[Tweeters] Inclusion in Birding

[Carmelo Quetell via Tweeters]

Roger,

I'm not 100% sure what your intention was when you sent this response to Aadu's message. However, it is an operant example of being tone deaf. At this point, several people on this listserv who oppose the AOS name changes have stated they don't understand why it's important (because they're only looking at it through the lens of their own personal experience).

Despite it not being Aadu's responsibility to explain it for (or justify it to) others, they have taken the time to do so, along with naming the impact it has had on them. Replying in this way is not helpful. Regardless of what your intention was when you clicked send, it reads as dismissive of Aadu's message, while at the same time driving their point home even more.

-Carmelo



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________________________________
From: Tweeters <tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf of Roger Craik via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2024 2:22 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Inclusion in Birding

All

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln

You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time.

Sounds to me like there's going to be a lot of displeased people along with a ton of people who don't really care for what ever reason. So just how many people are going to be really pleased by this exercise in inclusivity and respectfulness? At least until they have to run out and buy new birding books.

Roger Craik
Maple Ridge BC


On 2024-06-26 2:46 p.m., Aadu Prakash via Tweeters wrote:

Hi Tweeters community,

Longtime lurker, but felt the need to write in. I'm a 31 y.o Indian American who has been birding for 25 years. Throughout my life, I've met many wonderful people who have welcomed me into the world of birding/ornithology. But on the flipside, I have often felt like the odd one out in many of the communities I participated in.

It's disappointing that the discourse around changing eponymous bird names is being shut down. Almost like we're being told to "shut up and bird". I applaud folks like Steve and Carmelo who bring up reasons why this is an important initiative, and how it can lead to more diversity and inclusion in the birding world.

Many underrepresented groups are faced with the task of "terraforming" the communities they engage with. They have to put in serious work to make these communities "habitable" for them. But through censorship and lack of support from leadership, they often burnout and disappear into the background (or leave the group altogether).


>From Carmelo's Op-Ed:


"Human beings at the AOS have committed their time, money, and resources toward this endeavor for the last several years. They’ve clearly stated an intention to actively involve the public in the process of selecting new bird names, as well as including a diverse representation of individuals with expertise in the social sciences, communications, ornithology, and taxonomy."

 These people are actively trying to "terraform" our birding community in a way that is inclusive and respectful to us all. They should be supported, not shot down. Otherwise things will largely stay the same.

I plan on unsubscribing from Tweeters and hope that the work is put into making this a more inclusive community that can attract AND retain folks from underrepresented communities.

Best,
Aadithya (Aadu) Prakash

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