I was thinking about plays in a theatre and how when we watch actors we're also participants. We suspend our reality to watch a story's reality.

When we read a book, we're imagining the world and the people that story takes place in.

Even listening to stories we're imagining worlds, we're participants as we aren't passively taking it in.
It's all sharing our time and imagining. It's social.

Which I think is part of the reason AI slop feels wrong to so many of us. It's not social at all.

You know that's two cults I know of that have spawned out of Harry Potter fanfiction.

🤔

I think we tread a dangerous path when in FOSS we ignore users concerns.

If we don't factor in users feelings, why are we sharing our software?

Why do we suddenly feel put on when folks who build their tech stack around your software get upset? Especially about LLMs?

Word of mouth built a part of your popularity in the places you never see.

I thought there was a social contract with our wider communities. I'm a bit sad that apparently we don't.

#NoAI

https://dotart.blog/cobbles/move-fast-and-break-infrastructure

My muse is irritation.

I wish it was floofy things and cool tech that didn't harm folks. But here we are.

As for Neutral, well that's just centrism. 😏

You know anyone who's ever looked at the DND alignment chart knows that being "lawful" doesn't always mean good.

It's why being under an OSI licence isn't enough. Opening your code up isn't enough.

What kind of projects do folks want to belong to?

Do you understand the alignment of your Devs? Or don't you care because they "do good work".

The work needed to be done far earlier and by work I don't mean code.

And before someone pipes up with "but how can you tell?"

That tells me I really don't want you in our spaces.

You aren't safe to be around. Take a step back and think about that.

I'm currently writing a statement for my project's no AI policy.

Folks who know us, know we aren't particularly shy in our opinions about AI.

But this needs to be done to set a community boundary.

Because what AI boosters seem to be unaware of is that this is a freedom of association issue. Not a free speech issue.

Much like in real life, I'm so tired of the pick up artists at the bar. AI boosters are exactly the same.

Some of us do not want you to use those tools in our spaces.

I think there's a lot of questions about power and responsibility we need to have.

Like is some of the bunker mentality coming from a feeling of lack of power and wishing to have it over others?

I tend to see power as a responsibility, and I absolutely want to share it with others to spread the load.

I grew up with a Father who shared food with my friends at the drop of a hat. I also grew up around folks who donated their baby clothes to new parents. It's why mutual aid makes sense to me.

Looks at a local laptop project. "Local Ai" as a feature.
😭

Well that and it being a prepper laptop project.

I kinda want more projects for the commons. Communal meshes, repair cafes in each village. Mutual Aid. A more circular economy to help to reduce waste.

Sharing knowledge and stories.

itinerant repair men wandering from village to village like some of the mobile alcohol still guys do in France.

Give me community, not bunker prepping. I'm so tired of libertarian values in tech.

Art and tech are not political my arse.

What do you think the renaissance was about?

Were the rich families of Florence not being "political" and making a "political statement" by who they chose to chuck money at? By how they chose to exercise their power?

Everything is political. It's just that you want to keep working with folks who are happy to lie to you about who's human rights they want to uphold.

Human Rights are not conditional. They have to apply to everyone.

There's a concept called active ignorance where you choose to not accept or read evidence of a problematic person or community norm as you don't want to have to think about the harms and perhaps have to give it up.

It's why I'm irritated by the folks who are all no politics please, just the tech. Or that "Bob and Van" piece.

Who you accept in your community, who you choose to work with, especially if you excuse abusive behaviour damages a community more. We see you.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343952142_Ignorance_arrogance_and_privilege

I don't have a grand theory of why some folks need to spread hate.

But my hunch is that the leaders weren't told "no" enough as children and then someone finally did.

They feel have enough power now to push down our boundaries. So now we need to reinforce them.

Build them higher.

In FLOSS we start that work by acknowledging and respecting those boundaries. Do you want safer communities of folks who can be honest about their politics or not?

If you don't want Nazis in the bar, you need to.

Follow up question for the men.

Did you learn anything from the link in the toot above?

In all seriousness, I do recommend reading it.

It's still relevant.

I came across this page from 2002. This is about how to encourage women in the Linux community.

So Ladies how much did the community and FOSS in general take the lesson? Are we encouraged?

https://tldp.org/HOWTO/Encourage-Women-Linux-HOWTO/index.html

Yeah asking but how would people catch you using the AI is a pretty good indication you don't respect consent.

Or the social norms of a group asking for you to please not do the thing.

When folks in a project state their boundaries like No AI, or well, other unacceptable behaviours, respect it.

But you know thanks for the heads up.

Looking with a huge side eye at the ableism in the idea that your activism only counts if you're physically taking part all the time.

I'll be IRL when gatherings have a robust public health policy and consider masking as part of solidarity.

Activism by it's nature is performative. That's the point of it.

Community work is labour, regardless of how public or private it is.

But it does tell me who wants us to be quiet. Who doesn't wonder who disappeared and why.

#CovidIsNotOver

There are other projects to support and works we need to do. There's a lot to be done.

Find the folks who do care. Who are political and upfront about it. Who understand about community safety and don't have distain for their communities.

You'll get more done without catering to abusers needs. Be picky, be mindful.

The projects who need our help and who can help you are out there.

There's FOSS folks out there who aren't fascists and like you don't feel at home in FOSS anymore.

The thing to remember is every accusation is a confession. Or telling you how you should feel as they've lost control.

Including "you should all be ashamed of yourselves."

They felt shame. There's the empathy hit, that makes them want to lash out as you made them feel bad. They need the control back.

Those of us who've had that move done to us recognise it for the abusive outburst it is.