--On Wednesday, March 27, 2019 23:49 +0000 Lloyd Wood
<lloyd.wood=40yahoo.co.uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> "In IETF, it is MORE IMPORTANT to point out potential problems
> associated with a proposal, than to withhold such input for
> fear of seeming rude. It's even an obligation if the
> consequences seem important. Even if you don't believe you
> have the status necessary to question the judgment of that
> person. Even if you might be wrong. Even if your voice
> shakes" And even if it completely destroys your subsequent
> career prospects!
Lloyd,
I think you are conflating two different issues and I don't know
whether that is helpful or not. One of the things I've heard
much more in recent years than I did a decade or more ago --
despite getting to far smaller percentages of meetings -- is
fear that saying something or disagreeing with a particular
position will result in retaliation from "the leadership" or
particular members of it. Sometimes those fears are expressed
in terms of the IETF (e.g., being blocked from doing anything
that requires leadership (even WG leadership) decisions or
permission) and sometimes it is more general (like having one's
career or career prospects ruined. Whether the concerns are
legitimate or not, their existence is a threat to the IETF and
its ability to recruit and retrain people and get work done.
I suggest that a public statement about a zero-tolerance policy
toward such retaliation might be helpful, but probably only if
there were a realistic possibility of its being enforced. I
have no idea if the ombudsteam would consider evidence of
retaliatory actions to fall within their remit even though a
threat to retaliate almost certainly would. In theory, the
recall mechanism would be one way to enforce such a policy but
only if people were not too fearful to use it and only if it had
a reasonable chance of being effective within a reasonable
period of time (parts of that issue are the subject of a
different thread on this list).
But none, or almost none, of that has to do with how politely or
impolitely an opinion is expressed or action taken.
best,
john
