Re: [Ghm-discuss] The posh talk does not complain with the policy

[Samuel Thibault]

Luca Saiu, le Tue 12 Aug 2014 16:55:10 +0200, a écrit :
> there is some risk that somebody gets offended by a good-faith
> effort of communicating some idea.  And if the listener is in bad faith
> and looking for an excuse to be offended, then the risk rapidly goes up.

Well, yes.  I'd say that's why the policy explicits what kinds of topics
are concerned.  If the idea being communicated is about gender, sexual
orientation etc. etc., I believe it has nothing to do at GHM, and it's
thus fine for the listener to ask for stopping.

> > But you have completely stripped what I was talking all about:
> > “marvelous sexual technique”. I was just saying that somebody who
> > would be offensed by such topics should not have to fear hearing some of
> > that at GHM, or that at least s⋅he can ask for that to stop.
> 
> "Fear of hearing" is an interesting concept.

?!

Please discuss with some girl who actually has been harassed at some
free software meeting.  She then does fear hearing again the kind of
things she has heard already, and thus refrains from coming back ever
again.

> In any case, your imaginary person who wants to live in a censored world
> can rest assured;

"censor"?!

It's crazy how things are getting extreme so easily.

Ok, let's take a concrete example.  I do really believe it is realistic.
Let's say during some technical talk about bad programming style, the
speaker keeps saying, about the source code on the slide "this is sooo
gay!"  Somebody in the audience asks him to stop this kind of joke,
because he feels offended.

Is that censor?

> she will not hear graphic presentations of sexual
> techniques at the GHM, at least from me.  I hereby solemnly promise not
> to (intentionally) be an ass.  Happy?
> 
> In practice I guess I'll behave more or less exactly like I would have
> without the policy.

Again, I do agree that I don't think I would ever see the kind of
example above happening at a GHM, policy in place or not.

I do however believe that this happens in some free software
communities.  I also believe that it's one of the duties of the GNU
hackers to express that they consider that bad behavior.  Even if it is
obvious for the GNU hackers, it doesn't go without saying for all free
software hackers.

Samuel