Part of this issue is that many people just cannot (don’t) see themselves as getting involved in Amateur Radio. They go to a club meeting (back when we did in person meetings) and they see mostly old guys, many espousing crude, conservative views, whose only activity is contesting and DXing on HF. …
Part of this issue is that many people just cannot (don’t) see themselves as getting involved in Amateur Radio. They go to a club meeting (back when we did in person meetings) and they see mostly old guys, many espousing crude, conservative views, whose only activity is contesting and DXing on HF. Youth, especially don’t see themselves in Amateur Radio. Nor do females, those with progressive views, LGBTQ, those who are using other types of radio (FRS, GMRS, MURS, CB…), those who want to use Amateur Radio as an enabling technology, and those that have modest budgets. Especially folks that are new to Amateur Radio and need help to figure things out in Amateur Radio - mentoring (which Amateur Radio has mangled, for far too long, as “Elmering”).
Bringing politics into Amateur Radio, no matter how well intentioned, is going to lead to unnecessary conflict. Politics need to stay out in the parking lot. Efforts to get those whose politics consist of "crude, conservative views" to change, even for the sake of a hobby they love, will meet with as little success as attempts to get progressives etc. to change theirs in order to benefit the hobby, and will simply cause strife where none is needed.
Bill - I agree that politics should be left in the parking lot instead of being brought into the meeting, but in my observations, the behavior I described in the article IS too often the reality. One accommodation that can be made is to adopt a Code of Conduct that details what the organization considers unacceptable behaviors and provide mechanisms for removal of those who are unwilling to abide by the Code of Conduct.
I feel a need to address this paragraph:
Part of this issue is that many people just cannot (don’t) see themselves as getting involved in Amateur Radio. They go to a club meeting (back when we did in person meetings) and they see mostly old guys, many espousing crude, conservative views, whose only activity is contesting and DXing on HF. Youth, especially don’t see themselves in Amateur Radio. Nor do females, those with progressive views, LGBTQ, those who are using other types of radio (FRS, GMRS, MURS, CB…), those who want to use Amateur Radio as an enabling technology, and those that have modest budgets. Especially folks that are new to Amateur Radio and need help to figure things out in Amateur Radio - mentoring (which Amateur Radio has mangled, for far too long, as “Elmering”).
Bringing politics into Amateur Radio, no matter how well intentioned, is going to lead to unnecessary conflict. Politics need to stay out in the parking lot. Efforts to get those whose politics consist of "crude, conservative views" to change, even for the sake of a hobby they love, will meet with as little success as attempts to get progressives etc. to change theirs in order to benefit the hobby, and will simply cause strife where none is needed.
Bill - I agree that politics should be left in the parking lot instead of being brought into the meeting, but in my observations, the behavior I described in the article IS too often the reality. One accommodation that can be made is to adopt a Code of Conduct that details what the organization considers unacceptable behaviors and provide mechanisms for removal of those who are unwilling to abide by the Code of Conduct.