Code of Conduct; Law of Conduct; Enforcement drones…

CrunchNotes had some interesting thoughts on Tim O’Reilly’s Code of Conduct. While I know I reacted strongly to the abuse of Kathy Sierra I also feel that the angry mob was somewhat a bad thing.

It’s good not to let hate be acceptable, however Hitler started his political career by raising reactionary mobs against perceived threats¹. While I’m not saying Kathy Sierra or Tim O’Reilly are comparable as people to Hitler, this kind of reactionary social self-help is not a panacea.

I really hope that people continue to do what they are currently doing. If people are abusive to the point that they were with Kathy she should call the Police. The blog-o-sphere can be outraged, that kind of behaviour disgusts me. That said sometimes I like the kind of irreverent humour that comes out of places like B3ta and Something Awful.

The difference that I can see? B3ta et al make fun of stereotypes in our society, Kathy Sierra was victimised. The police can tackle victimisation and the blogging community can be outraged, but please, lets not stop mocking our own stereotypes.

¹ I’m not breaking Godwin’s Law because this is actually a debate about how people are influenced and how that can lead to the the suspension of free-thinking and debate.

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