[Noisebridge-discuss] think bigger

[Tom Lowenthal]

On Fri, Apr 4, 2014 at 7:33 PM, Praveen Sinha <dmhomee at gmail.com> wrote:
> In that, I submit that our pains have not to do with mismanagment, but
> that we need to grow into our next phase for an even larger and more dynamic
> community:  I don't know what it's going to look like or what the outcome
> will be, but as everyone is shuffling about in this latest re-org, I think
> it's important to think bigger and more radical and more creative and more
> inclusive.  As a hackerspace, we can go in directions no other space or
> collective on the planet is capable of at the moment.  Keep it mind as we
> fight our battles, whatever side of drama you wind up on.

Hannah wrote:
> Praveen, this is not as simple as an issue of "inclusion" and a happy little
> collective.  The truth of the matter is that when you include some people,
> you cause others to feel threatened & unsafe and thereby exclude them.
> People who are high at Noisebridge tend to cross boundaries, and one of
> those boundaries is often the bodily autonomy of women at the space.  San
> Francisco is full of places where people can go to see folks screw in
> public, Noisebridge does not need to be one of them.  If you want to display
> your bondage technology, go to Wicked Grounds!  If you want to get high in
> public, go to Dolores Park!  The place full of collectively owned powertools
> is not the correct venue for those activities.


I think Hannah pretty much nailed it.


I think that Noisebridge is a hackerspace, and our stated goal is to
be a place where diverse sorts of people feel safe and comfortable
working on and talking about their technical-creative projects. I'm
quite certain that other things can happen at Noisebridge; many do.
When we're thinking about another activity, considering whether it's a
good fit for Noisebridge, the most important question we should ask
is:

> “Does this enable or interfere with Noisebridge as place where diverse sorts
> of people feel safe and comfortable working on and talking about their technical-
> -creative projects.?”

Our answer to this question should be the most important factor in
determining what to do. If there's something that makes people feel
*less* safe and comfortable, or makes it *harder* to work on
technical-creative projects, we should recognise that — although this
activity may be totally reasonable in general — Noisebridge isn't the
place for it.

Hugs & kisses,
-Tom