The entire field of software engineering has plenty of depth without requiring you to be the person actually writing and reading the code. The author falsely conflates reading and writing the code to be the same as understanding the structure and design and architecture of the system. These two things aren't the same and never were.
Gatekeeping is a good thing. It's how communities stay healthy and vibrant. Gatekeeping means that when someone shows up to your birdwatching club and says "I hate going outdoors, can we just look at photos of birds from the Internet?", you politely but firmly say "sorry, this isn't the club for you". If you don't do this, then soon enough your club won't be about birdwatching at all, but will be about looking at pictures on the Internet. Same goes for any other community or subculture: it is perfectly okay to say "we aren't changing our standards, and this activity may not be for you".
Of course gatekeeping can also be toxic. But anything can be toxic if applied too much. You can die from water poisoning, that doesn't mean water is bad. It means you need to not overdo it. I've seen what a lack of gatekeeping has done to many communities I used to enjoy (including programming), and I think it's high time we did more gatekeeping. We don't want to overdo it, but right now we are doing far too little and that needs to change.
> If you read Carl Hoffman's book Savage Heart you see that the tribe that are suspected to have eaten Michael Rockefeller probably gave up cannibalism for good not long afterward (i.e. the early 60s).
I lived in Igam Barracks in Lae for 2 years when my father was posted there from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). His name is William Fiedler.
The trappings of colonialism were still all around when we stayed there in the mid 80s.
We had a house Mary who came over from a nearby village and worked for us, Mrs C. There was a hut behind each house for the house Mary or house man. Pidgin English was spoken. Betel nut stains covered the sidewalks in Lae.
Still it was an incredible experience for a 10 year old I'd like to go back one day, but it's unlikely I'll ever get the chance.
Why is it unlikely? Seems like quite the adventure to pursue at some point in your life as a small goal. You should pursue it before your body decides for you.
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