On 5/10/19 8:18 PM, Craig Russell wrote:
But then I think that RTFM is not a good answer to a serious question.
Perhaps not, but RTM is often, even usually, a good answer. ie, omitting the "F" and calmly and respectfully pointing them to the M, and asking them to R it, if their question was, in fact, asked in good faith, and not derisively.
When a question (viz: Why does diversity matter at all when we're all anonymous, and we could all be dogs, and so on) is asked again, and again, and again, for literally decades, and answered each time, there comes a point where pointing someone to the docs, and asking them to actually do some homework, is not only appropriate, but necessary.
The entire Diversity discussion at Apache has a long history of being dismissed by a small group of our membership who, EVERY TIME, respond with "explain it to me, because I don't get it," and then ignore the explanation.
This is why, as I said on another list, I warned against the D&I effort being lifted to the level of a President's Committee, or even a PMC - not because I don't believe the work to be critical (it absolutely is) but because I knew that there was only one way that this conversation goes at Apache. It is toxic, not because the *TOPIC* itself is in any way to be avoided, but because of the ENORMOUS distractions that get thrown at it.
I naively believe that this time we'll actually get something done, because of the passionate, motivated people gathered around the issue this time. But I also believed that last time. And the time before that. And each time, certain individuals (the list I had in mind a month ago have dutifully, reliably, showed up and said *EXACTLY* the things I knew they would) throw sand on the tracks, even though they stand to benefit from the work, done well, but resent other people spending their own time doing it.
So, yes, we absolutely should be telling people to RTM. And anyone who actually *cares* to spend literally one minute looking will find that M. And when they are unwilling to do that, it makes it abundantly evident that the question itself is not in good faith, but is asked because they believe, somewhere in the dark corners of their mind, that making the table bigger will rob them of their fair share.
But it won't. Because Open Source is a pot luck. People bring dishes to share. More people, and a bigger table, means a better meal, not that the people who were here first are somehow no longer going to get the dish they like.
I will stop mixing metaphors and go work on something else, because the intense frustration I am experiencing around this thread, and the other 78 related threads, is making it increasingly likely that I'm going to say things I'll regret.
-- Rich Bowen - rbo...@rcbowen.com http://rcbowen.com/ @rbowen --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: diversity-unsubscr...@apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: diversity-h...@apache.org
