The higher-ups asked me, as the poll author, to comment. Personally I don't think my opinion has any special value amongst all the others. And besides, what can really be said that's new in what's become just "yet another" pointless thread on the internet where people of differing opinions degenerate into talking very impolitely to each other.

But I will note this: There is good news for Perl in this thread. And really, what's good for Perl is all that matters on here.

What's good for Perl here is that, apparently, the Perl "community" is a real community in the most real-world sense. A place where people may have some common interests (like the welfare of a neighbourhood or of a language), but where people also have many differences.

Perl benefits from the same broad spectrum of human thought and values as the real world. At one end you have people with an unenlightened, politically incorrect, sense of humour. At the other you have your shrill, humourless, agenda-driven flakes. And you have everything in-between.

That kind of diversity of thought is one of the cornerstones of the success of mankind. It would be a sad and terrible thing if certain forces ever succeeded in making everyone conform to one sanctioned form of moribund group-think or group-speak. Terrible for humanity, and terrible for Perl.

So - good news, recruiters. When you advertise for a Perl programmer, you will not be presented with a succession of homogenized Perl-bots. Your organization will be able to enrich itself with all the creative diversity of mankind, warts, offenses, and all.

Have at it kids.