Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2018 23:30:23 -0500 From: "Fiorello G. Baumgartner" <fiorello.g.baumgartner@protonmail.com> To: "freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.org" <freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.org>, "developers@freebsd.org" <developers@freebsd.org> Subject: Issues and proposed improvements to the FreeBSD CoC Message-ID: <XFsEQST34WnS9sM3m1UR1LfdhwU_pFHlHHYjQJujjstOdXe7vmTBi2kGC4piAX8Eg7OT-bWdJsghOWg6uUItL5k_tKCafLMXFF5wYbqwMP4=@protonmail.com>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Hello, I am a long-time FreeBSD user who has observed much of the controversy arou= nd the recently released CoC, and I would like to comment on it. While I do= n=E2=80=99t oppose the concept of a CoC, I think the current revision has s= ignificant issues that I think should be addressed and will outline here:= =20 1. It unnecessarily wades into contentious political territory, for example= by using language characteristic of particular ideological factions that c= ould be interpreted as endorsement of or indirect affiliation with those fa= ctions. FreeBSD is a technical project, and it should endeavor to avoid pol= itical entanglements that are far outside of its mission of developing an o= pen source operating system. Such entanglements are a distraction and also = exclusionary. As an example of why this is a problem, the CoC committee could have releas= ed a semantically similar document that used Christian terms and language t= o communicate the same messages as the new CoC, and it=E2=80=99s obvious th= at would have been unwise, controversial, and that non-Christians might tak= e issue. It=E2=80=99s the same with this document. The CoC should be rewrit= ten in the blandest, most uncontroversial language possible that communicat= es the indented meaning. Using different language would also have the benefit of making the document= easier for nonnative English speakers to understand, and spare them the ta= sk of familiarizing themselves with the neologisms and jargon of a North Am= erican political ideology. 2. The document text appears to have been presented as a fiat accompli to t= he project. No drafts appear to have been widely circulated for feedback pr= ior to release. For something as core to a community as how it should condu= ct itself, this is unacceptable. It appears that the reason for this is that the teams responsible judged it= as too difficult to gain consensus about the text from the wider project, = so it opted to avoid that task. However, in a more democratic, collaborativ= e project like FreeBSD this is a dereliction of duty. The political labor o= f working towards a consensus is a burden of project leadership and must be= done. To that end, the core team and the CoC committee should officially and open= ly solicit feedback from the wider developer group on the present CoC, hone= stly listen to that feedback, incorporate it into a new revision, and prese= nt that revision for approval by the wider group. In the interests of openn= ess and transparency, it=E2=80=99s preferable that the feedback not be pres= ented privately and that discussions about it appear in the open for other = project members to see. 3. This is a much more specific criticism, but the first example of harassm= ent needs to be revised to not exclude so many groups. I suggest that examp= le be replaced with the *exact text* used in the Geek Feminism CoC, which I= =E2=80=99ll quote here: > Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sex= ual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical a= ppearance, body size, age, race, or religion. I would also be fine if that was revised a little bit to =E2=80=9Coffensive= comments or comments that reinforce negative stereotypes,=E2=80=9D which m= ay get more at the intent of the CoC committee's modifications. The current language, which appears to be original to the FreeBSD CoC, spec= ifically does not apply to harassing comments directed at many genders, sex= ual orientations, races, religions, etc. due to its use of the term "system= atic oppression." There=E2=80=99s been some speculation that =E2=80=9Charas= sment includes but is not limited to=E2=80=9D covers such comments, but tha= t=E2=80=99s unacceptably vague. It must be made *clear* that harassment inv= olving *any* gender, race, religion, etc. is unacceptable. This is a major defect that must be corrected. The sorts of harassing comme= nts that the current text doesn=E2=80=99t explicitly forbid occur frequentl= y on social media. 4. The attribution should either be removed or language added stating that = FreeBSD does not endorse the viewpoint of =E2=80=9CGeek Feminism=E2=80= =9D or its ideas; besides the ones it has explicitly borrowed. This is clos= ely related to my point #1 above. 5. This is my least important comment, but the *hugs* example should be exc= ised. This example is too-easily mocked and this kind of behavior is a good= example of the kind of thing that should be covered under =E2=80=9Charassm= ent includes but is not limited to=E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D It=E2=80=99s puzzling why this example was included while the glaring defec= ts in the example I covered in my point #3 were unaddressed. 6. The new CoC does not actually cover how one should conduct itself in the= project. It's really just anti-harassment policy with some prefatory plat= itudes about diversity and inclusion. That's really lacking. It should be revised to provide affirmative advice, not just negative examp= les. This could include something like =E2=80=9CFreeBSD is a technical proj= ect. It=E2=80=99s recommended that you focus on technical and project topic= s in your interactions, and avoid other subjects.=E2=80=9D In these regard, the original FreeBSD CoC was far better than the current r= evision. It should be consulted and much of its language salvaged and incor= porated into the new CoC. For reference, that version can be found here: https://web.archive.org/web/20171222235533/https://www.freebsd.org/internal= /code-of-conduct.html 7. Scope should be clarified and reasonable. The current phrasing of= =E2=80=A6 > This code of conduct applies to all spaces used by the FreeBSD Project, i= ncluding our mailing lists, IRC channels, and social media, both online and= off. =E2=80=A6is too ambiguous and may be over-broad. For instance, if someone i= s active on twitter, FreeBSD shouldn=E2=80=99t claim to be policing everyth= ing they=E2=80=99ve ever said there to anyone, because FreeBSD once used tw= itter. The risk I=E2=80=99m trying to avoid here is the kind of harassment = where someone with a grudge goes on a dirt digging expedition in order to e= xploit process. ---- These issues aren=E2=80=99t moot points. I=E2=80=99ve donated to the founda= tion and for some time I=E2=80=99ve toyed with the idea of trying to volunt= eer for the project, probably to help with scut-work due to the fact that m= y skills aren=E2=80=99t very aligned with it (I=E2=80=99m not very handy wi= th C, for instance). While I=E2=80=99ll continue to use FreeBSD, the introd= uction of this revision of the CoC means that it=E2=80=99s unlikely that I= =E2=80=99ll continue with my donations or attempt to volunteer unless the i= ssues are addressed. In short: * The present CoC has numerous issues that were introduced by recent revisi= on. Those issues are both issues in an of themselves and the cause of dram= a. They need to be addressed. * The issues should be addressed through an open, transparent process. If = this had been done initially, the the issues could have been dealt with ear= ly and more easily. * We should salvage language from the old CoC to address some of the proble= ms of the new one. * The CoC should endeavor, mightily, to accomplish its goals while avoiding= , as much as possible, contemporary political controversy, controversial or= sectarian ideology, and controversial terminology. Failure to do so will = inevitably lead to unnecessary drama and distraction, which has been amply = demonstrated by recent events. Thanks, - Fiorello G. Baumgartner, a pseudonymous FreeBSD user ---- P.S. Here=E2=80=99s a proposal for a revised list of examples (double-aster= isks denote modifications). I think we'd have a very good CoC if we took t= he original FreeBSD one, and grafted on these examples and the reporting pr= ocedures of the new CoC. ** Offensive comments or comments that reinforce negative stereotypes relat= ed to any gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disab= ility, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, = age, race, or religion. ** Unwelcome comments regarding a person's lifestyle choices and practices,= including those related to food, health, parenting, non-disruptive drug us= e, and employment. ** Deliberate and harassing use of rejected or unwanted names, nicknames, o= r pronouns. In some cases these are called =E2=80=9Cdead names.=E2=80=9D * Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behavior in spaces where they're= not appropriate. ** Physical contact without consent or after a request to stop. ** Threats of physical violence. ** Incitement of physical violence towards any individual, including encour= aging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm. * Deliberate intimidation. ** Stalking or intrusive following. * Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for= harassment purposes. * Sustained disruption of discussion. * Unwelcome sexual attention. * Pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inap= propriate levels of intimacy with others. * Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease. ** Deliberate "outing" of any private aspect of a person's identity without= their consent except as necessary to protect people from intentional abuse= . ** Publication of non-harassing private communication without consent, exce= pt to reveal misconduct. * Publication of non-harassing private communication with consent but in a = way that intentionally misrepresents the communication (e.g., removes conte= xt that changes the meaning). * Knowingly making harmful false claims about a person. ---- P.P.S. On the pseudonym: I'm not going to wade into public, forever-archive= d political debates under my real name. People are weird and I would rathe= r not chance the possibility of being stalked or harassed over this. ---- P.P.P.S Thank you for reading this far.
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?XFsEQST34WnS9sM3m1UR1LfdhwU_pFHlHHYjQJujjstOdXe7vmTBi2kGC4piAX8Eg7OT-bWdJsghOWg6uUItL5k_tKCafLMXFF5wYbqwMP4=>