Tuesday 5 June 2012

When a meeting in a pub needs an "inclusion policy", you know there's something not right with the world!


OK it's David Allen Green but surely this is a joke?

Westminster Skeptics Civility and Inclusiveness Policy

I appreciate that "skeptics" (apart from their inability to spell the word) are a little odd but I can see no point or purpose to such a policy. They'll be having published standing orders and rules for debate next. Followed by endless debates about the rules requiring meetings to resolve those disputes - before you know there's politics followed inevitably by governance and leading to that ghastly excluding organisational mindset that leads most of these bodies to be come self-referencing and purposeless cliques.

How long before Mr Green publishes his "draft" equal opporutnities policy (for a meeting in a pub)!

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3 comments:

David Allen Green said...

Thanks Simon.

I am sorry that you either do not think there is a problem or think poorly of my attempt to address it.

If you are right in your general sentiment, then no such policy will be needed or adopted.

The market will decide, so to speak.

But I cannot see what harm there is in discussing it - and that is all my post does is raise the proposal for discussion.

And you are right in your very last point - the best events are free and easy, but many debating societies etc do have some thought go into how they are organized. They don't just 'happen'.

And thanks again for taking the time to comment.

David Allen Green said...

ps

Compare:
"I appreciate that "skeptics" (apart from their inability to spell the word)..."

With this comment on skepticism/scepticism:
"Both forms are correct and do not have different meanings."

You will never guess the author of that second comment...

Adam said...

I must say I agree with you about this, Simon, it is all a bit over the top.

I left the following comment on David Allen Green's blog, but oddly, it's still in a moderation queue. Not like him to censor, I expect it's just a glitch. But anyway, this is the comment I left there:

This is all a bit over the top, isn’t it? I’m with Simon Cooke on this: it starts to look spookily like the People’s Popular Front of Judea.

Why not go with the excellent suggestion above from Shane: just have “don’t be a dick” as the one single rule.

After all, you talk about inclusivity. What about people who are put off by excessive bureaucracy and rules? Having an “inclusion policy” may have the perverse effect of putting those people off.