[AusNOG] Common Sense needs to prevail

[Mark Newton]

On Oct 9, 2018, at 4:13 PM, Shanti Korporaal <shanti at eintellegonetworks.com> wrote:

> What she should have done is told the event organiser then and there, and if super inappropriate, called them out for it then and there. I for one would have knocked them on their ass and shoved any phone with inappropriate pictures in a place they would regret.

The point of having a policy and complaints process is that it isn’t currently obvious that telling the event organizer is the right thing to do; and that the event organizers aren’t equipped to deal with it even if someone does complain to them; and that knocking someone on their ass and posting inappropriate pictures is several stages of escalation beyond where things ought to be nipped in the bud.

Your comment above reads to me like a good justification for developing a Code fo Conduct which includes a complaint process, not a reason not to have one.

> Guys, you are all amazing and titans of the industry, please don't be brought down by garbage like this.

I don’t think we are. Are we?

> This incident is nothing new and any woman in this industry for more than 5 minutes will know to have her defences up, fight back and who to talk to about putting someone in their place - Bevan for one.

One of the male privileges I get is that I have never once needed to even think about having my defenses up, fighting back, and complaining to a man who can put a sexual harasser in their place.

The whole concept is patently ridiculous, it just isn’t a problem that men expect or need to worry about.

If you’re saying that you know you need defenses up and be ready to fight, and find a man to help, and that’s normal for you, then that’s a better illustration of the problem than I’d ever be able to describe myself, and thank you for voicing it.

Nobody should have to attend an AusNOG event armed with the expectation of being sexually harassed or assaulted.

For Bevan’s employee, that clearly wasn’t a realistic expectation. Off-list feedback I’ve received over the last week indicates to me that Bevan’s employee wasn’t alone. Your own words in the quoted passage above should serve as a red flag to every man reading this, including AusNOG organizers:

Why should a woman attending an AusNOG event “know to have her defences up, fight back and who to talk to about putting someone in their place?”

Men never have to put up with that, it’s not even on our radar. For some women, it’s a normal part of their day, and it must be exhausting. This community can’t solve that problem across all of society, but we can sure as hell solve it for our little corner of it.

   - mark


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