[Lingtyp] ALT: code of conduct

Wed Nov 22 06:24:18 UTC 2017

Dear all,

I would like to add my agreement to the recent posts in support of the Code of Conduct (which I have already voted yes for).  As others have said much better than me, an important role that a Code of Conduct plays is that it allows us as an Association to send a message of support and inclusion to junior and less privileged members of our ranks and to convey the expectations we have of our members and their behaviour.  I agree with those who have pointed out that we are generally a very collegial and well-meaning group, and so it is unlikely that the harsher elements of the policy will ever need to be called upon. I think it would be better for us to focus our attentions on the people who need our support and assurance, and trust in the Executive (who we elect ourselves) to handle matters fairly and appropriately and to act sensibly should an extreme case ever arise.

Cheers,

Rachel
--
Assoc Prof Rachel Nordlinger FAHA
Director, Research Unit for Indigenous Language
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language
School of Languages and Linguistics
University of Melbourne
VIC 3010, Australia

From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>> on behalf of Kilu von Prince <watasenia at gmail.com<mailto:watasenia at gmail.com>>
Date: Wednesday, 22 November 2017 4:42 pm
To: "<LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG<mailto:LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>>" <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>>
Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] ALT: code of conduct

Dear all,

just weighing in very briefly. I am very happy to be a member of this community and have benefitted greatly from less heated and less politicised discussions. Having said that, I just wanted to add: Many people have never felt safe at a conference because of their skin color, cultural background, disability, gender, sexual orientation and similar aspects of identity as it says in the proposed code.

If you have felt safe and at home so far, that is your privilege. And yes, agreeing to a Code of Conduct might mean giving up some of that privilege and taking a leap of faith that it will be handled responsibly. There have been productive discussions about what exactly a CoC should look like and some good results, but there is never going to be a completely fool-proof version. I would like to ask us, who have been enjoying considerable privilege (first person plural inclusive), to take a leap of faith, so that everyone can enjoy a certain level of comfort and safety.

Best,
Kilu

On Wed, Nov 22, 2017 at 3:02 AM, Dan I. SLOBIN <slobin at berkeley.edu<mailto:slobin at berkeley.edu>> wrote:
Nice.  I would sign that too.

Dan

On Mon, Nov 20, 2017 at 11:13 PM, Giorgio Francesco Arcodia <giorgio.arcodia at unimib.it<mailto:giorgio.arcodia at unimib.it>> wrote:
In reply to Hedvig: Martin H. actually did propose an alternative, I'll paste it here:

Conference participants will:

  *   treat fellow participants, students, volunteers, and any other members of the public with respect, dignity, impartiality, courtesy and sensitivity;
  *   maintain a cooperative and collaborative approach to inter-personal relationships;
  *   respect the privacy of others;
  *   ensure that they do not become involved in or encourage discrimination against or harassment of participants, students, volunteers, or any other members of the public.

I think this is a very reasonable proposal, and I would support it.

Best,

Giorgio

On 21 Nov 2017 01:48, "Maia Ponsonnet" <maia.ponsonnet at uwa.edu.au<mailto:maia.ponsonnet at uwa.edu.au>> wrote:

Dear all,

I am writing to rectify the gender imbalance on this list, where most conversations including this one seem to be male dominated ;-).

I am a woman and those of you who know me (even just as FB friends for that matter) know that I care and am vocal about gender (im)balance.

This is precisely why myself and my colleague Gwen Hyslop, who I am just discussing the matter with, are voting NO to the code of conduct.

While we agree that there is a need for awareness, the "trend" imposed by such actions can only, in our opinion, be detrimental to interpersonal relationships and to gender balance in particular.

The reasons are multiple and complex, and I am not prepared to discuss them on this list. I will be happy to discuss them in private (and preferably face to face) if appropriate.

With best regards,

Maïa & Gwen

Dr Maïa Ponsonnet
Senior Lecturer in Linguistics
ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Fellow

Social Sciences Building, Room 2.47
Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Hwy, Perth, WA (6009), Australia
P.  +61 (0) 8 6488 2870<tel:+61%208%206488%202870> - M.  +61 (0) 468 571 030<tel:+61%20468%20571%20030>

________________________________
From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>> on behalf of David Gil <gil at shh.mpg.de<mailto:gil at shh.mpg.de>>
Sent: Tuesday, 21 November 2017 8:34 AM

To: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] ALT: code of conduct

Having said my bit I was hoping not to have to add to the discussion,
but I feel the need to counter two lines of rhetoric that seem to have
emerged.  (I do so without offering actual citations because I think it
is important to maintain a civilized conversation devoid of ad hominem
remarks.)

First, I am uncomfortable with the implication that there is a job to be
done and that this is somehow being "derailed" by too much discussion.
The debate is precisely on what should be done, what is ethical and what
is practical.  If we're to invoke train metaphors, then I would counter
by saying that we must avoid being railroaded into one very specific way
of going about addressing the problem. Which leads into ...

Secondly, and perhaps more cogently, I am very uncomfortable with the
implication that people who support the code of ethics somehow take the
issues more seriously than those who are opposed to it. I suspect most
ALT members would agree that we are in a gender-based conflict involving
multiple levels of aggression, coercion and violence, mostly if not
exclusively waged by men against women. And that we desperately need to
do something about it.  The debate is over the methods, and it is a
legitimate debate.  Just is it is possible to argue over the
justification of the WWII carpet bombing of Dresden without being
accused of harbouring Nazi sympathies, so it should be possible to
criticize the proposed ALT code of ethics without being suspected of
lacking sympathy or understanding for the struggles that are faced by women.

David

--
David Gil

Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany

Email: gil at shh.mpg.de<mailto:gil at shh.mpg.de>
Office Phone (Germany): +49-3641686834<tel:+49%203641%20686834>
Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-81281162816<tel:+62%20812-8116-2816>

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<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Dan I. Slobin

Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Linguistics

University of California, Berkeley

email: slobin at berkeley.edu<mailto:slobin at berkeley.edu>

address: 2323 Rose St., Berkeley, CA 94708

http://ihd.berkeley.edu/members.htm#slobin<http://ihd.berkeley.edu/members.htm#slobin>

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