this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
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Because left and right are relative, port and starboard are absolute.
Or to be more specific. Left and right are ambiguous because of the missing reference frame. It could be my left, your left or the left of the ship.
Port and starboard are always left and right in the reference frame of the ship.
Shipleft, shipright, fixed
But a Shipwright is a job.
You're gonna steer the ship right into some innocent dude!
Port is the place where you park the boat. Starboard would be the side where the stars are. None of these words are specific enough.
If only one side is made to be connected to the port, then that's pretty specific.
fair enough
I guess in emergencies on the water it needs to not look too much alike when you say it.
And also that smug feeling when you know it and someone else is out of the loop.
Can't 'fix' hundreds of years of tradition
Nah, we can.
Traditions are just peer pressure from dead people.
So fuck em.
That's incredibly short-sighted. Traditions are part of what makes up people's culture.
Some should be made away with for sure, but I disagree with the blanket statement.