[EuroPython] Lack of diversity within selected talks

[Amirouche Boubekki]

2014-04-15 22:23 GMT+02:00 Nelle Varoquaux <nelle.varoquaux at gmail.com>:

>
> On Apr 15, 2014 3:25 PM, "Roberto Polli" <roberto.polli at babel.it> wrote:
> >
> > Hi @all,
> >
> > On Tuesday 15 April 2014 02:28:50 Lynn Root wrote:
> > > For those of you who do not know me..
> > Everybody.py knows you, Lynn!
> >
> > > - talk selection was/is being done blindly, as in no identifying
> > > information about the speaker is revealed
> > > -#2 there are very little women on that preliminary talk list slated to
> > > speak
> > > -#3 there are multiple selected speakers slated to give multiple
> selected
> > > talks
> >
> > > If you do not find a problem with item #2 and #3, please read this
> > > article [1] about importance of diversity in a technical field.
> > I agree diversity (of speakers/subjects) is a value, in every declination
> > (we're not only our gender).
> >
> > I'm sure Guido van Rossum and Alex Martelli could have send ten (all
> award
> > winning) talks. But a  two-rockstar conference doesn't mean a better
> > conference for the community.
> >
> > I think the committee consider that, and made their choice.
> >
> > > Here are my suggestions to rectify this issue:
> > > - limit speakers to only give one talk. Yes this means going back on
> the
> > > original acceptance.
> > imho we could gently ask to the selected speakers to give away one or
> more
> > talk in favor of the others: limiting the talks to one is unfair at the
> > moment. And I'm sure that we'll reach the same aim without forcing out
> > anybody.
> >
> > > - reopen CfP and reach out to PyLadies globally to help get the word
> > > out. As one of the main leaders of the global organization, I know this
> > > did not happen originally.
> > Not entirely fair, even for ladies awaiting for the final schedule.
> > I agree instead to set gender quotas (eg. 40% minimum for the
> less-represented
> > gender). But imho rules should be set *before* the review process.
>
> As a member of a "minority ", I feel very uncomfortable with such quotas,
> and if you ask women in computer science around Europe, they tend to feel
> the same way (this may be very different in North America, as we have two
> very different cultures when coming to these subject). I want my proposal
> to be accepted for my work and not because I'm a woman, and I don't think
> I'll ever submit to a conference where such rules are applied.
>
Mostly agree, in the sens that the community should aim for good
representation. Setting a quota as a definitive unbreackable rule can
undermine the "cause" and the event. That said quotas doesn't necessarly
mean to lower the quality of the event. Especially since different equals
in some minds to low quality. Even so it might be more relevant to the fact
that the context is poor for the quality to be at the perceived good
quality level e.g. lone wolf development, niche subject etc... The subject
and ideas might still be interesting, even when the next startup bus stop
is no where near in the foreseeable future. This strikingly reminds me of
myself and others (I'm not saying I have something to talk about in Py
events). This might be just a bias and I've read no scientific papers
relating "marginal behavior in marginal people" or I don't need to. A
"break the loop" thinking pattern that deep down settled in my brain
against which I don't even try to fight that much, since it introduced me
twice to the "wonderful" noosphere of the evil snake while making my life
easier.

"Breaking the loop" is another way to say "open up". It's kind of
depressing and enlightening for me to remind myself and others of this.
Anyway, I would have gladly paid twice as much as current price to be able
to listen to Mez Breeze and being able to discuss it with fellow
Pythonistas.

My 30 mins.



>  I also think it gives a very negative image of women in science,
> specially when the abstracts are just not good (an abstract accepted at
> pycon us contained an error in the name of a python module *in the title* -
> it is hard to take the talk seriously, and this is a disservice to do to
> the speaker).
>
> >
> > > - re-review the talks. Give preference or help for those who would be
> > > first time speakers.
> > Agree to some precedence to first-time speakers and grow our community.
> >
> > > ..create general availability during the time that the CfP is reopened
> > > to help those who want it craft a good proposal.
> > imho again: reopening is unfair towards people who made their homework ;)
> > During the review process, author had all the time to browse all
> proposals and
> > fix their one.
> >
> > > ... the blind selection ... the result is troubling...
> > Identifying authors won't have changed anything, but in any case I'm on
> the
> > full-disclosure side.
> >
> > > But this email is to address what I feel needs to change.
> > Thx for writing! Your contribution is always a precious spark!
> >
> > Peace,
> > R.
> >
> >
> > >
> http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/technology/technologys-man-problem.html?_r
> > > =0 _______________________________________________
> > > EuroPython 2014  Berlin, 21th27th July
> > > EuroPython mailing list
> > > EuroPython at python.org
> > > https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/europython
> >
> > --
> > Roberto Polli
> > Community Manager
> > Babel - a business unit of Par-Tec S.p.A. - http://www.babel.it
> > T: +39.06.9826.9651 M: +39.340.652.2736 F: +39.06.9826.9680
> > P.zza S.Benedetto da Norcia, 33 - 00040 Pomezia (Roma)
> >
> > CONFIDENZIALE: Questo messaggio ed i suoi allegati sono di carattere
> > confidenziale per i destinatari in indirizzo.
> > E' vietato l'inoltro non autorizzato a destinatari diversi da quelli
> indicati
> > nel messaggio originale.
> > Se ricevuto per errore, l'uso del contenuto e' proibito; si prega di
> > comunicarlo al mittente e cancellarlo immediatamente.
> > _______________________________________________
> > EuroPython 2014  Berlin, 21th27th July
> > EuroPython mailing list
> > EuroPython at python.org
> > https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/europython
>
> _______________________________________________
> EuroPython 2014 – Berlin, 21th–27th July
> EuroPython mailing list
> EuroPython at python.org
> https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/europython
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/europython/attachments/20140415/544c47d0/attachment-0001.html>