DHH is an intelligent and successful person. DHH invented rails. And now I can get paid for writing Ruby even though I enjoy it.

So thanks DHH (sincerely).

But. There's a problem. DHH is Ruby famous. Which means that DHH is extremely visible. Some might say disproportionately visible in the ruby community.

Why is that a problem? Because DHH is the Fox News of Ruby.

He's noisy, he's reactionary, he's anti-intellectual. He's very sure that he is right. And he enjoys being rude. (Photo of his famous "fuck you" slide.) That was eight years ago, but things haven't changed much.

Just like Fox News, DHH appeals to common sense and makes a show of being "fair and balanced" but in reality his arguments use aggressive rhetoric and rely on a fix viewpoint.

To pick a topical example: Is TDD hard in Rails apps because TDD is dead or because Rails makes TDD hard? Is TDD not worth the effort because TDD is dead or because the complexity of software can be more managed more effectively if you only work on one product for which you control the requirements? If we only listen to DHH, then we'll never know. Because DHH is just one person. And he only has DHH's experiences.

All I'm saying is the Ruby community is large, and diverse, and thoughtful, and that is why I love it. Please listen to DHH. His experiences are valuable. But DHH does not speak for me, and he probably doesn't speak for you. My personal preference is for a bit less of this ("fuck you" slide) and a bit more of this (slide: "What others do may be the stimulus of our feelings, but never the cause.").

Please give DHH's opinions the weight they deserve: They are what one man thinks. And if you disagree with him: please speak up. Write a blog post, give a talk. Create a web framework. So that we can all learn what the world looks like to you.