GNU Kind Communication Guidelines versus "social contract" or Codes of Conduct

[Jean Louis]

If we would all consider the GNU Kind Communication Guidelines, there
would be few of raised emotions and flames. Yet it is not easy to do so. 

After the review of:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/kind-communication.en.html I can tell
that I do share these thoughts, while in same time I find it difficult
to follow.

The article has been edited by author and webmasters, it was made even
kinder and straightened, while references to possible outcomes have
been removed.

Most important is the purpose:

The GNU Project encourages contributions from anyone who wishes to
advance the development of the GNU system, regardless of gender, race,
ethnic group, physical appearance, religion, cultural background, and
any other demographic characteristics, as well as personal political
views.

Thus the purpose is to encourage contributions to GNU project
regardless of anything else, while respecting everyone's personal
opinions.

By those very principles and guide on communication, GNU project
achieved more than any other, it initiated classes of free software
development.

In that sense, and with the purpose that GNU project encourages
contributions from anyone without discrimination, I would say that it
is quite enough and unique in its kind, and that GNU does not need any
type of new "social contract" neither "code of conduct" -- for reasons
that there are kinder ways to solve human problems without having
option to abuse the rules of a social contract including the code of
conduct. 

See the etymology for "social contract":
https://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/21cc/utopia/revolution1/rousseau1/rousseau.html
and peer reviewed academic resource: https://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-cont
and Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract

Introduction of "social contract" or "code of conduct" could easily be
abused or wrongly interpreted to act contrary to the purposes as
envisioned by GNU free software philosophy, to welcome contributions
by everybody without discrimination.

I do know that those types of documents and policies have good
purposes and intentions, yet I refer to their practical application
and difficulties in practical application.

Leaders of a group could impose certain "codes of conducts" or "social
contracts" and then not abide by it themselves, or only apply it
impartially onto certain people while referencing the policies, and by
doing so, they would be rather disallowing contributions from those
people which viewpoints or behavior was not shared.

We shall stick to the purpose to encourage contributions, as that is
what is important.

This below is my only my personal checklist for futher communications.

#+TITLE: GNU Kind Communications Guidelines \\
#+TITLE: My Personal Checklist
#+AUTHOR: Richard Stallman

This is shortened checklist from:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/kind-communication.en.html

## Purpose

The GNU Project encourages contributions from anyone who wishes to
advance the development of the GNU system, regardless of gender, race,
ethnic group, physical appearance, religion, cultural background, and any
other demographic characteristics, as well as personal political views.

People are sometimes discouraged from participating in GNU development
because of certain patterns of communication that strike them as
unfriendly, unwelcoming, rejecting, or harsh. This discouragement
particularly affects members of disprivileged demographics, but it is
not limited to them.  Therefore, we ask all contributors to make a
conscious effort, in GNU Project discussions, to communicate in ways
that avoid that outcome—to avoid practices that will predictably and
unnecessarily risk putting some contributors off.

These guidelines suggest specific ways to accomplish that goal.

## Checklist

1. [ ] Please assume other participants are posting in good faith,
   even if you disagree with what they say.

2. [ ] Please think about how to treat other participants with
   respect, especially when you disagree with them.

3. [ ] Please do not take a harsh tone towards other participants, and
   especially don't make personal attacks against them.

4. [ ] Please recognize that criticism of your statements is not a
   personal attack on you.

5. [ ] Please avoid statements about the presumed typical desires,
   capabilities or actions of some demographic group.

6. [ ] Please be especially kind to other contributors when saying
   they made a mistake.

7. [ ] Likewise, be kind when pointing out to other contributors that
   they should stop using certain nonfree software.

8. [ ] Please respond to what people actually said, not to
   exaggerations of their views.

9. [ ] If in a discussion someone brings up a tangent to the topic at
   hand, please keep the discussion on track by focusing on the
   current topic rather than the tangent.

10. [ ] Rather than trying to have the last word, look for the times
    when there is no need to reply, perhaps because you already made
    the relevant point clear enough.

11. [ ] Please don't argue unceasingly for your preferred course of
    action when a decision for some other course has already been
    made.

12. [ ] If other participants complain about the way you express your
    ideas, please make an effort to cater to them.

13. [ ] Please don't raise unrelated political issues in GNU Project
    discussions, because they are off-topic.

Jean