Society and politics devroom at FOSDEM?
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Aroop Roelofs :verified:replied to SuperDicq last edited by
@SuperDicq I mean, if it is called "diversity and inclusiveness", it would make it very clear what it would be about definitely so that could work.
That way it does right what it says on the tin and people hopping in know exactly what they are signing up for.
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Drew DeVaultreplied to Aroop Roelofs :verified: last edited by
@finlaydag33k @SuperDicq it's not a DEI room lol, especially given that "DEI" has become a dogwhistle for racists who are too chickenshit to say the N word in public
One topic that I heard which would be on topic is "is it ethical to take donations from Google"
It's a broader sense of politics, ethics, society, which isn't hyperfixated on legislation but a broader perspective which considers that politics and political action comes in many forms and is found in many places
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@finlaydag33k @SuperDicq another proposal was on toxic interactions e.g. in github issues and its contribution to maintainer burnout
Or an open discussion on the Linux kernel community and how it leads to the kind of toxic burnout we saw in the news recently, and how that might be fixed or prevented
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@finlaydag33k @SuperDicq and yes there'd be space for people to talk about gender and such too if it's on topic but don't lash out at any program which could conceivably include the word gender
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@[email protected] @[email protected] "Is it ethical to take donations from Google" sounds more like an invitation to a discussion than the name of a talk to be honest.
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@SuperDicq @finlaydag33k correct. Much of this devroom will be organized in nontraditional formats like roundtables, debates, and communal discussions
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@[email protected] @[email protected] Oh that makes sense then. So basically you're looking for a bunch of topics that we should have a discussion about like ethics and morals in the software world?
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@SuperDicq @finlaydag33k yep, and providing a moderated discussion with facilitators and structured debate in which these topics can be discussed constructively, taking inspiration from consensus decision-making procedures
There's also room for traditional talks w/Q&A but I envision this as being a very participatory program
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@SuperDicq @finlaydag33k and yeah even if someone wants to schedule something like "no one in FOSS understands my gender so let's sit down and figure it out together", I'm down to put that on the program.
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@SuperDicq @finlaydag33k I would love to have a session on reactionary politics in FOSS spaces, for another example
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@[email protected] @[email protected] I do have a lingering feeling that even after all this time since the 2019 smear campaign discussions about Richard Stallman can not be avoided if you're organizing something like this.
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@SuperDicq @finlaydag33k RMS is a shitty person and talking about that is on-topic as far as I'm concerned. It's not a smear campaign if it's true.
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@SuperDicq @finlaydag33k of course that topic would be carefully moderated and would focus on keeping it factual and respectful without leveling personal attacks and vitriol -- but the fact of the matter is that RMS is a problem
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@[email protected] @[email protected] The fact you immediately state "rms is a problem" I think I have some doubts about your ability to moderate discussion about this topic in an unbiased manner.
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Drew DeVaultreplied to SuperDicq last edited by [email protected]
@SuperDicq @finlaydag33k I don't think that's true. First, because I would not necessarily be the moderator for this particular discussion, and might instead participate with an aim to justify my position under the facilitation of someone else; second, because I am perfectly capable of withdrawing my personal opinions and acting as a dispassionate moderator
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Aroop Roelofs :verified:replied to Drew DeVault last edited by
@drewdevault Personally, I would be against holding these kinds of discussions on an event...
They are just too controversial to make a "main thing" and I only see it affect the overall mood in a negative way.It's good that there would be moderating but personally, I'd just avoid those situations in general... Just way too risky imho.
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Drew DeVaultreplied to Aroop Roelofs :verified: last edited by
@finlaydag33k @SuperDicq why are you afraid of discussing controversial topics? Here you speak as if controversy is axiomatically undesirable.
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@finlaydag33k @SuperDicq sometimes it's beneficial, and necessary, to talk about difficult subjects.
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Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell:replied to Drew DeVault last edited by@drewdevault @SuperDicq @finlaydag33k Possible but pretty sure most people would only trust a moderator that's not known for having a strong opinion on the topic, which could have the immediate effect of being seen as an unfair moderator regardless of facts.
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Drew DeVaultreplied to Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell: last edited by
@lanodan @SuperDicq @finlaydag33k true. But anyway, I definitely would not plan on being the sole moderator for the whole devroom lol, it would be easy to step down for a particular discussion which I have a strong opinion about