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If this is correct, it doesn’t seem very healthy. While quite possibly statistically likely, it doesn’t seem very healthy to make these assumptions for the pur
by xevb3k 8y ago
If this is correct, it doesn’t seem very healthy.
While quite possibly statistically likely, it doesn’t seem very healthy to make these assumptions for the purposes of a joke.
Might have been better to just say “a friend” rather than “wife” which makes a number of assumptions...
- tntn 8y agoMeh? Basically no one is as into the markings on the Saturn V first stage as this guy, so I don't see how assuming his wife (if he is married) wouldn't be super into it is offensive.
- xevb3k 8y agoIf you see a man on the Internet and think “this man must be married and his wife must not be interested in this because wives (women) are not interested in these things”... that’s pretty unhealthy. And making a joke about it, and it becoming a social norm is even more unhealthy. SV/the tech world at large clearly has issues with stereotypes and being inclusive. Why not avoid doing that and just say “friend” rather than making a lame stereotyped “my wife” type joke...
- dmix 8y agoThe joke was about imagining such an individual in a hypothetical scenario after the fact. It does not rely on having any direct accuracy to the individual in the article to get the point across, it's merely a character at that point.
- dmix 8y agoAlso if I had said 'partner' or 'friend' instead of 'wife' the comment would probably have been less humorous, as it plays on a cliche situation. I'd rather not live in a world where I'd have to neuter such a statement in the name of absolute correctness over common sense.
- xevb3k 8y agoThe cliche draws upon a stereotype. It’s not a great stereotype to perpetuate in my opinion. Better to just not make the joke than to perpetuate a stereotype.
- adrianN 8y agoHow healthy, in your opinion, is diagnosing the mental health of strangers on the Internet based on a single comment they made?
- xevb3k 8y agoMy intended meaning is that it leads to a unhealthy community... not that anybody has specific mental health issues.
- simonh 8y agoIMHO a healthy community is one where people can relax a little and post a mildly humorous comment, without it getting picked on and criticized in detail as though it was a serious social transgression and threat to the health of the community, leading to a wasteful thread arguing over a triviality.
- xevb3k 8y agoI didn’t think I was “picking” on anybody or making an overtly offensive comment. I’d honestly be interested in knowing why this joke is “ok” and why it wouldn’t be better not to make generic assumptions about someone’s sexuality, marital status, and the interests of their spouse... Yea, possibly doesn’t seem like a big issue to you. But if you’re a member of a minority the message it sends is “we just assume people are heterosexual, married, and wives/women are not interested in this stuff as a default”... If you really think this thread is wasteful arguing over a triviality then it’s probably better not to engage?
- simonh 8y agoIt wasn't making any assumptions, because it was a joke. It was clearly a fantasy, not to be taken seriously, and not representative of actual opinions or facts, but instead poking fun at and satirizing such stereotypes. That's why you're getting so many down votes. If someone satirizes a stereotype as being silly or ridiculous, it doesn't make sense to then accuse them of holding or promoting that stereotype.