Not Funny

What?

Today’s “joke” from the PSF about PyCon Havana was not funny, and, speaking as a PSF Fellow, I do not endorse it.

What’s Not Funny?

Honestly I’m not sure where I could find a punch-line in this. I just don’t see much there.

But if I look for something that’s supposed to be “funny”, here’s what I see:

1. Cuba is a backward country without sufficient technology to host a technical conference, and it is absurd and therefore “funny” that we could hold PyCon there.
2. We are talking about PyCon US; despite the recent thaw in relations, decades of hostility that have torn families apart make it “funny” that US citizens would go to Cuba for a conference.

These things aren’t funny.

Some Non-Reasons I’m Writing This

A common objection when someone speaks up about a subject like this is that it’s “just a joke”. That anyone speaking up and saying that offensive things aren’t funny somehow dislikes the very concept of humor. I don’t know why people think that, but I guess I need to make it clear: I am not an enemy of joy. That is not why I’m saying something.

I’m also not Cuban, I have no Cuban relatives, and until this incident I didn’t even know I had friends of Cuban extraction, so I am not personally insulted by this. That means another common objection will crop up: some will ask if I’m just looking for an excuse to get offended, to write about taking offense and get attention for it.

So let me assure you, that personally, this is not the kind of attention that I want. I really didn’t want to write this post. It’s awkward. I really don’t want to be having these types of conversations. I want to get attention for the software I write, not for my opinions about tacky blog posts.

Why, Then?

I might not know many Cuban python programmers personally, but I’d love to meet some. I’d love to meet anyone who cares about programming. Meeting diverse people from all over the world and working with them on code has been one of the great joys of my life. I love the fact that the Python community facilitates that and tries hard to reach out to people and to make them feel welcome.

I am writing this because I know that, somewhere out there, there’s a Cuban programmer, or a kid who will grow up to be one, who might see that blog post, and think that the Python community, or the software industry, thinks that they’re a throw-away punch line. I want them to know that I don’t think they’re a punch line. I want them to know that the python community doesn’t think they’re a punch line. I want them to know that they are not a punch line, and I want them to pursue their interest in programming exactly as far as it takes them and not push them away.

These people are real, they are listening, and if you tell me to just “lighten up” you are saying that your enjoyment of a joke is more important than their membership in our community.

It’s Not Just Me

The PSF is paying attention. The chairman of the PSF has acknowledged the problematic nature of the “joke”. Several of my friends in the Python community spoke up before I did (here, here, here, here, here, here, here), and I am very grateful for their taking the community to task and keeping us true to ideals of inclusiveness and empathy.

That doesn’t excuse the public statement, made using official channels, which was in very poor taste. I am also very disappointed in certain people within the PSF¹ who seem intent on doubling down on this mistake rather than trying to do something to correct it.