[Foundation-l] Wikimedia Job: Volunteer Coordinator

[Ray Saintonge]

Robert Horning wrote:

>Ray Saintonge wrote:
>  
>
>>The concern that becomes apparent from reading this thread is that 
>>living in St. Pete's would very strongly favour having this job go to an 
>>American.  To be sure some of the paying jobs can only be done at the 
>>headquarters, but this is very much an international organization which 
>>should do more to open opportunities for citizens of other nations.  The 
>>nature of this opening suggests that the work could be done anywhere in 
>>the world without the need to move to the United States.
>>    
>>
>I think that any specific location anywhere in the world is going to 
>favor one nationality over another.  Even Brussels is going to be very 
>Euro-centric, and I could go on and on about other major cities 
>throughout the world.  This is not really a very legitimate reply.
>
I said nothing about moving the headquarters.  What I sought to 
emphasize was that opportunities should be equal for citizens of all 
coountries.

>I will say in defense of Florida (although Miami would be a bit better 
>in this regard), this is America's gateway to the Caribbean Islands,  
>and home to a very diverse  number of  ethnic groups that I would 
>challenge you to find anywhere in the world outside of perhaps NYC or 
>San Francisco.
>
As far as which city in the United States should have the headquarters, 
I have no complaints about having it where it is.  Seattle might 
personally be more convenient for me, but on that level we would 
probably all like to hav it closer.

>To me, this is a very anti-American attitude that is strongly suggesting 
>that perhaps the WMF needs to re-incorporate somewhere in the EU.  If 
>somebody from say South Africa were to work with somebody from Japan on 
>a daily and face to face basis, where would you suggest that they find 
>as a common location to meet, work, and live?
>
It's more pro-internationalist than anti-American.  I said nothing about 
re-incorporating anywhere.

>I will also defend keeping the WMF in America at least so far as I think 
>you would have a very hard time trying to find a place that is more 
>politically stable or has similar economic stability and 1st world 
>infrastructure necessary to carry out the mission of the WMF.  The last 
>realistic attempted military invasion to the heartland of America took 
>place in 1812.  
>
See [[War of 1812]].  The United States was not invaded; it did the 
invading.  It was an opportunistic and expansionist attempt to take 
advantage of the fact that most British troops were tied down by the 
little Corsican.

>Can you say that about any other country in the world 
>except perhaps Switzerland?  Even that could be argued in light of WWII, 
>but I won't belabor that point.  In addition, the WMF is already in 
>America, and much of the legal underpinnings and relationships are based 
>upon American law.
>
That seems more like an excuse than a reason. 

>I guess I just don't see the point to all of this anyway or why this 
>thread has brought out the attitudes that this has.  We are a very 
>diverse group of people all working together, where I, as an American 
>living in rural America in the heart of the Rocky Mountains have nearly 
>daily conversations with people from Poland, the UK, and South Africa on 
>collaborative writing projects.  Often I don't even know the nationality 
>of the people that I am working with, or even what continent of the 
>world they are really at when I am having these discussions.  I fail to 
>see why this particular position as a Volunteer Coordinator would have 
>to be any different in this regard.
>
Sure.  Why would it not then be acceptable that the volunteer 
co-ordinator from any of these countries?  If the person is unable to 
secure the needed visas to work at the U.S. headquarters that should not 
be an impediment to getting the job.

Ec