RE: [gentoo-dev] Temporary DevRel actions for CoC violations

on Wed, 19 Jun 2013, at 10:35, Markos Chandras thusly quipped:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA512
>
> Hi,
>
> It is unfortunate to observe constant bullying, insults and trolling
> across our public media. Developers have been warned over and over that
> such behaviour is not acceptable and they should try to behave
> properly. However, people have ignored such warnings for a very long
> time. This ends today.

Tough talk.  We'll see...

> The DevRel policy states that: "If the issue is deemed critical,
> the developer in question may have his or her access suspended
> while a vote takes place. In such situations, the Developer
> Relations lead may act without a vote of the remaining Developer
> Relations team; this power is granted by Council. Except in
> critical situations where immediate action is required, such
> disciplinary action is determined by members of the Developer
> Relations project."[1]
>
> For me, this problem is critical. Devrel is working on formalizing a new
> policy, and we will announce news on this soon. In the meantime, to
> prevent further escalations,  I will use my lead powers to request
> immediate bans whenever I see one of you violate the CoC[2] and ignore
> the previous warnings.

Hmm... that's a serious responsibility you've assigned yourself.   I hope
you'll be a benevolent, impartial and reasonable interim judge, jury and
muzzler.

> My fellow developers, it's time you finally realize that
> you are part of a community and you must learn to behave
> and respect each other even if you have different technical views.
> We are all people sharing a common interest: Gentoo.
>
> [1] http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/devrel/policy.xml#doc_chap2
> [2] http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/council/coc.xml

Sorry to hear you have such a low opinion of the socialization of Gentoo
developers.  Since I'm not one of them, I'll just put forth my 2c in on
this, without fear of "consequences."

Am I the only one who feels that trolling, abuse, and so forth, are largely
in the eye of the beholder, and that lively, impassioned, constructive
debate may seem to many readers like hyperbole and ad hominem attack?

As long as I can remember, candid and even ostensibly hostile debate and
argument have been a part of the Gentoo process (the same goes for a great
many open-source projects).  Thus far, although not without some frustration
and angst, Gentoo has weathered these storms, and somehow managed to make
sound decisions based on technical and practical merit, after all is said
and done.

Have you considered the possibility, Markos, that, although not pretty to
look at, such conflicts provide an important cathartic channel to relieve
certain "psychological pressures?"  In environments where everyone is
expected, on pain of discipline, to "be civil" all the time, my experience
is that folks start to build up resentments which eventually "explode"
forth, spectacularly, despite -- indeed, one might say, because of -- their
best efforts to conform to those expectations.

IIRC, Gentoo already has rules forbidding a laundry-list of antisocial
behaviors like racism, sexism, threats of violence, and so forth, and some
provisions in place to handle violators of that policy, does it not?

Further -- and please take this as more of a rhetorical flourish than a
genuine concern, but, I wonder, whose job it is to muzzle you, Markos, if
you, yourself get out of line, and will they dare perform it?

Has a clear consensus emerged that existing rules are not strong enough?
Or perhaps, are a vocal minority just butt-hurt about some particular
discussion that happened recently?  I'm asking fully in earnest, and I
sincerely hope -- and genuinely presume -- I don't have to worry that I'll
be muzzled for doing so, on the basis that I'm "trolling" or what-have-you.

Why should I even feel the need to say so?  Perhaps, that is my problem and
sheer paranoia, but surely, you can appreciate how such an announcement can
potentially have certain "chilling effects," and that the merits of strict
enforcement of such well-intended policies are not necessarily so clear as
they might seem on first glance.

Wishing you the best in your effort to make Gentoo a more civil and
friendly community,

-gmt