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"Men talking about mathematical proofs, about a South Park episode on evolution, about their latest mountain-climbing adventures. "The lab is like visiting a f
by guard-of-terra 14y ago
"Men talking about mathematical proofs, about a South Park episode on evolution, about their latest mountain-climbing adventures.
"The lab is like visiting a fraternity,""
This is seriously disgusting. Imagine an article when a male journalist writes upon visiting some research faculty that "it is like visiting a sorority".
I imagine there would be a serious torrent of anger from the defenders of whatever rights. That journalist will be immediately labeled as a biased chauvinist.
However, when a woman visits a lab and tells us that it is like visiting a fraternity, it's somehow okay. Obviously there is something discrediting in climbing or watching the (award winning) South Park.
To clarify: I (as many and many Hacker News readers) am male and happen to work in mostly male environment, but it does not feel like a fraternity. In fact, it feels like a place where grown-up intelligent people do creative work. And yes, we occassionally do discuss climbing and TV series. And no, there is nothing wrong about that.
- kghose 14y agoIt sounded like pretty engaging conversation. I had a lower opinion of fraternities, but if those are the topics of discussion, well then, society will get somewhere.
- kghose 14y agoIn seriousness, I think it is right to poke fun at this statement because - the way events are portrayed in the article - this is simple sexism. The person in question seems to be annoyed by the lab simply because there are male members in it.
- jamesbritt 14y agoWhat's odd is the implication that if you went to a sorority (or some other all, or mostly, women enclave) women would not be taking about mathematical proofs, or a South Park episode on evolution, or about their latest mountain-climbing adventures.
- Goladus 14y agoI don't see that implication.
- mnicole 14y agoI read it less like she was correlating those conversations to a frat as much as she was making an (albeit poorly described) observation about who was in the lab. I'm not sure if she was trying to be humorous, but it would be silly to assume a sorority or female-heavy research facility would be doing anything different.