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>Almost a year ago, a flurry of TechCrunch commenters repeatedly called me the “C word”, insisted that my brain somehow was incapable of quantitative tasks, and
by recoiledsnake 15y ago
>Almost a year ago, a flurry of TechCrunch commenters repeatedly called me the “C word”, insisted that my brain somehow was incapable of quantitative tasks, and one even told me if I didn’t like my female body, I could euthanize myself legally in the state of Oregon. Awesome.
There's one big problem right there, taking a bunch of online comments seriously. Anonymity seems to be bring out the worst in people(both men and women), there's no point whatsoever mulling over it.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- michaelchisari 15y agoAnonymity seems to be bring out the worst in people It can be argued that anonymity presents people in their most honest, unfiltered form. So, the same anonymous commenters calling her the c-word may "intellectually" argue that women are merely incapable of succeeding in tech when in polite company.
- sliverstorm 15y agoIf the online presences of anonymous people are the truest representations of humans as individuals, I think we my have bigger problems than misogyny.
- kstenerud 15y agoAn anonymous poster's behavior is indicative of what that person is really like. With nothing to fear, there is nothing to inhibit you. Absolute power has a similar effect, with demonstrable results throughout history. Very few people have the moral character and discipline to comport themselves in a civilized manner without an external counterbalance to their impulses.
- sliverstorm 15y agoI find myself hearkening back to the old musing, "If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound?" Humans are social creatures. Is what a person behaves like when traditional social structures are removed necessarily what they are "really like"? What makes that any more "true" than how they behave elsewhere? You could remove a wolf from it's pack and examine it's behavior. Do you know the wolf on some deeper level now? I'd argue no- the wolf is part of the pack, and without the pack you do not know the wolf.
- pnathan 15y agoHumans are not social creatures like dogs. Dogs are pack animals. We are not. That is a bad analogy. If you want to know a human to the uttermost, put him under tremendous stress and listen to the thoughts he thinks in his head. That is who he is.
- sliverstorm 15y agoI beg to differ. I think it is actually a pretty good analogy. Humans originated in tribes, no? Besides being a bit more complex socially, how is a tribe so different from a pack? Have you ever noticed just how well dogs integrate into the human family? It's weird sometimes- I find dogs in general behave almost exactly like a particularly stupid but happy human.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- wccrawford 15y agoI think it actually makes some people go overboard. Instead of being themselves, they start doing things to achieve certain goals, like being noticed or getting laughs. I don't doubt that there's some truth to their actions, but it goes beyond that. Sometimes.
- reso 15y agoAgreed. TC commenters do not reflect reality.
- MostAwesomeDude 15y agoI wanted to see what she had said that had started such a remarkable flamewar, but apparently it was flagged for review and not visible. Does anybody have a copy?
- lucian1900 15y agoGood point. I've been called many, many nasty things myself.