[hackerspaces] Inclusivity, alienation and a lame duck

Fri Feb 20 02:09:46 CET 2015

nope.  3 guys at resistor.  1 of which did work for make magazine briefly (
bre ).

On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 8:07 PM, Mark Rosenblitt-Janssen <
dreamingforward at gmail.com> wrote:

> I think thats 0.4/2.0 requested, since 3-d printers themselves were
> the revolution and preceded makerbots (didn't they get spawned from
> Make magazine anyway?)
>
> -m
>
> On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 7:03 PM, matt <matt at nycresistor.com> wrote:
> > Makerbot?  Spawned at a hackerspace....
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 8:00 PM, Russ Garrett <russ at garrett.co.uk>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Humour me, Matt. Can you provide me a couple of examples of when
> >> hackerspaces have effected "far-reaching or profound reform in the
> >> existing order"?
> >>
> >> On 20 February 2015 at 00:08, matt <matt at nycresistor.com> wrote:
> >> > A hackerspace that could content itself with external reforms would
> not
> >> > have
> >> > the slightest chance of success in the general struggle for life among
> >> > the
> >> > hackerspaces of the world. A movement that would confine its mission
> to
> >> > such
> >> > adjustments, which are certainly right and equitable, would effect no
> >> > far-reaching or profound reform in the existing order. The whole
> effect
> >> > of
> >> > such measures would be limited to externals. They would not furnish
> the
> >> > hackerspace with that moral armament which alone will enable it
> >> > effectively
> >> > to overcome the weaknesses from which we are suffering today. In order
> >> > to
> >> > elucidate this point of view it may be worth while to glance once
> again
> >> > at
> >> > the real origins and causes of the cultural evolution of mankind.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > -openfly
> >> >
> >> > On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 6:31 PM, Mark Rosenblitt-Janssen
> >> > <dreamingforward at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> The best thing you can do in such a situation, is get the "eye of the
> >> >> tiger".   Get so good at something, something that is respected
> there,
> >> >> and then YOU can become the dictator.
> >> >>
> >> >> Cheers!  ;^)
> >> >>
> >> >> Marxos
> >> >>
> >> >> On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:15 PM, Morgan Gangwere
> >> >> <morgan.gangwere at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >> > My hackerspace has 3 problems that are feeding into each other:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > (This is somewhat scattered -- read all the parts or you'll lose
> >> >> > context).
> >> >> >
> >> >> > 1. The board (you'll see a recurring theme soon) has declared that
> we
> >> >> > must
> >> >> > be "Inclusive" -- and so a task force (lead by a board member, who
> is
> >> >> > also
> >> >> > wife of the president of the board) reached out to people who had
> at
> >> >> > one
> >> >> > point expressed an interest in joining but had not yet. This came
> >> >> > down
> >> >> > to
> >> >> > "inclusivity."
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Don't get me wrong, I'm far from being the typical
> >> >> > cis-het-white-male,
> >> >> > and
> >> >> > I'd love to see more non cis-white-het-male folk in our space. The
> >> >> > following
> >> >> > note is *my view* of this and I'm trying very hard to *not* point
> at
> >> >> > any
> >> >> > one
> >> >> > person.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > The inclusivity policy was enforced by the president of the board,
> >> >> > before it
> >> >> > was actually presented to the membership for discussion, over what
> >> >> > came
> >> >> > down
> >> >> > to a mis-communication between himself and the person who had just
> >> >> > simply
> >> >> > vented (who is also on the board; We'll get to her later)
> >> >> >
> >> >> > The board held a straightforward, but very heated conversation with
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > membership. El Pres makes everything about him (and how it's not
> his
> >> >> > doing),
> >> >> > the one who wrote it made it (somehow) all about sex, and one who
> >> >> > originally
> >> >> > vented and started this insanity rumbling made it all about how she
> >> >> > doesn't
> >> >> > like men.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > We hammered it out, with the members that care enough to show up
> >> >> > (about
> >> >> > 20,
> >> >> > out of a population of 80ish) being mostly upset at the process: a
> >> >> > member of
> >> >> > the space, who has done quite a bit of the space, was alienated on
> a
> >> >> > policy
> >> >> > he had no idea existed, over a misunderstanding that would have
> been
> >> >> > solved
> >> >> > with someone asking some basic troubleshooting questions.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > 2. We've moved into our second space. Over the last about 2 years,
> >> >> > we've
> >> >> > had
> >> >> > a hell of a ride, with an indiegogo to kick off the party. One of
> the
> >> >> > perks
> >> >> > of getting us moving money was to be able to name a room. One of
> the
> >> >> > rooms,
> >> >> > the electronics lab, was named after an MLP fan-video-gone-viral.
> >> >> > There
> >> >> > was
> >> >> > some argument over if this was appropriate and overall, the whole
> >> >> > process
> >> >> > was fairly unorganized and frustrating for those involved. Some
> were
> >> >> > confused as to how long the name lasted, etc.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > The individual that named the electronics lab that did it to make
> >> >> > people
> >> >> > think, confront their discomfort, etc. It's been a bone of
> contention
> >> >> > among
> >> >> > some of the membership.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Over the week, the board has used the name as a means to beat on
> >> >> > members.
> >> >> > The actions of several board members (notably, the ones already
> >> >> > mentioned;
> >> >> > there are 6 on our board, plus president, who is the longest
> standing
> >> >> > board
> >> >> > member with 1 year terms). Several of our members are older guys.
> >> >> > Yes,
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > name is a bit annoying, but they have their own qualms, and the
> board
> >> >> > has
> >> >> > used this as a means to (subversively) ostracize and alienate those
> >> >> > members.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > For those quietly attacked, it feels like discrimination. For
> pretty
> >> >> > much
> >> >> > everyone else? *nobody gives a damn*.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > 3. The president of the board is useless, has no leadership skills,
> >> >> > and
> >> >> > has
> >> >> > become in some ways a lame duck; He is a non-voting member of the
> >> >> > board
> >> >> > according to his bylaws, but can still enforce power as president
> to
> >> >> > make
> >> >> > things happen. I cannot attest to this, but it seems like many are
> >> >> > speaking
> >> >> > behind his back, actively trying to usurp his power. At the moment,
> >> >> > there's
> >> >> > no way for the membership to remove a president from their
> position.
> >> >> > The
> >> >> > fact his spouse serves on the board raises concerns for some of us.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Our previous president moved on due to his promotion in the
> military.
> >> >> > He
> >> >> > was
> >> >> > trained to lead and manage. Since leaving, our space has become
> prone
> >> >> > to
> >> >> > infighting and argument over semantics with the board.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > I've considered calling for a vote of no confidence by the
> >> >> > membership,
> >> >> > but
> >> >> > there's a problem: A majority of the membership doesn't even really
> >> >> > show
> >> >> > up
> >> >> > nor care at this point. Yet that silent majority keeps the doors
> >> >> > open.
> >> >> > Our
> >> >> > bylaws state that votes need a quorum of the membership (defined as
> >> >> > 70%)
> >> >> > and
> >> >> > *three times in a row* we've had to come to a board-decision to
> lower
> >> >> > it
> >> >> > down to 50% in order to pass the board vote.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > There are members, people who are in the space and who are much
> more
> >> >> > suited
> >> >> > to be president, and who have come up in the past as being on the
> >> >> > ballot.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > A note on processes: The space meets once a month, meeting to
> discuss
> >> >> > things
> >> >> > within the space and give progress reports on projects, bring up
> any
> >> >> > input
> >> >> > from the membership, etc. The board meets once a quarter, and
> that's
> >> >> > when
> >> >> > any actions that the board enacts happens. Recently, the board has
> >> >> > been
> >> >> > meeting more regularly than the membership meetings and having
> >> >> > conversations. These are not often announced. The board is in some
> >> >> > ways
> >> >> > a
> >> >> > set of BDFLs (several members of the board have been there since
> the
> >> >> > inception of the space) and there is rarely any major discussion
> that
> >> >> > happens at the membership meetings, which are run on timers and a
> >> >> > "Let's
> >> >> > just get this over with" mentality.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> >> > Discuss mailing list
> >> >> > Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> >> >> > http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >> >> >
> >> >> _______________________________________________
> >> >> Discuss mailing list
> >> >> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> >> >> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > Discuss mailing list
> >> > Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> >> > http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Russ Garrett
> >> russ at garrett.co.uk
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Discuss mailing list
> >> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> >> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> > http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
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