3 ms·

> prove or disprove if technology conferences are in a higher risk group of sexual assault Sexual awkwardness and unintentional offence at a tech conference I

by Shish2k 13y ago

> prove or disprove if technology conferences are in a higher risk group of sexual assault Sexual awkwardness and unintentional offence at a tech conference I can entirely believe; but is there really an (even perceived, if not proven) higher rate of /assault/ among nerds than average people? :S

arethuza 13y ago
"higher rate of /assault/ among nerds than average people" Pretty much the only "nerd rage" incident I can think of was a recent fight between Star Wars and Dr Who fans: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22542222 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22542222
- bitwize 13y ago
  I knew England had soccer hooligans, but I wasn't expecting Doctor Who-ligans!
Cthulhu_ 13y ago
Not sure. It goes both ways. On the one side, nerds at tech conferences generally fall into the 'higher educated' category, who iirc are statistically less inclined to go into crime (and if they do, it's the type that pays off in millions instead of, say, burglar the local gas station). However. I'm inclined to believe there's a bastard in everyone. I'm also inclined to believe the amount of single, frustrated men in IT is generally higher than other areas, where frustration can turn into anger, lashing out, and misogyny. There's also 'dude culture', where people in different demographics (gender, in this case) are made fun of / stereotyped / objectified. tl;dr, it's complicated and I'm just thinking out loud here. Define "average"
sp332 13y ago
There is some really crazy stuff that happens, but since very close to 100% of it happens to women, it's hard to get men to even believe it's happening. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3165434 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3165434 and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2572245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2572245 for example. Edit: this article seems to have been moved http://web.archive.org/web/20110703201447/http://www.tammycamp.com/2011/05/21/how-i-deal-with-sexual-discrimination-in-a-positive-way.html http://web.archive.org/web/20110703201447/http://www.tammyca... but there is discussion here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2571874 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2571874
mc-lovin 13y ago
It's an unspoken assumption that goes unchallenged because it's easier for people targeted by these stereotypes to distance themselves from "nerds" than to challenge these assumptions.

by Shish2k 13y ago

arethuza 13y ago

"higher rate of /assault/ among nerds than average people" Pretty much the only "nerd rage" incident I can think of was a recent fight between Star Wars and Dr Who fans: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22542222 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22542222

bitwize 13y ago
I knew England had soccer hooligans, but I wasn't expecting Doctor Who-ligans!

Cthulhu_ 13y ago

Not sure. It goes both ways. On the one side, nerds at tech conferences generally fall into the 'higher educated' category, who iirc are statistically less inclined to go into crime (and if they do, it's the type that pays off in millions instead of, say, burglar the local gas station). However. I'm inclined to believe there's a bastard in everyone. I'm also inclined to believe the amount of single, frustrated men in IT is generally higher than other areas, where frustration can turn into anger, lashing out, and misogyny. There's also 'dude culture', where people in different demographics (gender, in this case) are made fun of / stereotyped / objectified. tl;dr, it's complicated and I'm just thinking out loud here. Define "average"

sp332 13y ago

There is some really crazy stuff that happens, but since very close to 100% of it happens to women, it's hard to get men to even believe it's happening. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3165434 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3165434 and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2572245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2572245 for example. Edit: this article seems to have been moved http://web.archive.org/web/20110703201447/http://www.tammycamp.com/2011/05/21/how-i-deal-with-sexual-discrimination-in-a-positive-way.html http://web.archive.org/web/20110703201447/http://www.tammyca... but there is discussion here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2571874 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2571874

mc-lovin 13y ago

It's an unspoken assumption that goes unchallenged because it's easier for people targeted by these stereotypes to distance themselves from "nerds" than to challenge these assumptions.