[Foundation-l] Concern for the safety of Wikimedians at Wikimania in Alexandria.

[Chad]

Agreed.

And Gerard, it's not just about bringing your baggage with you.
Sometimes it's parts of your personality that you cannot hide
that simply (ie: being a woman).

Imagine a fake scenario in which we held Wikimania in a
country where if you were tall you had to bow before all
the short people you saw on the street. Effectively you're
saying "act like you're not tall or just don't bother coming."

What kind diversity is that supposed to promote? Wikimedian
volunteers are a diverse group of people, and Wikimania is
a manifestation of that. In a world that isn't necessarily as
tolerant of divergent viewpoints, we have to ensure that the
safety of the attendees is being considered.

You say that "...the perception of the people that would not
go anyway is completely irrelevant." I beg to differ. I'm not
going, but I still am concerned for my fellow volunteers.
If someone got hurt and it could've been avoided through
proper safety precautions, I would feel some level of
responsibility if I had just not voiced my concerns because
I was told they weren't important.

-Chad

On Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 7:24 PM, Mark Ryan <ultrablue at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 02/03/2008, Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijssen at gmail.com> wrote:
>  *snip*
>
> >
>  > When people come to Alexandria and insist on bringing their cultural baggage
>  > and make a point of it, it will increase the risk. When people come
>  > primarily to the conference to meet and talk about Wiki related stuff it
>  > will not impact the risk to the conference and its attendees.
>  *snip*
>
>  Have you missed the whole Muhammad images controversy? Attending a
>  conference about Wiki stuff is probably the biggest risk factor at all
>  right now. Cultural baggage fades into insignificance.
>
>  ~Mark Ryan
>
>
>
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