Code of Conduct at events

Adrian Bunk bunk at stusta.de
Thu Nov 11 22:19:13 UTC 2010


On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 09:33:23PM +0100, Bernhard R. Link wrote:
> * Adrian Bunk <bunk at stusta.de> [101111 19:40]:
> > The level of proof required at court is not that extremely high, and
> > if you don't reach that level of proof there's a high probability
> > that the person is not guilty.
> 
> Almost every juristdiction has some "without reasonable doubt" in it.
> Puting people into jail or requesting fines in something serious.
> Telling someone "Sorry, but after what happened and while the
> authorities said there is not enough proof, we do not want other
> attendees having to fear you. Would you mind leaving/not coming?"
> (and formulating that more decided if not followed voluntary) is
> something that does not need as much proof.

I don't like this "we have no proof but think you are guilty" attitude
that has a high probability of also hitting innocent people.

And in the case of an unproven sexual assault you know that one of the 
two persons is lying, but you don't know which. [1]
Which person do you want to kick out?
Both the alleged offender and the alleged victim?
Flip a coin?
The person the organiser likes less?

And how would you feel if a woman would wrongly accuse you of a sexual 
assault, and even though the court says you are not guilty you would
get kicked out of all FOSS conferences and FOSS projects?

And to make it worse, what if your paid work depends on participating
in FOSS projects and conferences?

> 	Bernhard R. Link

cu
Adrian

[1] Think e.g. of the current Kachelmann rape trial where you know that
    one of the persons is lying, but it is non-trivial to figure out
    which side it is.

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed



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