Proposal for ML conduct

[Jonathan Roberts]

2009/5/18 Lyos Gemini Norezel <lyos.gemininorezel at gmail.com>:
> Paul W. Frields wrote:
>
> On Mon, May 18, 2009 at 09:23:23AM -0400, Lyos Gemini Norezel wrote:
>
>
> Let me see if I can clarify a bit here.  Your rights in the USA are
> meant to be guarantees against the *government* stopping you from
> speaking.  Not private entities.
>
>
> True.
>
> Imagine the Fedora Project as more like a bar.  Sometimes conversation
> at the bar does get a little boisterous.  But if a patron really gets
> obnoxious, the bar may ask her to cool it, and if she doesn't, throw
> her out.  Neither of those remedies is encroaching on the patron's
> rights.  The bar is not abridging the patron's right to free speech by
> refusing to allow her to exercise it on their premises.  The same
> situation goes for Fedora.
>
>
> Ah... but there is a major difference between a bar and a community of
> people that's meant to be
> "Free and Open".
>
> Without vitriol and obnoxious people, some of the best ideas would be lost
> forever.

Right, but there are a million and one different ways to say something
to someone.

You can say "Hey *******, I think you're a ******* ******, and you're
ideas are complete *********" and the chances are that person is not
going to be very responsive to whatever change you're proposing.

Or you can say, "Hey, I really like the basic idea of what you're
working on, but think it would be better if we took it in this
direction instead, because a) .... b) ...." and then chances are that
person would be far more responsive, engage in real, constructive
dialogue, and something might actually be achieved.

The first of these two is not constructive, and actively prevents
others from joining in and progressing the project.

In anyway, I'm going to go back to lurking for another month or so
until the summer arrives...

Kind regards to all,

Jon