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1. Embed this notice
   Bradley M. Kuhn (bkuhn@floss.social)'s status on Sunday, 20-Apr-2025 18:06:24 JST Bradley M. Kuhn

   Some say they're afraid to sign #OpenSource initiative Election Results petition…
   https://codeberg.org/OSI-Concerns/election-results-2025
   …they correctly say (paraphrased):
   > “you [bkuhn] faced — & will continue to face — political retribution from #OSI . You have privilege of notoriety to endure that; I don't.”

   Herein, I respond: that view assumes a zero-sum game that doesn't exist.

   Thesis: each person who signs has nominally less personal political risk *&* incrementally reduces risk for each past & future signer. HMO…

   • Alfred M. Szmidt repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Bradley M. Kuhn (bkuhn@floss.social)'s status on Sunday, 20-Apr-2025 18:06:52 JST Bradley M. Kuhn

     in reply to

     … disagreeing publicly w/ #OSI — who has a track record of seeking political retribution — is indeed risky!
     Petitions beautifully grant “safety in numbers”: widely signed petitions create “herd immunity” for signers; More signers yield more political safety for each signer.
     Petitions are also an easy, effective way for relatively “unknown” individuals to support famous activists. #OpenSource Initiative likely won't bother to seek political retribution against individuals they don't know well…

     Alfred M. Szmidt repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Bradley M. Kuhn (bkuhn@floss.social)'s status on Sunday, 20-Apr-2025 18:06:56 JST Bradley M. Kuhn

     in reply to

     … activists who are on Open Source initiative's radar have taken & will take more political hits for questioning this status quo & saying these emperors have no clothes. By signing the petition, every single individual in #OpenSource & #FreeSoftware communities can do a tiny bit to help those of us who face the constant onslaught in the political fray. I consider it my job to take the risk, but I ask you do something tiny to help make that work a bit easier.

     Thank you for your consideration.

   • Embed this notice
     Bradley M. Kuhn (bkuhn@floss.social)'s status on Tuesday, 22-Apr-2025 13:46:29 JST Bradley M. Kuhn

     in reply to

     Every petition signature helps, even if you're disliked by #OpenSource Initiative.

     It's now 49 sigs:
     https://codeberg.org/OSI-Concerns/election-results-2025

     Paraphrasing (& mixing metaphors of ) Arlo Guthrie's *Alice's Restaurant*:

     If 1 person signs, #OSI figures I'm a malcontent & won't seat me on the Board. If 2 people sign, they'll just seat neither of us.

     But if FIFTY PEOPLE walk up to OSI, sing a bar of Alice's Restaurant, sign the petition, & walk out, they'll think it's a Movement.

     Only 1 more sig 'til *A Movement*

   • Embed this notice
     ocdtrekkie (ocdtrekkie@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 22-Apr-2025 13:46:30 JST ocdtrekkie

     in reply to

     @bkuhn This sounds exactly what I'd expect from an organization which is funded mostly by Big Tech to protect their method of extracting free labor from the public.

     Happy to sign but also not sure my signature helps, at least a few OSI folks know what I think of their Amazon-based decisionmaking.

     Alfred M. Szmidt repeated this.