Python: The Documentary [video]

Just to stymy the spread of misinformation - this is in reference to an interview from 2019 or 2020, where he said he would prioritize women/minorities for mentorship. While I personally don't agree with that notion (IMO mentorship should go to the most qualified person, regardless of race/background), I definitely didn't hear it as a refusal to help white men.

It is misinformation because it elides the context: white guys got virtually all the mentoring already, represented the absolute majority of core developers, held all the power in steering the language, etc.

So what he's saying is: my personal efforts focus on helping those that currently don't get help, don't have a voice. White man are doing fine already, they can forget getting direct help from me because they, as a group, don't need it.

So yeah, you can be upset that he's not offering to help those who, as a group, already have a path to getting into Python. Says a lot more about you though.

Twenty-year Python+ dev here that hasn’t worked in a year and a half. We all need help once in a while.

So, it's okay for someone to say, "I won't help <race> <gender>, they can forget it", as long as <race>="white" and <gender>="male"?

And how do you define mentoring? Clubs? Participation in class?

Is an Italian man's participation in an open-source project equal to an American's? A Russian's? Why, because they're 'white'?

Should a Swedish man then be barred from help?

Anyone's time is their own to decide how to spend it.

You seem to be trying to portray some kind of malicious intent by someone who in real life is a very nice and humble guy.

I'm literally reposting exactly what he said - how else should it be interpreted?