Majestic Sea Creature
Technical Ramblings from Gregory Brown (@seacreature)
Stand and Be Counted
I really wanted to stay out of this mess, because I know how nasty these things get, and have been caught in more than my share of “sky is falling” controversies before. However, Nick Sieger’s call to action on his blog seemed like a classy and civil way to stand up without getting into a fight.
So here’s my statement:
I want the Ruby community to be an open, welcoming, and safe place for all those who are a part of it. I want everyone, regardless of race, gender, religious affiliation, favorite flavor of ice cream, or love or hate of PHP, to be able to enjoy the same degree of friendliness that I experienced when I joined this community in 2004.
To those who have joined the community in its post-hype days, please know that not all Rails developers and certainly not all Rubyists actively embrace this sort of cult-of-personality that surrounds the “rock stars” in our community. If you think you need to emulate that sort of behavior to be successful or gain respect, think again. If you look a little closer, you’ll find a great deal of amazing work being done by people who will never make you feel alienated or uncomfortable.
I will try as best I can to advocate this simple idea that a passion for code and a willingness to be kind to one another is all that it takes to be a productive and positive member of the Ruby community. However, I aim to accomplish this through direct practice. You will see this of spirit of egalitarianism alive in my projects, my presentations, and my day to day conversations with other Rubyists. This is not the job of a hero or a rock star, but something that every one of us can do from one person to another out of basic respect for each other.
My personal opinion on whether or not the event that caused this whole controversy was ‘offensive’ or ‘unprofessional’ does not matter at all. To me, all that matters it that those who were hurt by it know where I stand on this, and that I do not stand alone .
Written by Gregory Brown on 2009.05.01 at 00:30 | Responses