FOSS and The Fediverse, the culture's rotten.
Sometimes I just despair of #FOSS in general. This week has been brutal to watch.
This week we've seen an outpouring of hate wrapped up in cotton candy rhetoric that I've not seen since gamer-gate.
This period of hate was directed against a Black developer who is creating a database of Fediblocks with reasons and receipts for those blocks.
To be clear I'm a cis white woman. Like I have quite a bit of privilege here. But I am othered. I'm not straight, and I have Long Covid. I grew up in a disabled household. I can see the cobbles around me and sometimes I can see them for others, but not everyone. We cannot anticipate all the harms. But we can use tools to mitigate harm. It does take will from our communities though.
The fediblock tag was created by 2 marginalised folks in the fediverse, at least one of those creators was black. It was created partly in response to the outpouring of hate against playvicious an instance for black folks in the fediverse. I've seen people say that the developer started this in 2020 with screenshots as their arguments. But the truth is all of this started back further in time in 2017.
The fediverse isn't a welcoming space to black folks, its not a welcoming space to indigenous folks. But then the fediverse is a microcosm of the larger FOSS community.
I've often seen the arguments of fediblocks go thus:
They can be misused and can be a vector for harassment/false accusations.
When it's coming from FOSS white cis dudes, it kinda reminds me of when women get accused of making false accusations of harassment.
So when I hear that kind of argument, it raises a red flag for me, and I make a note for later. Because I need to work on my own sexism.
A more obvious red flag for me in the FOSS community is related to that community safety. I saw a toot today that made me really angry. It was by a well known and respected person in my FOSS community.
It turns out he doesn't like masks or banging on about #COVID and the need for vaccination boosters. He also defends Richard Stallman passionately so there's that as well.
The Fediblock Tag and what the blocklist tools are for is to help your admins keep your communities safe.
Codes of Conduct are tools to help Projects, Conferences, Event Organisers to keep your communities safe.
A robust health policy enforcing masks are there to keep your community safe and disease free.
If you refuse to see why these tools are needed, I can't interact with you in a meaningful manner. I will not be able to interact with you in person.
Because you won't be safe for me to be around. Or my friends and colleagues to be around. If you value people who won't support safety policies, I need to ask you why?
I need to ask you, why are you not open minded enough to hear a wider community view?
More to the point if you value folks like that over a diverse community, why should we do the work to improve your community when you aren't welcoming to us?
Why should we help you, interact with you, give you our passion and energy in FOSS when you don't accept us or other marginalised groups?
Why should I work with you when you can't be arsed to wear a mask? Or actively ridicule me and others for prioritizing our health and safety?
Why should we advocate for your projects when you don't give a toss about accessibility? When you are actively hostile to us when you defend those projects due to your #ableism?
Why should we work with you, or collaborate with you when you won't do the research and work to look at your internalised #racism?
Why should I work with you when you don't see the point of a Code of Conduct and are sexist? You may not treat me like shit, but who are you harming when I'm not looking?
Why should we collaborate with you at all when you don't make us feel safe and welcome. We know we aren't welcome. You make it clear. Your disdain for us is not hidden.
We've a lot of work to do on our communities and who we consider working with and supporting.
I have one thing for the FOSS movements to consider. When you push for freedom at the expense of other peoples freedom, it's clear to me you don't believe in Human Rights. It's clear to me you barely tolerate me, you sure as heck don't tolerate those outside white-space.
Although perhaps I'm wrong and you do want to help.
Fine. You can start by supporting Ro or donating to the Bad Space.