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The New Yorker has its own story about Linus Torvalds temporarily stepping down from his post as maintainer of the Linux kernel:
After Years of Abusive E-mails, the Creator of Linux Steps Aside (archive)
Torvalds's decision to step aside came after The New Yorker asked him a series of questions about his conduct for a story on complaints about his abusive behavior discouraging women from working as Linux-kernel programmers. In a response to The New Yorker, Torvalds said, "I am very proud of the Linux code that I invented and the impact it has had on the world. I am not, however, always proud of my inability to communicate well with others—this is a lifelong struggle for me. To anyone whose feelings I have hurt, I am deeply sorry."
[...] Linux's élite developers, who are overwhelmingly male, tend to share their leader's aggressive self-confidence. There are very few women among the most prolific contributors, though the foundation and researchers estimate that roughly ten per cent of all Linux coders are women. "Everyone in tech knows about it, but Linus gets a pass," Megan Squire, a computer-science professor at Elon University, told me, referring to Torvalds's abusive behavior. "He's built up this cult of personality, this cult of importance."
For a research project, Squire used e-mails from Torvalds to train a computer to recognize insults. According to Squire's tabulations, more than a thousand of the twenty-one thousand e-mails Torvalds sent in a four-year period used the word "crap." "Slut," "bitch," and "bastard" were employed much less frequently during that period. Squire told me that she found few examples of gender bias. "He is an equal-opportunity abuser," she said. Squire added, though, that for non-male programmers the hostility and public humiliation is more isolating. Over time, many women programmers leave the community. "Women throw in the towel first," she told me. "They say, 'Why do I need to put up with this?' "
[...] Many women who contribute to Linux point to another open-source project, Python, as a guide for Linux as its faces its #MeToo moment.
Two Linux kernel developers turned diversity consultants are quoted in the story: Sage Sharp and Valerie Aurora. The New Yorker points out that the Linux Foundation's ten-member Technical Advisory Board will hear behavioral complaints, and all of the members are male.
Meanwhile, many people in the Linux community are upset about the move to adopt a Code of Conduct (CoC). Some of that discussion is taking place on the GitHub commit page for the CoC.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Thursday September 20 2018, @07:53PM (1 child)
Saying things like the "F" word or the "N" word isn't conducive to a constructive / informative / insightful conversation. Sure, I can quite probably guess that you meant the word nigger, but guess what I don't use that word in normal conversation. I also, may not know, if you mean some other "N" word that I've not heard.
I am fully on-board with treating fellow human beings with respect and not using abusive language to communicate with others. I'm just not terribly certain that the goals of the movement are actually aligned with that expectation. Yes, Linus, could be less caustic and more respectful of others. I'm just not sure that's what the whole movement that's pushing these Codes of Conduct adoptions is trying to accomplish.
It's misogynistic to have a male only club, but not misandristic to have a female only club. It's racist to have a white church, but not an eyelash is batted at having a black church, black men's club, or black women's club. Yes, you can beat the White Male Privilege horse to death all you want. That doesn't make the opposite any less wrong. Oh, except if that white male happens to be trans, or one of the seriously too many genders that isn't "straight" or whatever the Politically Correct word for it is now.
Life isn't fair. Carpe Diem. Or you know, just sit there and take your welfare check, "free" phone/internet, and other bread and circus benefits.
Don't get me wrong, I most certainly hope and wish the best for my fellow human beings. I just don't think that going from white racist to black racist is reasonable. Racism, is a problem. Sexual harrasment, is a problem. Abuse of any sort, is a problem. Stop segregating the problems. It doesn't matter, if I'm white or black (Hmm.., what happened to all the other races?), male or female. I'm not in favor of giving up any freedoms to accomplish the end of Racism or the end of Sexual Harassment or the end of Abuse. You will never end racism, abuse, discrimination, etc. You can certainly lose your freedoms, though.
The next time you start portraying Russia or China in a better light than the USA. Why don't you start looking into what it would be like to be a black woman in Russia or China. Forget even a minority individual. Look at the Propaganda, the censorship, the "Great Firewall", and the working conditions. You want to hold up China as the savior of humanity, I don't think you know what you're talking about. China may or may not be much better / worse currently, compared to their past. I really don't know that much about their history or culture. The one thing I do know, is that they aren't anywhere near a Free People. See the explanation of the "Social Credit System." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System [wikipedia.org] The disappearance of a Chinese Citizen. http://time.com/5394782/fan-bingbing-missing-china-chinese-actress/ [time.com] You think not having control over your credit score is bad? How about a mandatory Social Credit Score? Where the government checks up on you, to make sure you're being a "good citizen". Whatever a "good citizen" may be defined as at that moment.
The problem is the behavior, not the fact that there isn't enough of XYZ class of citizen in a certain field / position. You want to make a difference? Be kind, be gentle, be loving, be understanding, be humble, be courageous, and be there. To/For/With your loved ones, your neighbors, your strange uncle who no one want's to see, those less fortunate than yourself, those that are more affluent than yourself, your fellow human beings. Also, please protect the planet. I like breathing, thanks.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Touché) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday September 21 2018, @11:03AM
Ni!
My rights don't end where your fear begins.