commit: f8546de0a06f8b590fe81cd2f7d1cea62f43efc8 parent 82c958a21c0ece6d7c733c46434caa55cb6489e7 Author: Drew DeVault <sir@cmpwn.com> Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2023 12:15:01 +0200 Hyprland toxicityDiffstat:
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1 file changed, 156 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)diff --git a/content/blog/Hyprland-toxicity.md b/content/blog/Hyprland-toxicity.md@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@ +--- +title: Hyprland is a toxic community +date: 2023-09-17 +--- + +[Hyprland][0] is an open source Wayland compositor based on [wlroots][1], a +project I started back in 2017 to make it easier to build good Wayland +compositors. It's a project which is loved by its users for its emphasis on +customization and "eye candy" -- beautiful graphics and animations, each +configuration tailored to the unique look and feel imagined by the user who +creates it. It's a very exciting project! + +[0]: https://hyprland.org/ +[1]: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/wlroots/wlroots + +Unfortunately, the effect is spoilt by an incredibly toxic and hateful +community. I cannot recommend Hyprland to anyone who is not prepared to steer +well clear of its community spaces. Imagine a high school boys' locker room come +to life on Discord and GitHub and you'll get an idea of what it's like. + +I became aware of the issues with Hyprland's community after details of numerous +hateful incidents on their Discord came to my attention by way of the +grapevine. Most of them stem from the community's tolerance of hate: community +members are allowed to express hateful views with impunity, up to and including +astonishing views such as endorsements of eugenics and calls for hate-motivated +violence. Such comments are treated as another act in the one big inside joke +that is the Hyprland community -- the community prefers not to take itself "too +seriously". Hate is moderated only if it is "disruptive" (e.g. presents as +spam), but hate presented with a veneer of decorum (or sarcasm) is tolerated, +and when challenged, it's laughed off as a joke. + +In one particular incident, the moderators of the Discord server engaged in a +harassment campaign against a transgender user, including using their moderator +privileges to edit the pronouns in their username from "they/she" to +"who/cares". These roles should be held by trusted community leaders, and it's +from their behavior that the community's culture and norms stem -- they set an +example for their the community and define what behaviors are acceptable or +expected. The problem comes from the top down. + +Someone recently pitched a code of conduct -- something that this project sorely +needs -- in a [GitHub issue][2]. This thread does not have much overt hate, but +it does clearly show how callous and just plain *mean* the community is, +including its leadership (Vaxerski is the original author of Hyprland). +Everything is a joke and anyone who wants to be "serious" about anything is +mercilessly bullied and made fun of. Quoting this discussion: + +[2]: https://web.archive.org/web/20230917015135/https://github.com/hyprwm/Hyprland/issues/3209 + +> I think [a Code of Conduct] is pretty discriminatory towards people that +> prefer a close, hostile, homogeneous, exclusive, and unhealthy community. + +> First of all, why would I pledge to uphold any values? Seems like just +> inconveniencing myself. [...] If I'd want to moderate, I'd spend 90% of the +> time reading kids arguing about bullshit instead of coding. + +> If you don't know how to behave without a wall of text explaining how to +> behave online then you shouldn't be online. + +I am not someone who believes all projects need a code of conduct, *if* there +exists a reasonable standard of conduct in its absence -- and that means having +a community that does not bully and harass others for expressing differing +points of view, let alone for simply having a marginalized identity. + +I would have preferred to address these matters in private, so I reached out to +Vaxry in February. He responded with a lack of critical awareness over how +toxicity presents in his community. However, following my email, he put out a +poll for the Discord community to see if the community members experienced +harassment in the community -- apparently 40% of respondents reported such +experiences. Vaxry et al implemented new moderation policies as a result. But +these changes did not seem to work: the problems are still present, and the +community is still a toxic place that facilitates bullying and hate, including +from the community leaders. + +Following my email conversation with Vaxry, he appeared on [a podcast][3] to +discuss toxicity in the Hyprland community. This quote from the interview +clearly illustrates the attitude of the leadership: + +[3]: https://invidious.mnus.de/watch?v=nskemNa_Kn4 + +> [A trans person] joined the Discord server and made a big deal out of their +> pronouns [..] because they put their pronouns in their nickname and made a big +> deal out of them because people were referring to them as "he" [misgendering +> them], which, on the Internet, let's be real, is the default. And so, one +> of the moderators changed the pronouns in their nickname to "who/cares". [...] +> Let's be real, this isn't like, calling someone the N-word or something. + +Later he describes a more moderated community (the /r/unixporn discord server) +as having an environment in which everyone is going to "lick your butthole just +to be nice". He compared himself to [Terry Davis][4], the late operating system +developer whose struggles with mental illness were broadcast for the world to +see, citing a video in which he answers a phone call and refers to the person on +the phone by the N-word "ten times" -- Vaxry compares this to his approach to +answering "stupid questions". + +[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_A._Davis + +It really disappoints me to see such an exciting project brought low by a +horribly mismanaged community of hate and bullying. Part of what makes open +source software great is that it's great for everyone. It's unfortunate that +someone can discover this cool project, install it and play with it and get +excited about it, then join the community to find themselves at the wrong end of +this behavior. No one deserves that. + +I empathise with Vaxry. I remember being young, smart, productive... and mean. I +did some cool stuff, but I deeply regret the way I treated people. It wasn't +really my fault -- I was a product of my environment -- but it was my +responsibility. Today, I'm proud to have built many welcoming communities, where +people are rewarded for their involvement, rather than coming away from their +experience hurt. What motivates us to build and give away free software if not +bringing joy to ourselves and others? Can we be proud of a community which +brings more suffering into the world? + +**My advice to the leadership** begins with taking a serious look in the mirror. +This project needs a "come to Jesus" moment. Ask yourself what kind of community +you can be proud of -- can you be proud of a community that people walk away +from feeling dejected and hurt? Yours is not a community that brings people joy. +What are you going to do about it? + +A good start will be to consider the code of conduct proposal seriously, but a +change of attitude is also required. [My inbox][mail] is open to any of the +leaders in this project (or any other project facing similar problems) if you +want to talk. I'm happy to chat with you in good faith and help you understand +what's needed and why it's important. + +[mail]: mailto:sir@cmpwn.com + +To members of the **Hyprland community**, I want each of you to personally step +up to make the community better. If you see hate and bullying, don't stay +silent. This is a community which proclaims to value radical free speech: test +it by using your speech to argue against hate. Participate in the community as +you think it should be, not as it necessarily is, and change will follow. If you +are sensitive to hate, or a member of a marginalized group, however, I would +just advise steering clear of Hyprland until the community improves. + +If the leadership fails to account for these problems, it will be up to the +community to take their activity elsewhere. You could set up adjacent +communities which are less toxic, or fork the software, or simply choose to use +something else. + +To the **victims of harassment**, I offer my sincere condolences. I know how +hard it is to be the subject of this kind of bullying. You don't deserve to be +treated like this. There are many places in the free software community where +you are welcome and celebrated -- Hyprland is *not* the norm. If you need +support, I'm [always available][mail] to listen to your struggles. + +To everyone else: please share this post throughout the Hyprland community and +adjacent communities. This is a serious problem and it's not going to change +unless its clearly brought to light. The Hyprland maintainers need to be made +aware that the broader open source community does not appreciate this kind of +behavior. + +I sincerely hope that this project improves its community. A serious attitude +shift is needed from the top-down, and I hope for the sake of Vaxry, the other +leaders, and the community as a whole, that such change comes sooner rather than +later. When Vaxry is older and wiser, I want him to look back on the project and +community that he's built with pride and joy, not with regret and shame.