.

I will raise this topic on today’s call, as well, to get the discussion
started.

Respectfully,
-dhs

--
Dean H. Saxe, CIDPRO <https://idpro.org/cidpro/> (he/him)
Principal Engineer
Office of the CTO
Beyond Identity
dean.saxe at beyondidentity.com
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