Jan Wildeboer 😷
So we slowly start to see the mechanisms the US under Trump is establishing to silence and destroy critics or people they deem to be their enemy. From travel bans (Breton, von Hodenberg) to complete isolation from using US American software, banking and payment networks (ICJ/ICC judges and prosecutors). I will continue to untangle my digital life towards personal digital sovereignty. That's also why I am primarily on the Fediverse, by the way.
Also — if you are organising an international conference and still plan for that to take place in the US, think again. You are putting your international audience at risk. Not just Trump critics, also transgender people, non-white people and more groups.
Bilal Barakat 🍉I agree, but one problem is that when it is outside of the US, then marginalised groups from within the US cannot attend, because they risk not being allowed back in. So it may effectively amount to a choice/hard split between US and non-US audiences.
For a truly international conference, that would be a morally easy choice in theory. But in some fields, such as international education, what is theoretically the main annual US event is the de facto main global event. So the decision becomes much murkier for the nominally US organisers to effectively exclude marginalised US participants by locating it outside... Btw. I'm on the losing side of that, so I'm not arguing "it's complicated” in a self-serving way, just recognising the dilemma.
JustME@bifouba @jwildeboer a remote, fully virtual conference solves this issue and is better for the environment
Corvus@justmegi @bifouba @jwildeboer
I agree! During 2020-2021 I was able to 'attend' many conferences otherwise inaccessible to me.
I concede that meeting with people in person, including opportunities to share meals and socialize are meaningful and enriching. Yet the connections I made in online conferences with people and ideas were also important and meaningful.
For someone who, for various reasons, travels infrequently and relatively close to home, fully virtual conferences are a net benefit.
oatmeal@justmegi @jwildeboer I completely agree and, in fact, personally prefer it. Regardless I will definitely not travel to the US, even though I was avoiding it even before.