On Wed, May 19, 2021 at 10:04 AM Weinstein, Michael <[email protected]> wrote: > Says me if we can’t have a gathering of adults for one weekend without the expectation that everyone can be civil to everyone,
That ship has, clearly, already sailed, and years ago at that. We're fooling ourselves if we think our community is just one big happy family all the time. Which is not to say that there aren't a lot of great people in origami, and that for the most part, people treat each other quite well. In my own personal experience, anyway, most people at origami conventions actually treat each other *better* than out in the big old real world. But it's clear that bad stuff happens in our little corner, too. > we just shouldn’t do it. My enthusiasm for Origami conventions has taken a BIG nosedive over this. This has rattled me, solidly, for the past week. I am horrified to have heard from friends and colleagues about some of their experiences. But rather than making me want to avoid the community or its events ... it makes me want to help fix it. Hence this discussion. > There is one aspect of this whole RoC discussion that REALLY bothers me. Lots of folks have said they support RoC for lots of reasons. Doesn’t sound so bad, writing one of these things looks like the work of a couple hours. Enforcing it, another matter entirely. > > My employer has a Human Resources Department. Allegations of harassment, discrimination and other maladaptive behavior get sent there. Such allegations are handled by a professional staff that is well paid and trained to handle such situations in a professional manner. > > This is what the volunteers of Centerfold have been asked to do. And I will note that no where have I seen even one person volunteer to write said RoC and/or implement it at Centerfold. Actually, we've had one generous list member, with professional experience in just such things, volunteer right here on the list. Perhaps you missed it? Carol Martinson stepped up right at the start. > I for one don’t want to go anywhere near it. You can wind up in the middle of things you don’t want to be in the middle of. There was an excellent show on TV for a while called "Dirty Jobs," which celebrated those who do the work that makes "civilized life possible for the rest of us." I'd classify this as exactly that. No one is saying this is especially easy, but that doesn't mean it isn't important to try. And here's a thing: have any of the organizations *asked for assistance*? I haven't seen any organization ask their membership for help drafting such a thing (not that I couldn't have missed such a call for volunteers, it's not like I'm a member everywhere nor do I see everything) nor ask specifically for this kind of volunteer help at conventions. (OrigamiUSA drafted their CoC internally, I believe, and then added to it with some cyber-specific guidelines, an effort of which I was a part in my capacity as website/sysadmin volunteer.) Surely among the larger origami community there are others who, like Carol, have both professional experience or expertise they could apply there. Or what about advisors from groups who are frequently targets of harassment? Might not input from such organizations also guide us? So, you all out there - do we have any lawyers, HR folk, event organizers, etc., who've created and implemented CoCs in their communities who could step up? Are there volunteers who'd be interested in helping out at conventions or other events? Are there members of any communities who've been involved in (or want to start) some kind of education and ally-ship efforts to open up and bring communities together to support each other? Because it seems to me that there's not just the "we convention-goers want our conventions to be better, organizers please help" here, there's also *us*. We *are* the community. How can we help each other? Maybe it's a tiny thing, but here, I'll start, and I mean it: *I will be an ally. Anyone, for any reason, at any convention that I'm attending, can call or message me, or snag me in person, if you need a hand in a bad situation, or a way to navigate around one. I don't need to know you. Tell me you need help, and I will do whatever I can.* Anne >
