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Dear OSMF Members,<br>
<br>
I hope that you are able to form your own judgments independently,
and not follow what could seem to be the dominant message, at least
by the strength of the media and of the position of those who relay
it.<br>
<br>
You have been informed of disturbing facts, about the concerted
actions of a small group of people, who have a dominating influence
over HOT US Inc, and possibly over OSMF, as one of them is a
candidate to the on-going election. <br>
<br>
If these facts were not true, it should have been easy to prove it.
Instead, as you may have noticed, there has been no answer on the
facts themselves, but very strongly worded personal attacks against
those who reported them, intended to discredit them. And no answers
either when some of the witnesses of these ad hominem attacks asked
what they were based on.<br>
<br>
What is really disturbing here is that these things did happen.<br>
<br>
It is probably difficult to believe the things that others and i
reported here, as i couldn’t myself have believed that the things
that were happening could take place in the context of OSM. Yet they
did. And the scandal is not to report them, but that they happened.
And that the persons responsible for them have a growing influence
within OSM Community. <br>
<br>
The real issue is the Moon, not the fingers pointing at it, more or
less awkwardly.<br>
<br>
Yet there has been a large volume of discussion about CoCs. I can
understand that some may see some interest in them in certain
contexts. But please be aware that in the context of HOT US the CoC
has been used as a tool for censorship and abuse, by a dominating
group who is still very present in this discussion. <br>
<br>
Blake, informing you that your actions could be considered as
violation of laws (including those against moral harassment) was not
harassment. And returning the accusations of harassment against
those who complain about it is a classical tactic of real harassers.<br>
<br>
(And for those who don’t know me, i care for OSM as a volunteer. Not
as someone who earns his living in connection with OSM, and who may
obviously have a stronger motivation to defend this connection.)<br>
<br>
<br>
What i remember specially strongly from one of these conversation
with you Blake was when you explained to me, explicitly referring to
“1984” by George Orwell, that things were going to end up badly for
me. And indeed, they did end much worse than i could have imagined.
(Maybe because i hadn’t yet read the novel to the end at the time –
Or because i felt it was “only” a novel).<br>
<br>
But in fact i find it very illuminating to understand the world we
live in, in general, and the actions and communications of this
small group to which you belong in particular.<br>
<br>
“History” gets rewritten, depending on the interests of the people
in power. (Or of those requesting grants, as in the example reported
by Séverin about the initial mapping for Ebola response). <br>
<br>
Facts get ignored, or despised, along with those who report them.<br>
<br>
The same person who once explained the wonders accomplished by the
self-organizing OSM mappers (right after the response to Haiti
earthquake), now explains with the same conviction that amateurs
need to be led by professional to do anything worthwhile.
(Professional among whom he is now, but this is of course only an
irrelevant coincidence).<br>
<br>
Mikel has had for a long time, indeed, this vision of OSM as a
“Mechanical Turk”, except than in Amazon version, people get paid,
even if not much, for their directed work. Not so in OSM, where
those who aren’t happy with this vision are free to leave. (So this
version of free labor can still be considered much better than
slavery). “— Mappers are expendable”. <br>
<br>
So is it really surprising that there are now well established
quality problems with the data produced by the beginners that HOT US
Inc manages to mobilize? Who consciously wants to work for free, for
“leaders” who abuse entrusted power for private gain? <br>
<br>
This is an obvious reason why HOT US is missing experienced mappers
and coordinators, after throwing away the experienced volunteers who
had successfully coordinated the activations for years. Respect is
something all human beings need, not just hypocritical nice words.<br>
<br>
And this is the model you (as voters) are asked to believe is also
good for OSM in general. By the same person who enforced it in HOT
US Inc… I really hope that a majority of OSMF voters is able to see
through the good sounding, but misleading, discourse from this
group.<br>
<br>
There is a sample of that discourse that hopefully many of you can
relate and compare to your own experience, and thus you can check
its validity by yourself. It’s the story told by Blake, that in his
eyes it would be unsafe to suggest people (especially women) to
attend a small regular OSM meetup in his city. I was quite intrigued
by this, as others who have reacted too, as my experience in meeting
OSM volunteers in real life is that they are in general very nice
people. (Emails might not always reflect that, because of the nature
of electronic and intercultural communications). And then, if
admitting that these people could be more of a threat to women than
the average citizen of the place, the problem would be magically
solved by a CoC… I have been unsuccessfully trying to imagine in
which part of Earth a situation so remote from those I know could
happen (†). <br>
<br>
<br>
(†) for the curious, a quick web search shows that this city might
be Zürich… <br>
(possibly in a parallel Orwellian universe to the one where i think
i am living).<br>
<br>
So here is a suggestion for those who haven’t voted yet and who
don’t know for who to vote, and who have read “1984”: if you feel
that your sympathy goes to O’Brien, and the efficient and well led
society he actively promotes, (especially if his methods could be
softer, as made possible by the advances since 1948, when the novel
was written), vote for Heather. Otherwise, don’t.<br>
<br>
Best wishes,<br>
<br>
Jean-Guilhem<br>
<br>
<br>
P.S. : I remember a previous message of mine that was called a
“screed” (by Mikel), several years ago, on the hot list. In it, i
had written in particular that it didn’t seem ok that the Executive
Director, who received a salary from HOT US Inc, was also on the
Board. That view was later expressed by someone more important than
me, and Kate resigned from the Board, where she was replaced by her
friend Heather…<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }a:link { </style>“Corruption
is the
abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” Transparency
International<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/publication/preventing_corruption_in_humanitarian_operations">https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/publication/preventing_corruption_in_humanitarian_operations</a><br>
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