[Osmf-talk] Proposal - OSMF Should Adopt a Code of Conduct

Tobias Knerr osm at tobias-knerr.de
Sun Dec 3 21:45:02 UTC 2017


On 01.12.2017 22:37, Blake Girardot wrote:
> It expresses
> we understand the issues that can arise and we take seriously making
> sure this community is a welcoming place and they know they do not
> have to worry as much about how they will be treated.

A big part of feeling welcome is being able to freely speak your mind,
though. And regardless of whether such a worry would be objectively
justified, having a CoC in place would make me feel less safe to voice
my opinions.

I'm concerned that others may share a similar feeling, leading to the
self-censoring of some voices in the community. And it's not unlikely
that this effect would mostly affect some groups that are already at a
substantial disadvantage, including people who grew up with a
non-English native language or different cultural norms from the authors
and enforcers of the CoC.

> However that other small meetup group does not have a code of conduct.
> Now I have to worry, many of the people in the group I facilitate are
> women. I can not in good conscience suggest people in my group attend
> another group that has not even posted a code of conduct.

We seem to be dealing with a rather large cultural gap here, because the
expectation that a small meetup group would have any written rules seems
absurd to me. (I'm sorry for the strong choice of words, but I couldn't
think of an alternative that would express my astonishment adequately.)

I would find it highly surprising for a meetup to set up a code of
conduct, and would never imagine that participants may be any less safe
among a group that does not have such an unusual document.



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