[Linux-aus] Gender discrimination in IT (was Re: Victim Impact Statement)

[Russell Coker]

On Wed, 6 Nov 2013, Noel Butler <noel.butler at ausics.net> wrote:
> Lastly, in my final post of this done to death thread (and its 
> variations), ask yourself this, if a woman had started this thread 
> complaining about men, would you have attacked her in the same way you 

When a member of a minority group complains about treatment by the majority 
it's a very different issue to having a member of the majority group complain 
about the minority.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/roiphe/2013/08/the_anger_over_jane_austen_on_a_10_pound_note_proves_people_can_rage_over.html

Women are attacked for expressing their opinions in public in a very different 
way, the above article is one of many documenting this.

> the hypocrisy... you lot make me sick, I'm ashamed to be associated with 
> this organisation, any other organisation I'm a member of would never 
> have allowed this to get to this stage, and, if it did, would have 
> evicted the 'regular offenders' that here seem to get away with whatever 

Actually the committee wanted to stop this discussion.  But David accused them 
of attempting to censor him.

It's not as if this discussion was in any way new or different.  David's 
contributions to this list always seem to be on the same topics and get the 
same reaction.  I can't imagine what the committee might have done that could 
have stopped this discussion without being accused of "censorship".

> they want, I could go on, but if I do, It's only going to go downhill 
> and that wont be pleasant, so i';ll end my participation in this thread, 
> whilst I too, reconsider my decision as to if I wish to remain a member.

Linux Australia is about "free software".  While the aims of organisations 
such as the GNU project were mostly about freedom from economic inequality 
with some tendencies towards socialism the broad concepts of "freedom" are 
widely accepted within the "free software" community.

There has been a steady trend towards focussing on freedom in the FOSS 
community to include freedom from oppression and discrimination.  This is well 
accepted due to the long history of "freedom" being accepted as a core value.

I think that people who are opposed to treating members of minority groups 
well are going to find the FOSS community less welcoming for them.

-- 
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