Re: Code of Conduct: Let's revamp it.

[Edward Cree]

On 19/09/18 15:18, Jonathan Corbet wrote:
> I'd like to address just this part, speaking only for myself.
> The LF is not in the position of arbitrating anything here.  The body
> charged with that is the LF Technical Advisory Board, which is a
> different thing.

Thank you for clarifying that.

Jon, you're a good person, and I trust you not to harass developers.
ÂI'm not expecting you, or gregkh, or hpa to launch a dastardly plot
Âto boot an innocent developer off the project.

But there are too many ways this can go wrong, maybe not now or next
Âweek but in five or ten years, when maybe a different kind of person
Âis on the TAB, or maybe external pressure is brought to bear on TAB
Âmembers. (Some people are speculating that pressure has already
Âbeen brought to bear on Linus, although I'd like to stress that if
Âhe feels that changing the way he communicates is best for the
Âproject then I for one thoroughly respect that.)

Or maybe some manipulative extrovert will manage to whip up a media
Âstorm about some developer's innocuous remarks, the court of public
Âopinion will immediately convict, other developers will be caught
Âin a preference falsification cascade as no-one wants to take the
Ârisk of defending them. Are you, and the other members of the TAB,
Âstrong enough to hold back the lynch mobs when you know the guy
Âhasn't done anything wrong? Do you really want to take on the
Âresponsibility to do that, perhaps time and time again? And can
Âyou be sure that you won't fall for a misleading framing by some
Âcharismatic sociopath of a fight you missed the start of?

Given that possibility, I think it is important for the kernel
Âcommunity to continue to send a strong signal that divisive identity
Âpolitics are not welcome here; and I think that to adopt a Code of
ÂConduct that contains in its opening sentence a laundry-list of
Âprotected classes (and was written by a, shall we say, divisive
Âfigure with a history of identity politics advocacy) sends precisely
Âthe opposite signal.

Linux is too important to civilisation to allow it to be turned into
Âjust another battlefield for the American culture war; commit
Â8a104f8b5867 seems like an invitation to both armies to take up
Âpositions on our fertile farmland. The only rule that gives no
Âcomfort to discriminatory political abusers (on either side) isâ
Âye shall judge by their code alone.