My point had nothing to do with politics. This thread is about the need for a code of conduct. The post I'm replying to said they agreed with Peterson, who app

My point had nothing to do with politics. This thread is about the need for a code of conduct. The post I'm replying to said they agreed with Peterson, who apparently says that "We are not built on a hierarchy of patriarchy, but a hierarchy of competence". The implication is that a code of conduct is not necessary for open source software because it is a meritocracy. I'm explicitly and directly refuting this position by using a recent example - out of millions of potential examples - from actual history. An honest look at the world suggests that it is built neither on a hierarchy of competence nor a hierarchy of patriarchy, but rather, a hierarchy of privilege. It just so happens that white men - myself among them - are the most privileged. A code of conduct is necessary and good for technical projects because it reduces the ability of one person's privilege and bigotry to be used to subvert another person's merit.