[Osmf-talk] Proposal - OSMF Should **NOT** Adopt a Code of Conduct

Christoph Hormann chris_hormann at gmx.de
Sun Dec 3 21:17:38 UTC 2017


On Sunday 03 December 2017, Rafael Avila Coya wrote:
>
> Any code of conduct will make people more or less autocensure. I
> can't see any interest of having that thing, unless for control.
>
> I also think it's a simple non-sense on what respects to the
> diversity of cultures we have in a worldwide community: what is
> unacceptable for some, it's fairly fine for others.

Indeed - these are largely the same considerations that lead me to 
conclude that creating a CoC appropriate for a diverse global 
multicultural community like OSM is likely an impossible task.

It is of course important to acknowledge that there are quite a few 
people who feel frightened by a culturally highly diverse and in a way 
maybe even anarchic community like OSM and for whom the requirement to 
tolerate behaviour and styles of communication they find offensive is 
too much.  Welcoming those people and giving them room to participate 
in OSM to the extent they feel comfortable with is a necessary aspect 
of being an open, tolerant and diverse society.  But this cannot mean 
the OSM community as a whole adjusts to the smallest common denominator 
in terms of tolerance.  The way to go here is to - just like with local 
communities - allow the creation of venues like mailing lists or other 
spaces where culturally more specific rules apply to allow people to 
exchange themselves in matters related to OSM in a way they feel 
comfortable with.

And i also support the call for specific real world examples from the 
OSM context where a CoC would practically help to regulate behaviour in 
a positive way.

-- 
Christoph Hormann
http://www.imagico.de/



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