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I’m not kidding, ICANN is flirting with banning jokes
ICANN has come a long way since 2005 or thereabouts, when, at a public meeting, I made deputy general counsel Dan Halloran laugh so hard he vomited out of his nose.
Now, the increasingly po-faced Org has crawled so far up its own arse that it’s openly talking about banning — or at the very least discouraging — humor and lightheartedness during its thrice-annual get-togethers.
Ombudsman Herb Waye today blogged up his traditional pre-meeting reminder about the Expected Standards of Behavior, ahead of this month’s ICANN 72 AGM, which is taking place virtually.
There’s nothing wrong with this — the ESOB is merely a form of institutionalized politeness — but it’s being embellished this time around with a warning not to joke around in the Zoom chat rooms.
Waye wrote:
the intention of a comment can be difficult to ascertain without the benefit of vocal tone and body language. What was intended as a joke or light-hearted observation online to a group can unintentionally make the subject of the comment feel unfairly targeted.
I consulted with the ICANN community and organization (org) leadership for thoughts on how to promote a respectful virtual environment while also supporting the spirit of open dialogue that drives ICANN. I am grateful for their input. To ensure our Zoom sessions are engaging, inclusive, and productive, please remember these tips:
- To avoid confusion and to respect the session’s planned agenda, please keep your interventions in the public chat on the topic that is being discussed.
- Use private messages for off-topic comments.
- Before commenting or adding a joke, please remember the cultural diversity of the ICANN community and consider how your comment could be perceived.
Remember, ICANN meetings are designed to be soul-crushingly dull, and attended only by sensitive North American children, so let’s keep them that way.
This is what happens when you give the left an inch—they’ll take the darn mile. You can’t joke about anything around anyone anymore as there’s likely a victim in your joke, and if not, it’s rooted in racism.
I’m kind of surprised that they did away with jokes before implementing jazz hands. Have I spoken too soon though?
Snowflake industry?
Jokes put them at risk of uncontrollably blowing out their buttplugs.
They call this “cancel culture.” Jokes, too?
Ready for the next step, Kevin?
Starts at 0:19 second mark; 3 min 15 secs long.
Copied and pasted for you to start from there:
https://youtu.be/EsGY4dwaN6A?t=19
Embrace the future, Kevin!
Samer
Brings up an interesting philosophical question – Can you ban jokes… when so many consider you to be one?
Well played, Brad. Well played.