[Osmf-talk] Communication style - moderation - CoC [was Re: Board members with similar background (was: 2018 a third episode...)}

Christoph Hormann chris_hormann at gmx.de
Sun Dec 16 11:17:13 UTC 2018


Thank you for so amply demonstrating why so many in the OSM community do 
not want anything from the HOT organizational culture in OSM.  This 
self centered view of how awsome and fantastic you and your peers are 
combined with the condescending dismissal of any critique or even just 
critical reflection of your world view is just remarkable.

The level of intolerance that shines through in your statements is 
impressive as well - the idea for example "to create more local 
mappers" is particular revealing for an attitude of cultural 
imperialism - you want to create local mappers "in your image" so to 
speak, adopting your cultural values - contrasting with the values of 
mapper recruitment in OSM otherwise, which encourages people to become 
mappers bringing in their own cultural values and priorities and not 
giving a damn what people with money on the other side of the world 
think they should map or how they should do it.

When you then say "We just want an OSMF that supports *all mappers *from 
whatever community they are from" that is just sickening in its 
hollowness because in the same mail you essentially call to ostracize 
Nicolas.  This demonstrates the same imperialistic attitude i pointed 
out before - you want to welcome everyone but only as long as they 
adjust and subordinate themselves to your cultural values.  You 
probably don't realize this but for people outside your small HOT 
bubble this largely appears extremely arrogant and snotty.

No one forces you to engage in discussion with Nicolas here.  If you 
can't communicate with him on a respectful level just don't do it.

I for one welcome the input from Nicolas and the valuable perspectives 
it brings into the discussion.  It can take a bit of practice to get 
used to his style of communication (which is faily common for French 
people writing in English) and i don't take everything he writes at 
face value because like everyone else he has his own subjective view of 
things but he shows a hundred times more restraint, tolerance and self 
reflection than you do which makes a world of difference in how i 
perceive it.

Note i do not consider the HOT organizational culture as manifested in 
the statements from Dale and to some extent from other people involved 
in HOT recently to be something that is internalized by everyone in 
HOT.  There are many individual HOT activists and members who have an 
admirable personal attitude that is of high value for OSM.  But in 
situations like this with representatives of HOT communicating a highly 
problematic amount of intolerance and disrespect (and by the way not 
only to Nicolas but also more broadly to the OSM community) i often 
wish they'd speak up and make clear this is not a culture of 
communication and attitude towards OSM they endorse.  And the silence 
of other people from HOT on this kind of behaviour in a way is a strong 
support for what Nicolas indicates.

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



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