Category: Culture

A Few Notes on Barcelona and SMWCon

My trip to Barcelona was an adventure that I’ll never forget. The city was beautiful and the people I met and made friends with even more so. The conference was rewarding and invigorating.

I don’t know if I have the language to put into words what I experienced. I’ve been trying to write this post for a while and continue to be fruitless. I can say, that for a person who hasn’t traveled internationally much (until this past year) it remains one of my favorite things to do. You can travel alone, but if you do it right you’ll never be alone.

So maybe I’ll just try to be as succinct as possible.

Travel. Do it often. Take photos, but not too many. Make opportunities. If invited to go out – Go.

I’ve put together some perfunctory notes on the professional aspects of the conference on the MediaWiki Stakeholders’ Blog. Again, it doesn’t do the trip justice.

The Not So Narrow Slice

Also, as it turns out, the genre is often, maybe even always, political. Even when it’s not expressly so, fiction isn’t about some rote operational telling of stories. Science-fiction and fantasy, when operating well, serve as a bellwether for the world in which we live. It’s always been that way. Through history, we examine both the small books and films and comics and also the really popular ones to see what ideas and fears and yes even politics have seeped out of the public consciousness and conscience and into the stories that the public loves and shares.

Chuck Wendig on the stupidity surrounding the Hugo awards this year. See also Scalzi.

This Must be the Imposter Convention

It’s hard to look at my impostor syndrome as the worst thing in the world — it has spurned me on to do better, work harder, and aim higher.  On an emotional and mental level, however, it has been debilitating and difficult to get past.  I’ve gone entire days without writing a meaningful line of code due to my lack of confidence.  Other times I take that feeling and crush it by overcoming development obstacles.

If a person like David can be as successful and well-known as he is and still feel the haunt of the imposter syndrome, then I’m in good company.

 

To exercise belief in circumstances other than personal knowledge

“I am sad we are still in a place where women aren’t believed when they come forward about sexual assault, and that it’s such a matter of fact of our culture that The Onion can satirize it. I’m sad and sorry for the women who had to wait until a man came forward to call out Cosby in order for the cultural tiller to shift in their direction.”

John Scalzi on the New York Magazine cover.

The response certain people have to women – not just in large, public cases such as this one – who claim to have been assaulted is abhorrent. I still believe that those who err to the side of disbelief and skepticism as a default reaction to any claims of such sad behavior are not living their life in a happy way. Presenting a lack of compassion and empathy describes someone who is unhappy with their own life and, unfortunately, do little to improve the situation.

Having spent a little time peeking into toxic communities (or anti-communites as it were) I only see folks that seem dissatisfied with aspects of their life. Maybe it something small that happened to them in the past, maybe it’ a lack of success (however they measure it, not I), or maybe it’s a strong conviction that blinds them, but regardless, they can’t be an ally when they aren’t content themselves.

Something grinds against these disbelievers and “Hold on a moment!” types that prevents that compassion and empathy. Why? What do they lack? How can they be helped? How can we progress?

The victims of this class of crimes need more people on their side. There are too many who are not, and that I don’t understand.