The common theme in the discussion here that doing X "makes my colleagues happier". Do you know a real person that became happier once you changed "master" to "main"?
Also you said "high rewards". What are rewards in this particular case?
Also you said "high rewards". What are rewards in this particular case?
However, there are groups of people at my work who say that “main” is a less controversial term and in fact a better term for a “trunk” of code development (“mainline”). Since I see no harm in using it, I figure, why not?
The rewards for me are having better relationships with my colleagues and less friction, which in turn leads to a more promising long-term career outlook.
I will admit that what makes this easier for me is that I think society is generally moving in the right direction, towards more diversity, more equity, more tolerance, less racism, etc. If I felt things were going in the wrong direction, I would stand up against it. But it's always easier when the river carries you in the direction you want to go.
Sorry I don't have a great answer here, but what I do know from experience is that most of the time, standing solely on principle while the hilltop is crumbling underneath you isn't a very safe place to be. :-)
You seem to be conflating controversial with clearer