The PostgreSQL user group in Moscow is currently conducting their first-ever PostgreSQL-themed conference, which has been a tremendous success. Unfortunately, the venue booked by the conference chose to include inappropriate dancers as part of their entertaiment package. The conference organizers and the Russian PostgreSQL community were not aware of the nature of the entertainment supplied ahead of time.
The PostgreSQL Core Team believes there is no place for inappropriate or discriminatory behaviour at PostgreSQL conferences and tries to ensure that all our conferences are suitable for anyone to attend. As PostgreSQL is an Open Source project with volunteer contributors and a federated organizational structure, we do not have supervisory control over how individual conferences are organized, which means that sometimes they do not benefit from general community experience.
The Russian conference organizers are expected to comment on this unforseen incident once the conference is concluded. The international community will be working with them to make sure that this mistake is not repeated.
Josh Berkus
On Behalf of the PostgreSQL Core Team
and the PostgreSQL Global Development Project
Isn't this kind of thing almost expected in Russia? ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's pretty "normal" for tech conferences in Moscow to have underdressed women as both booth babes and entertainment. It's not that different from the USA, circa 1985. That's how they could make the mistake in the first place: they just booked "musical entertainment".
DeleteHowever, just because it's common there doesn't mean we need to have it at PostgreSQL conferences.
No, it's not expected.
DeleteActually, come to think of it, I went to a technical conference in the USA in *2006* which had exotic dancers (conference for one of Sun's sales partners). So us Americans aren't really in a position to point fingers at the Russians.
DeleteIt is OK for Russian IT events, keep calm and carry on.
ReplyDeleteDamm, I wish I'd attended now!
ReplyDeleteNot funny, Gary.
DeleteAnd here's the apology from the organizers: http://www.postgresql.org/message-id/86y4oa6u4o.wl-slynko@pgtech.ru
ReplyDeletePolitical correctness is overrated... :o)
ReplyDeleteIt's not about "political correctness". It's about creating a good event for *all* PostgreSQL contributors instead of just some of them. Which is what the Russian organizers *wanted* to do.
Delete