Diversity redux redux

I've no more to add about what I think about diversity and responsiiblity in our industry. I've written several things in the light of a number of discussions which have emerged over the last 24 hours. I'm not going to publish them. They would not be beneficial.

People are quite entitled to their opinions, but I am very dissapointed in some of the things I have been reading. Particularly some opf the comments on blog posts I've been reading.

All I can do, quite literally is to sit here an shake my head. And despair a little.

Then move onto something positive - continuing to plan our conferences, which will continue to have a strong repesentation of women, not through quotas. not because its politically correct, not by "social engineering", not by diminishing the quality of our content, but by making it a priority, and doing the little extra work it takes.

But now I've started, I'll go on the record as saying, it simply isn't good enough any more to discriminate against woman (I'll repeat that, so everyone is clear) discriminate against women in our industry, or anywhere.

40%+ of our attendees are women. If we aren't getting at least significantly close to this number in terms speakers, then frankly, I happen to think that is discriminatory.

I've put it that strongly because others seem to want to stir the pot.

Consider it stirred.

This is a very non trivial issues.

It's important, in the way that equity for green eyed people is less so, because its a real life issue that affects more than 50% of the people on the planet. If we can't even get that right, worrying about equity for people with facial tattoos, non-ear facial piercings, or other categories is a complete and utter non starter.

This is about the kind of thing people have gone to jail for, and worse - the right to be treated equally and fairly, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or other characteristics.

Many battles have been won, over the last half century or so.

Maybe being able to sit at the front of a bus seemed pretty trivial 47 years ago. Compared with all the other issues people of color in the US faced in the early 1960s. Simialrly, maybe being able to sit in a restaurant and order a burger seemed not that important 40 odd years ago.

Maybe the fact that my mother had to leave her professional job when she got married seemed just how it was, though how many intelligent, talented, dedicated women lost a huge part of their life, and their professions (in this case health care) very experienced dedicated members because of that?

Maybe the fact that women are still, the western world over, paid on average considerably less than their male counterparts seems like something its too hard to know what to do anything about.

But to me these are not things to be glib about. They are not things to turn away from. They are not thngs to hope will be fixed one day so they are no longer issues. They are things that needed changing, and in many cases still need changing.

And changes happen because people work to make them happen. People take a few risks, they work a bit harder, they take their leadership positions as privilieges, to use to make things a little bit better, rather than shrugging off those responsibilities.

Here is something which inspires me. It's from a jewish sage 2000 years ago (no a different one).

• If I am not for myself, who shall be for me?
• If I am only for myself, what am l?
• If not now, when?

john