VHS Principles of Unity
VHS strives to be inclusive to all people. We abide the following principles:
Be excellent to each other. No racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no classism.
VHS projects are group projects, not individual projects.
Freedom is good. Group projects are open projects.
Eager willingness to learn is all you need. Expertise is not required. It’s always OK to ask questions.
Full Disclosure. Disclose your motives and affiliations.
These principles where in place before I joined VHS. I believe they were based on the slides from “24C3: Building a Hacker Space” talk at CCC in 2007. Most of the founding members of VHS were also heavily involved in open source project at the creation of VHS
I think these are great exactly the way they are written.
I think this principle were originally added to make it clear that projects that a group of people worked on as a group are group projects and not owned by a single individual.
For example:
If you came in to the space with an idea, and got a bunch of people to work on your idea. day in and day out for a few weeks at a time. Then when all the work is done kick them off the project and start a business around the product to make mad cash. That wouldn’t be fair to the group of people that helped on the project. This would of course be different if you came in with an idea talked to a bunch of people then went and implemented their suggestions by yourself.
I think this principle was added to show that if you are using community resources such as people, places and things you should be giving back to the community that these resources came from. “Open projects” does not necessarily mean open source (open source is a good). In my humble opinion it could be just that its documented so others can learn from it.
I worry that the principles #2 and #3 aren’t clear on their meaning and may not be suitable for our current organization.
I do like the concept that you should be giving back to the community that you are using the resources from. I am not sure how I would word it though.
My understanding of #2 is that it’s referring to VHS projects like the LED wall, door bot, etc (NOT projects conceived/created at VHS but not intended for VHS) needing to be inclusive of anybody who wants to contribute. This is to avoid both conflicts as well as loss of knowledge (the hit by a bus case).
Likewise, principle #3 is speaking to the need for projects from #2 to be open - be it open source, or openly documented. It does not refer to private nor private group projects at all.
These two items I brought up for clarification at an AGM many years back now… there should be something in the minutes, if we can find it.
Thank you, for the very important clarification of what is not a VHS project. (projects conceived/created at VHS, but not intended for VHS)
should “not intended for VHS” be changed to "not intended for VHS or representing the VHS
To include projects like the science world dome project,
3 applies to VHS group projects, correct?I do support the idea of all projects including private group projects being open source, but I am not sure it should be a requirement for private projects.
++ Funvill for dusting off all the old rules for reconsideration.
I have to admit that this “VHS projects are group projects” thing took me back a bit when I first read it, especially because at the time there was a projects page on the website with like two things on it. I assumed it was just awkwardly worded and moved on.
Here’s a cut at rewording that second rule: “When we as a group build things for VHS, everyone should be allowed to participate.” It’s not as concise, but it does eliminate certain misinterpretations.
I think it might also make sense to add a rule to the effect of: “These principles are intended to be default settings for how we do things at VHS, and can be overridden when necessary.” Otherwise we may get people pounding on the principles like they’re immutable laws.
Or an alternate version of that last one, not coming from a place of software: “If you’re waving these Principles around in anger, you’re probably doing it wrong.”
I worry that we are trying to force an update to this rule that no longer applies to us any more.
Now we are starting to sound like lawyers talk, these are suppose to be inspiring. These are suppose make people want to be involved in this environment. Think the constitution of the USA, Thats inspiring Constitution of the United States - Wikipedia
Agreed, 100% .
I searched without actually opening and reading every AGM and QGM notes. This is the only reference I could find in the meeting mins.
[Q] 4) Don’t be a dick. <= this is a sexist term (and imagine how offensive the female-specific equivalent is). Does it need to be here? Or if it needs to be explicit, can it be “Don’t be a jerk”. [A] The term “dick” in this essay is generally defined as “an abrasive and inconsiderate person” of any gender. Therefore this is an essay about obnoxious behaviour. Don't be a jerk - Meta
[Q] 5) Take it easy <= This is redundant with (1) and (4) [A] This could be replaced with something else.
[Q] 6) undefined <= I don’t get it. programmer humor? [A] Yes, it can be whatever we want it to be at the time we need it.
These guidelines have existed for a long time on our whiteboard, probably ~3 years. They changed often as people updated them to suit the space. When we moved we lost these rules.
BuringMan principals do reflect our own groups principles as well; Radical Inclusion, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation
Radical Inclusion Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community. Gifting - Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value. Decommodification - In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience. Radical Self-reliance - Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources. Radical Self-expression - Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient. Communal Effort - Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction. Civic Responsibility - We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws. Leaving No Trace - Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them. Participation - Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart. Immediacy - Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.
Just throwing it out there,
We could scrap the “VHS Principles of Unity” in favor of the VHS Golden Guidelines. Its confusing to have both and I like the golden guidelines more. It looks like they could be updated as well.
Safety Third, means safety can never be assumed and safety is something that you need to take on yourself and we need to take on as group.
Safety First, enables people to assume other people are putting a lot of effort in to safetyand as result they feel safe to assume they are safe. Which is actually very dangerous.
Adding to this.
4) Pack in, Pack out - Respect others’ use of the space. No storage outside of designated areas. Leave the space in a better state than when you found it.
I am not sure if I like “pack in, pack out” as the title of this principle.
Respect the space
Beautify the space
I like having item 6 as undefined. I do worry that its more of a joke though and will only be understood by programmers. I found it to be a way to show that these principles are under a constant flux and that they will change with time.
undefined - It can be whatever we want it to be at the time we need it.
I agree with this, but we probably need to make the linkage to some of Mike Rowe’s writings on the subject. Some people seem to think it’s just some joke about safety being unimportant.
Not that we have to embed all that into the principles, but once we have an updated set on the website, we can link to things like this discussion and maybe an expanded explanation on the wiki.
If we’re doing a full overhaul, do we even need this? I understand where it came from, but I don’t think that’s applicable these days, and certainly haven’t seen a need to call it out in the PoU myself.
I think Do-ocracy could use some describing, and a call out as a principle in it’s own right - it’s a pretty core piece of VHS, but could use some guidance -
some ideas:
the impact of a change and the difficulty of un-doing a change should be directly tied to how much time you spend thinking things through before doing them.
Thinking through impacts on other uses/users of the space.
when to take it to the mailing list for advice first.
To provide an example of a time that this would be prudent, consider a fresh-faced energetic new member deciding to “increase safety at the space” by installing a security system. Next, consider the unholy flame-war that history suggests would result, and the number of members likely to be driven away by it.
Maybe some of the things that I believe are generally understood to be things we consider unacceptable?
don’t sleep/live at the space
there are things at the space that shouldn’t be hacked use your best judgement, but keep it in mind. (electrical system, fire equipment, laser cutter, alarm system, etc.)
don’t personally attack other members / appropriate conduct (threads on the mailing list on attracting people to the space suggests that this could use some guidance)
I’d also suggest we include “things we have banned people for”, as a concise list to help them be an example for others - the last one I believe would be something like “harassing and misogynistic comments”. I think it would help ensure people get the idea of what is considered unacceptable, and encourage people to come forward when the behaviour towards them is unacceptable.
We can make a list of rules about the space in another thread. No sleeping at the space, Laser is not a Do-ocracy, Key members are not required to keep the space open for anyone. Personal attacks, (+Reply as new topic!)
I would prefer to keep the VHS Principles as positive as possible. Its suppose to inspire people to want to join and participate in VHS not limit what people can or can’t do.
Ask yourself; what kind of space do you want and what kind of community do you want to be a part of? We can try to simplify and iterate on these ideas later on after we get them on paper and talk about them more.
I would like to see people give back to the community that they are apart of. To give more then they get out of it in any way they can.
I would like VHS to be a safe environment for everyone to participate in regardless of skill level, age, sex, race, disability, or anything else.
I would like there to be a culture where people are able and willing to make mistakes, possibly massive mistakes, without the fear of being being persecuted later on. A place where I can say a stupid idea out loud and people will tell me its stupid but won’t hold it against me next week.
I want people to succeed with the skills that they gained from being a part of VHS, at work, at home, with their friends a loved ones.
I would like people to make friends at the space that they hang out with outside of the space.
I want us to be positive impact on the world at large (open source, volunteering, making art, building things, etc)
I want the community to be the main thing that VHS is. Not tools, space, resources, or knowledge but the community that supports these us having these things.
Fair enough, I always saw them as more of a guide for members on how to conduct themselves than a recruiting tool. I do see the value in keeping it positively focussed.
I do see a bit of a conflict in “Full Disclosure - Disclose your motives and affiliations” and inclusiveness - It reads very much coming from the 'they’re trying to iniltrate us! we must have tools to drive them out! mindset.
That’s kinda why I bring it up - it comes off as almost hostile, paranoid, and like we’re a shady organization (relatively speaking of course, compared to the other items).
@Doormatt - Historically speaking, it comes from fears of being watched/harassed by the police. Being a young whipper-snapper organization claiming to be “hackers” right around the time of the Olympics attracted some attention, so it’s not like the item was born out of thin-air… it’s just no longer applicable.
