I rarely share links like the one I am about to cover, but there are some that are too good to pass up.
Case in point: Earlier this year, @rfunduk wrote an lengthy article on The Culture of Exclusion that’s begun to emerge around developer-centric conferences.
Specifically, he discusses the balance of consuming alcohol and learning to become better developers.
To level-set, straight from the introduction of the article:
It’s possible you don’t even realize what a big deal this is. Practically every single event, and a huge percentage of the online discussion about these events revolves around binge drinking.
Funduk proceeds to touch on:
- The Alcohol Critique
- Tweets from numerous conferences and programmers praising binge drinking over development
- How people seem to be more interested in “social fun” than “hacking.”
- Hangovers
- The Rise of the Brogrammer (my personal pet peeve)
- …and more
Now, to be clear, I enjoy a beer as much as the next guy, but if I’m going to pay money – and/or time – to attend a meetup or I’m going to attend a conference, I expect to walkaway more well-equipped and hopefully a bit smarter than when I arrived.
Sure, you can play the “to each his own” card here – and that’s fine – but the truth is that if you’re more concerned with getting together with a bunch of a fellow programmers and drinking, then throw a party or host a meetup specifically for that.
At the risk of sounding like an old man, the truth is that I agree with Ryan 100%.
But one thing I’m exceptionally proud of as it relates to the WordPress community is this:
I’ve been to numerous developer meet ups, user group meetings, and my team and I have hosted our own meetups. Not once have I experienced the problems outlined in Funduk’s post, though I’ve enjoyed discussing the platform over a couple of beers.
Glad to see that the WordPress community’s priorities are in order. Let’s keep it up.
I don’t think the WordPress community is free from the author’s points at all. Every WordCamp I have attended in the past two years had alcohol centered events (after-parties, speaker parties, etc), and more cargo short wearing Brogrammers than code-deployments.
I am not saying this to complain. I enjoy drinking a few beers while wearing a polo shirt and flip-flops too. I merely making the point that your “there is nothing to see here”/rose-colored glasses last sentence is bullshit.
Definitely didn’t mean to make that point! I just meant that in comparison to other developer meetups that I’ve seen – and opted to avoid – the scene’s priorities are backwards, IMHO.
Like I said – and like you – I’m totally up for sharing a few beers and talking WordPress, just like at last year’s WordCamp Atlanta, but I’ve not happened to have seen people being hungover the following day or sending out tweets like this in the WordPress community.
Then again, that’s just in my local community. Perhaps it varies.
Either way, it’s not so much rose colored glasses – I’m not naive – I just think that, for now at least, we’re not yet at the degree to which Funduk is discussing.
Oh! and +1 to “more cargo short wearing Brogrammers than code-deployments.”
Michael and I brogram over coffee. Why do you hate us some much
Because it’s brogramming. Le sigh.