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Re: IETF 72 --> Dublin!

2008-02-06 12:31:01

  Hi Edward,

On Wed, February 6, 2008 10:29 am, Edward Lewis wrote:
At 8:37 -0800 2/6/08, $someone wrote:

The descriptions of the venue make clear that, once again, the IETF is
meeting
in a ghetto.  Periodic bus service doesn't counteract that.

I really have a hard time being sympathetic to this complaint.  If
the purpose of the IETF is open discussion and cross-pollination,
what does it matter where we are so long as there's comfortable
access to the expertise needed?  Is there an unwritten requirement
that IETFs are placed to afford us sightseeing?  To afford us access
to restaurants?

  Think about why a beer in a bar in a city center costs 1/4 the price
of a beer in the airport of that same city-- captive audience, it's not
like you can go anywhere else.

  Now, this IETF is at a premier golf resort, 15km outside of city
center. That means we'll be a captive audience and we will all eat at
the hotel restaurant day in and day out and most likely pay far more
than we should.

  The issue isn't about sightseeing, although that's always nice, it's
about forcing people to choose between the same overpriced food you ate
for the past two days and possibly missing a session (so you can go out
and get a reasonable meal at a reasonable price).

[snip]
Calling any venue that I have ever been in for any kind of a
conference "a ghetto" is quite an insult to folks that do live in
"ghettos" or other unfortunate places that I have seen.  I don't know
if it is true now, but as of a few years ago, the IETF had never
ventured to a country or economy where the expected life span of a
person was below the global mean/average.  Other conferences do
regularly, "even ICANN."  That's where you can see a ghetto - on the
way from the airport to the 5-star hotel.

  Please. A ghetto is a homogeneous region for some sort of homogeneity.
That could be ethnic but "ghetto" is not necessarily some slur against
poor people or people of some ethnic background. In this case the ghetto
is going to be golfers, most likely affluent ones, in their plus-fours
and some plaid nightmare of an outfit.

  We've already lost the word "niggardly" and the phrase "chocolate
soldier", neither of which have ethnic or racial connotation, to
political correctness. Let's not toss out "ghetto" too.

  Dan.



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