Re: opinion on Choice 1

[charlie derr <cderr@simons-rock.edu>]

On 4/4/21 7:37 PM, Steve Langasek wrote:
> Non-voting posters to debian-vote are almost exclusively outside agitators
> and there's no reason subscribing to debian-vote should mean receiving their
> bullshit in our mailboxes.


i don't disagree with any of the above, but in order to try to lend a
bit of balance (because i do think it's a shame), i just wanted to offer
my own point of view, as an avid user of debian/GNU linux for something
like 2 1/2 decades who is *not* a debian developer.

Obviously there's a breadth of opinion among debian developers on this
particular issue, and as often seems to be the case *whenever* GRs get
proposed and discussed, tempers and emotions can run high.

But i'm quite impressed with the overall tenor of the conversation which
took place in this discussion period. Especially the way that (contrary
to what i've witnessed in so many (almost all that i've ever paid
attention to?) other internet forums) many sub-threads which became
quite inflammatory (with respect to the rhetoric used) at certain
points, so often were brought back to salient issues and *away* from
outright hostility by other participants working hard to redirect the
conversations back "on track". Not always (as i'm sure most who've been
following the list postings well know), but often enough for me to take
heart in both the structure (debian constitution) and the character of
almost every single developer i've witnessed engage in this incredibly
divisive debate/dialogue.

It seems a pretty great example of tolerating dissenting opinions (that
i strive to emulate), which is doubly interesting as in this case, the
specific topic is also about the same thing (tolerating dissenting
opinions (or not) and to what degree, it is appropriate to do so).

   thanks,
       ~c

<back to lurk-mode>


-- 
Charlie Derr   Director, Instructional Technology 413-528-7344
https://www.simons-rock.edu Bard College at Simon's Rock
Encryption key: http://hope.simons-rock.edu/~cderr/
Personal writing: https://medium.com/@cderr   Pronouns: he or they