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I am in Scotland. What did you ask. Was it something like "Do you think it might put girls off computing to know for years the main picture used for image proc

I am in Scotland. What did you ask. Was it something like "Do you think it might put girls off computing to know for years the main picture used for image processing was a cropped picture from Playboy" (I don't mind you asking a different question, but I'm curious what you asked). Yes, the image "as is" is fine, but people in the area know where it comes from, and what it is used for.

iforgotpassword 6y ago
I asked whether it should be controversial or sexist to use this cropped picture from Playboy as a sample image in computer science. No additional background info or context. In general the Playboy is not considered "dirty porn" here in Germany which at least in part can be credited to the student movement of the late 60s which among many things addressed sexual self determination. So by some, a woman deciding to be featured in the Playboy or even porn was not seen as degrading but rather the opposite. What might further surprise people from other parts of this planet is that for example at supermarkets and stores, the section featuring magazines has your typical tech, gaming, glamour magazines right next to ones with boobs on the cover for everyone to see. You see this from childhood on, it is not something bad and horrible and you're not taught that these women are desperate and couldn't find any other way to make money to survive.
- CJefferson 6y ago
  I am quite aware that women can be empowered and naked -- that doesn't mean it fits well with tech. I'm glad women in your life are happy with this, really. I really don't think this is a problem with naked women being shameful, but I really do think it's not appropriate for children. Do teenage girls buy playboy in Germany? I imagine usually not. Honestly, we might have to agree to disagree, but I really do think using Playboy as a standard image gives the impression this is "for boys", the same way Playboy itself is generally seen as "for boys". If this was just about nudity being fine, I am not seeing many naked men in tech.
  - iforgotpassword 6y ago
    > Do teenage girls buy playboy in Germany? I imagine usually not. Not that I'm aware of, neither do I know in general which and how many women consume similar media in general. My impression, and I'm not feeling very confident in suggesting this is correct or representative, is that women in general rather like to talk about sexuality related topics with their friends, or for example check out guys together on Facebook etc and not so much look at nudity in a magazine. > Honestly, we might have to agree to disagree I'm totally fine with that. :-) I'm not on a mission here, just trying to explain why I feel this is rather an overreaction, and how my cultural background might play a role here... Yes it came from playboy, but the image on its own barely hints at that. At least I never made the connection and only learned about it from the HN comments a few years ago, I think from an IOCCC entry that used that image in some way. > If this was just about nudity being fine, I am not seeing many naked men in tech. I'd be absolutely fine with someone using a cropped face from a Playgirl model as a counter weight. :-)

iforgotpassword 6y ago

I asked whether it should be controversial or sexist to use this cropped picture from Playboy as a sample image in computer science. No additional background info or context. In general the Playboy is not considered "dirty porn" here in Germany which at least in part can be credited to the student movement of the late 60s which among many things addressed sexual self determination. So by some, a woman deciding to be featured in the Playboy or even porn was not seen as degrading but rather the opposite. What might further surprise people from other parts of this planet is that for example at supermarkets and stores, the section featuring magazines has your typical tech, gaming, glamour magazines right next to ones with boobs on the cover for everyone to see. You see this from childhood on, it is not something bad and horrible and you're not taught that these women are desperate and couldn't find any other way to make money to survive.

CJefferson 6y ago
I am quite aware that women can be empowered and naked -- that doesn't mean it fits well with tech. I'm glad women in your life are happy with this, really. I really don't think this is a problem with naked women being shameful, but I really do think it's not appropriate for children. Do teenage girls buy playboy in Germany? I imagine usually not. Honestly, we might have to agree to disagree, but I really do think using Playboy as a standard image gives the impression this is "for boys", the same way Playboy itself is generally seen as "for boys". If this was just about nudity being fine, I am not seeing many naked men in tech.
- iforgotpassword 6y ago
  > Do teenage girls buy playboy in Germany? I imagine usually not. Not that I'm aware of, neither do I know in general which and how many women consume similar media in general. My impression, and I'm not feeling very confident in suggesting this is correct or representative, is that women in general rather like to talk about sexuality related topics with their friends, or for example check out guys together on Facebook etc and not so much look at nudity in a magazine. > Honestly, we might have to agree to disagree I'm totally fine with that. :-) I'm not on a mission here, just trying to explain why I feel this is rather an overreaction, and how my cultural background might play a role here... Yes it came from playboy, but the image on its own barely hints at that. At least I never made the connection and only learned about it from the HN comments a few years ago, I think from an IOCCC entry that used that image in some way. > If this was just about nudity being fine, I am not seeing many naked men in tech. I'd be absolutely fine with someone using a cropped face from a Playgirl model as a counter weight. :-)