On Wed, Feb 8, 2017 at 9:22 AM, Gnangarra gnangarra@gmail.com wrote:
Observation: When we place trust within the projects and the community it appears that we like to grab the biggest stick possible to whack people with it with at the first opportunity.
I am not going to comment on this particular case - although I believe that to make a fair judgment one would probably have to go into a bit more details than compare the dates of report submissions.
I have to say that in my whole hands-on experience with the WMF staff responsible for relations with our affiliates over the last 5+ years, I have NEVER observed their urge to "grab the biggest stick possible to whack people at the first opportunity" as you put it. Have they misunderstood cultural nuances? Sure, sometimes. Have they been driven by their own strong view how things should be done? Definitely (not sure if it is always a bad thing, btw). Have they decided about the things, that the community should have more influence on? Maybe.
However, on a number of occassions I have seen the WMF staff to be really supportive and passionate about the affiliate work. The drive to punish anyone is something I've never observed. For the good or for the bad, they are professionals. They definitely occasionally make mistakes, like we all do - and these should be constructively discussed, while aiming at the best possible result for the community. But I believe that suggesting that the WMF is simply waiting for opportunities to use disproportionate punishments on affiliates is outright assuming bad faith, and is unfair.
best,
dariusz ("pundit"), current community-elected trustee