I am going to make a simple declaration:
Politics & Technology should not mix.
- Computer Software and Hardware companies should not engage in heavily political activities (or take political sides... or make any decisions based on politics).
- Technology Publications (including magazines, blogs, video creators, podcasters, etc.) should stay clear of politics within their Tech Publications.
- Everyone -- of all political persuasions -- should be welcome within Tech projects (such as Open Source software communities, etc.). Because politics don't need to be discussed with software.
While there may be rare, isolated cases, where combining Technology and Politics can make sense... by and large, it is a terrible idea. That tends to have terrible results (including alienated users, alienated developers, lost friendships, worse software, and more).
But! But! Software is political!!!11
I know many people will object to my statements above. They would say that all software is, inherently, political. They would say:
- That political considerations need to be made when designing software.
- That people with the "wrong politics" should not be allowed within some Tech communities for one reason or another.
- That some ideas (such as "Free Software" or "Open Source") are, by design, political.
I would respond to that quite simply: Hogwash and balderdash.
On the one hand: Yes. It is true that -- if you tilt your head and squint your eyes just right -- anything can be political. Cars, food, even computer software. It can all become fodder in one political fight or another.
But computers are not, by themselves, political. They are computers.
Is a calculator political? Is a text editor political? No. Obviously not.
We, as nerds, should celebrate our love of Tech
Hypothetical situation (that actually comes up every day, in one variation or another):
Person A belongs to Political Party 1... and loves old computers.
Person B belongs to Political Party 2... and loves old computers.
There are, as I see it, two obvious options:
- Persons A & B can avoid (or fight) each other because they belong to different political parties.
- Persons A & B can go grab some lunch, and enjoy an awesome conversation about their mutual love of the Commodore 64.
There is, in my view, one correct answer. And I'm not simply choosing option 2 because I'm a bit hungry right now and could really go for a burger.
This same line of thinking applies not just to relationships between individuals... but to how Tech projects and communities are run. If we focus on what unites us... we all get to have a lot more fun.
There have been multiple examples, recently, where software projects and companies have actively discrimated against people based on political stances outside of their software project. These projects have inserted political fighting into a Tech project... and everyone (all of the people, and the project itself) suffers because of it.
That doesn't mean you can't be political
While I strongly believe that we should endeavor to keep politics out of our Technology... I also believe that people should be free to speak their mind about their politics, in other places, without fear of that impacting their "Technology spaces".
For example:
- I run a Tech publication. I keep politics as far away from that Tech publication as possible.
- Because I also like to talk about political topics... I created a second -- completely separate -- publication to talk about all of the political-y stuff that I find interesting. That gives me a chance to express my political ideas (to get things off my chest, so to speak... and to talk with others interested in my politics) without the Politics invading the pure Tech.
I have my own politics. And I make no secret about them. I am not ashamed of my political ideals, and I don't make any effort to hide them.
But if people don't agree with my politics... it's super easy to completely ignore my political ramblings. You'll not see them within the pages of my Tech publication.
In short -- Politics and Tech. Kept separate.
On that same note:
There are many members of the community of my Tech Publication that have strongly differing political views than my own. Some of them are even quite vocal (outside of the Tech publication) about those political beliefs.
And, you know what? That is 100% ok! In fact... it's kinda great! We all leave our politics out of the Tech... and we happily grab a burger and talk about computers!
The nerdiness binds us together
We bond over our common, nerdy passions. We are friends. We enjoy each other's company.
Maybe we agree politically.
Maybe we disagree.
Heck. Maybe we disagree... a lot.
But that doesn't matter.
Because we're nerds. We're building Tech and talking Tech. Happy, joyful, nerdy Tech.
And that is worth preserving. No matter how much we may disagree with each other about who we vote for.
