2024 bans

  • Tim’s responses to the claimed CoC violations
  • Tim’s Q&A about ban details
  • Chris McDonough’s account of Tim’s account of PSF interactions before his ban
  • Tim’s account of PSF interactions before his ban
  • LWN’s account of Tim’s ban; by far the best “news” article I’ve seen, finding fault on all sides
  • Chris McDonough’s account of Tim’s ban announcement
  • Karl Knechtel’s account of Tim’s ban announcement
  • Karl Knechtel’s account of his and David Mertz’s indefinite suspensions from Discourse, and anticipating Tim’s later ban (Karl may be neurodivergent, but he’s not dense :wink:)

Dysfunction

“So the pendulum swings, now violently, now slowly; and every institution not only carries within it the seeds of its own dissolution, but prepares the way for its most hated rival.” — William Ralph Inge

2024

  • willy Wokesson’s disturbingly suppressed call for discussion on the PSF’s Discourse

    t’s crucial to differentiate between truly harmful behavior and discussions that might challenge our sensibilities but contribute to our collective growth.

  • David Mertz’s keynote address at PyCon Nigeria, “Python as a Social Fact”

    Codes of conduct are meant to encourage cooperation and deference, but they can sometimes simultaneously attract zealots devoted to their draconian and capricious enforcement. … A descent into a miniature authoritarianism can emerge from a collective feeling of what a community means. Those who carry out “purification” generally believe they are acting from consensus, and even from demands of the larger groups.

  • Peter Bittner’s “Letter to Tim Peters, Author of PEP20”

    My vision of a society that I want to live in is one where people try to understand each other, even when this is difficult sometimes.

  • Steve Holden’s LinkedIn post on proper balance among Foundation goals

    I’d suggest that the latter goal is being incorrectly emphasised over the former, by people with little to no experience of managing anything except software foundations, who are out of their depth in the storm they’ve created.

  • Nicholas Tollervey’s plea for compassion and honesty to counter PSF dysfunction

    There appears to be confusion between things that should be celebrated (like passion, humour, honesty, differences of culture and diversity of experience) and things that are genuinely problematic (like deliberate bad-faith activity or intentionally diminishing, dehumanizing, harming or harassing others).

  • David Mertz’s complaint to the PSF Board and CoC WG about unprofessional behavior by the Executive Director of the Foundation

    The PSF Executive Director, Deb Nicholson, has behaved in a manner that is unprofessional, motivated by personal animosity, in violation of Foundation bylaws, and that violated her fiduciary obligations as an employee and officer of the Foundation.

    • David Mertz publishes the Board’s reply, which passed a motion giving the Executive Director new powers, but claims that these new powers also apply retroactively

      It’s like a clown car … I actually don’t think this is a deliberate power grab by the Executive Director. Rather, I think she is as oblivious to US law as are the current Board.

  • ExternalUserError’s insightful Reddit comment on CoC enforcement dysfunctions in general

    It’s like you take everything we know to work about a working justice system and do the complete opposite. There’s really just no way this system could ever produce good results, no matter who is in charge.

  • Steve Holden’s “Why I’m leaving discuss.python.org”

    … clearly dissent is no longer going to be tolerated, allegedly in the interest of harmony. Those remaining can do a little jig of happiness and continue their censorious behaviours and maintain the pretence that all is harmony and light.

  • David Mertz’s emeritus request letter explained his reasons for withdrawing his active Fellow status

    I simply believe that that honor that was formerly attached to becoming a Fellow of the Foundation has been stripped of good will or honor by those intent on exercise of arbitrary self-aggrandizement and grandstanding.

2023

  • African Python groups’ open letter about multiple problems working with the PSF

    More recent experiences have left us feeling hurt and angry. We hear voices, openly and confidently raised within the PSF, that denigrate us and our communities, that dismiss our experiences, that doubt our values, and harm us materially.