discuss: Review needed of 'Encourage Women in Linux' HOWTO
Subject:
Re: Review needed of 'Encourage Women in Linux' HOWTO
From:
Mary Gardiner ####@####.####
Date:
8 Dec 2003 04:56:47 -0000
Message-Id: <20031208045638.GA9726@titus.home.puzzling.org>
On Sun, Dec 07, 2003, Rodolfo J. Paiz wrote:
> I am sure that this is true. And I believe that the message you want
> to communicate is a valid one and a worthy one. What I am saying is
> that the generalizations and the _way_ you deliver the message is far
> less effective than it could be. Generalizing is never good, since it
> invariably lumps the bad with the good, throws the baby out with the
> bath water, punishes the innocent for the sins of the guilty... pick
> your cliché from any culture, society, or religion in the history of
> humankind. Lumping people together is not going to achieve what you
> thought it would.
Is there any way you can do an analysis of even a part of the HOWTO and
suggest some alternative wordings? (Or conversely, some alternative
subheadings if your objections feel more top-down.)
I don't really feel comfortable commenting in this thread because it's
really hard to tell precisely what people are objecting to. In
particular, a "you're generalising" comment can be made about almost any
statement about people. In order to completely avoid all possibility of
being assused of generalisation, you have to word any statement about a
large group of people like this:
Some members of group X, in so far as it is a group because of course
some people who I would say are in group X do not identify as being in
group X, and some people do not believe X is a group at all, do Y. Now
of course this means that some people in group X do not do Y also. And
some people not in X do Y...
This is not by way of trying to invalidate your "the HOWTO generalizes
too much" criticism, but I think the people taking the position "a HOWTO
of this kind has a role in the LDP, but this particular HOWTO could be
vastly improved" position, which I think includes you, need to make more
specific criticisms, which include examples from the document, and maybe
suggestions for improvement. It's much more useful for the author and
the LDP than broad criticisms.
-Mary
