Re: [gentoo-project] Social Contract clean-up

[Daniel Robbins]

On Wed, Mar 28, 2018 at 11:09 AM, Ulrich Mueller <ulm@g.o> wrote:
>
>
> Reality is that there will be no winner if we start fighting against
> each other, like trustees trying to override council, or vice versa.


I appreciate you saying that, because that is my point. We can casually
toss around the idea of forking, having some epic battle for the future of
Gentoo, etc, but ultimately if people just respected one another and
supported one another in doing their jobs, and cooperated, and were
friendly, and apologized when they made an occasional slip into bad
behavior, things would be a lot better.

My point I am trying to make is: support the trustees, because that is the
organizational structure that exists. Work with them. Engage with them.
Help them out. They do have power, even if they choose not to exercise it.

As I try to encourage friendliness in Gentoo, I want to start at the "top",
which is the Trustees. Be nice to them. You have every reason to. They are
in fact quite tolerant of many things and it is a thankless job. And for
those who choose to be mean to them, realize that they technically have the
ability to whoop your butt, but choose not to exercise it. So maybe be
thankful for that. And then of course, trustees, be nice to everyone else
too. You are examples of the project.

That, above, is really why I am making such a fuss about the trustees and
their authority. One way to gain respect for someone is to respect their
'position' and their authority if they were to choose to exercise it. So I
hope everyone has a new respect and understanding of trustees, and in the
future, be nice to them. The bashing of trustees should stop, as it will
only make them frustrated and more liable to be grumpy with you. You are
all on the same team. And I am speaking as one who has bitterly complained
about trustees in the past. I am trying to support the structure that
exists and model the behavior I am encouraging in others.

-Daniel