ietf
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Internet organisations coordination meeting

2014-02-15 17:41:30
On Sat, Feb 15, 2014 at 4:19 PM, John C Klensin <john-ietf(_at_)jck(_dot_)com> 
wrote:



--On Sunday, February 16, 2014 09:19 +1300 Brian E Carpenter
<brian(_dot_)e(_dot_)carpenter(_at_)gmail(_dot_)com> wrote:

Thanks for the update.

I'd really like to push the idea that we stop using the word
"leaders" and start using "spokespeople".

It's something I should have realised many years ago; the
enormous scientific collaborations at CERN who used to be my
customers have used this terminology (or
spokesman/spokeswoman) for ever. It really is closer to what
we want to project about our community, isn't it?

Brian,

Yes.  The problem is that, while the RIR and ISOC CESs, and
maybe the ICANN one, have the authority and perhaps even a
mandate, to act as spokespeople.  The IAB and IETF Chairs have
no such authority: in the absence of rather specific inquiries
of the community and determination of consensus, they are not
supposed to "speak for", e.g., the IETF.


Leader is generally considered to be rather stronger than spokesperson. If
they are not spokespeople they are not leaders either. And in any case
leaders have to have followers.

There might be a cultural issue here. I note in the UK academic system it
would be utterly unthinkable for the Vice-Chancellor of any university to
wade into a public political debate and state the view of their university.
It would be even more unthinkable for them to do that without any
discussion with the faculty. But that happens all the time in the US system.

There is a reason all the 'top' jobs in the UK are irrelevant sinecures.
The university is run by the Vice-Chancellor, not the Chancellor, the
government is run by the Prime Minister, not the Queen and the Archbishop
of Canterbury is theoretically the number 3 in the CoE.


-- 
Website: http://hallambaker.com/