Cancel Culture in IT: How Codes of Conduct Became Weapons
Cancel Culture is happening in major communities to developers and contributors, like the:
- Linux Kernel
- C++ Standard Committee
- Python
- NixOS
- openSUSE
- Godot
And the reasons? Completely absurd:
- Being Republican
- Liking an old SNL sketch
- Using the word “Question” in a technical paper title
- Suggesting to “focus on software”
I started noticing this trend before COVID, but it exploded during the pandemic.
It’s gone so far that we’ve renamed “master” to “main” 🤪 and banned terms like blacklist/whitelist.
So, what’s causing this Cancel Culture? Codes of Conduct (CoCs).
At first, CoCs sounded noble: promote kindness, avoid bullies.
But let’s be honest—the community already knew how to handle bullies.
Instead, CoCs added bureaucracy to systems that were already working.
Now, this bureaucracy is a weapon. Some individuals exploit it for power plays, targeting others unfairly.
People twisting the rules in the CoC to fit their agenda—even rewriting CoCs to justify their actions.
To make things worse, single anonymous complaints are enough to cause upheaval. Transparency is non-existent, making it easier for bad actors to manipulate the system.
How to defend against anonymous complaints? If I file a complaint, I stand by it. I don’t need anonymity!
And now, CoC boards are being created on top of CoC’s —self-appointed groups deciding who’s “good” or “bad”—silencing voices and shutting down dissent.
This isn’t progress. It’s power masquerading as virtue.
The solution?
- Remove CoCs and CoC boards.
- Strip them of their authority.
- Trust the community to act.
- Trust the legal system. It’s already in place.
What do you think about Code of Conducts?
