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Quote: "At the same time, literally thousands of white men have engaged me solely to derail, discredit and co-opt conversation about systemic inequalities and t

by lutusp 13y ago

Quote: "At the same time, literally thousands of white men have engaged me solely to derail, discredit and co-opt conversation about systemic inequalities and the lived experiences of marginalized and oppressed people in our industry." The solution is so obvious that I am astonished that people like the author haven't thought of it -- stop whining, stop listening to haters of both genders, and start schools and companies with the express aim of teaching women technology, and then employing women. Women helping women. There's no rational basis for the idea that women have any deficits that would prevent this idea from working, indeed all evidence points in the opposite direction: when motivated, women easily produce first-rate technology and personally enriching experiences as well. There's just one tiny, little, trivial, detail -- women must stop playing the victim and blaming men for their problems. This is simultaneously necessary and fair, because the problems women face in 2013 aren't caused by men, they're caused by women. Women have the right to vote, the right to self-determination, the right to an education, and 60% of the money: http://www.businessinsider.com/infographic-women-control-the-money-in-america-2012-2 http://www.businessinsider.com/infographic-women-control-the... Quote: "More women are taking the reins on their finances, holding 60 percent of all personal wealth and 51 percent of all stocks in the U.S. ..." Want to keep feminism from becoming a mildly amusing historical footnote? Stop whining, start networking. Anyone who thinks men are the networking experts haven't watched women communicate information they consider important. The single biggest obstacle to gender equality are women who undermine other women by trying to blame men for problems women can easily solve for themselves.

eevee 13y ago
This comment is written like a helpful suggestion, but the subtext—"stop whining", "women helping women", "blame men"—reads as though you just don't want it to be your problem. You don't disagree that women are marginalized, but you still tell them to just go bootstrap themselves and accuse them of playing the victim. There are plenty of women running programs designed to help other women in the tech sector, but you propose them as though you're unaware that they even exist, which speaks volumes about how easy it is for them to make an impact. Can men just stop being dicks to women? That seems way simpler than starting schools and companies for teaching women how to overcome all the men who are being dicks to them. It's so obvious, I'm astonished you haven't thought of it.
- lutusp 13y ago
  > ... reads as though you just don't want it to be your problem. Actually, as a matter of fact, it isn't my problem. Women have rights, freedom, and 60% of the money in society. All they need to do is stop whining, stop listening to negative voices from inside and outside their own community, and choose another approach. > Can men just stop being dicks to women? Ah, yes, the default feminist agenda -- it's all the fault of men. That's why I suggest setting up a cooperative economic and technological system, or network if you will, and solve the man problem that way. Imagine that you're an African-American slave in the U.S. about the time of the Civil War. The problem is obviously slave owners, who will rationalize their behavior as they continue to oppress you, while explaining that it's for your own good. What are your options? You can complain about the master some more, hope he will eventually change his behavior, or you can enter the underground railroad and change your environment and your prospects. What's your choice? Complain about your mistreatment at the hands of a congenital racist, risk worse treatment as the biggest change in U.S. history unfolds around you, or move on? > That seems way simpler than starting schools and companies for teaching women how to overcome all the men who are being dicks to them. Yes -- the problem is men, so women don't have to do anything except complain and pose as victims. > It's so obvious, I'm astonished you haven't thought of it. The problem here isn't what I haven't thought of, it's what you haven't thought of. During my around-the-world solo sail (http://arachnoid.com/sailbook http://arachnoid.com/sailbook) I had many adventures. One of the most memorable with respect to the present topic was in a small Egyptian village, where as evening came on, people would gather around the community TV set and watch American TV, which is very popular there. One of the shows included scenes in which a woman would speak up for her rights -- she might shout at a man who was mistreating her, or simply leave. Normal and justified behavior in the West, but not part of the lives of Egyptian women. I remember how those scenes were received by the village women, and how they did what they could to keep from cheering when they saw a woman speak up for herself. But you know what? In that society, those women are far from being able to exercise what we might regard as basic human rights. But women in this society don't have that excuse -- women possess, and can exercise, political and economic power, and they can vote with their feet. Or they can try to blame all their problems on men. The problem is not that women don't have power and rights. The problem is that women won't exercise them. It's much easier to say, "if only men would be nicer," and carry on posing as victims. Sorry -- no sale.

by lutusp 13y ago

eevee 13y ago

This comment is written like a helpful suggestion, but the subtext—"stop whining", "women helping women", "blame men"—reads as though you just don't want it to be your problem. You don't disagree that women are marginalized, but you still tell them to just go bootstrap themselves and accuse them of playing the victim. There are plenty of women running programs designed to help other women in the tech sector, but you propose them as though you're unaware that they even exist, which speaks volumes about how easy it is for them to make an impact. Can men just stop being dicks to women? That seems way simpler than starting schools and companies for teaching women how to overcome all the men who are being dicks to them. It's so obvious, I'm astonished you haven't thought of it.

lutusp 13y ago
> ... reads as though you just don't want it to be your problem. Actually, as a matter of fact, it isn't my problem. Women have rights, freedom, and 60% of the money in society. All they need to do is stop whining, stop listening to negative voices from inside and outside their own community, and choose another approach. > Can men just stop being dicks to women? Ah, yes, the default feminist agenda -- it's all the fault of men. That's why I suggest setting up a cooperative economic and technological system, or network if you will, and solve the man problem that way. Imagine that you're an African-American slave in the U.S. about the time of the Civil War. The problem is obviously slave owners, who will rationalize their behavior as they continue to oppress you, while explaining that it's for your own good. What are your options? You can complain about the master some more, hope he will eventually change his behavior, or you can enter the underground railroad and change your environment and your prospects. What's your choice? Complain about your mistreatment at the hands of a congenital racist, risk worse treatment as the biggest change in U.S. history unfolds around you, or move on? > That seems way simpler than starting schools and companies for teaching women how to overcome all the men who are being dicks to them. Yes -- the problem is men, so women don't have to do anything except complain and pose as victims. > It's so obvious, I'm astonished you haven't thought of it. The problem here isn't what I haven't thought of, it's what you haven't thought of. During my around-the-world solo sail (http://arachnoid.com/sailbook http://arachnoid.com/sailbook) I had many adventures. One of the most memorable with respect to the present topic was in a small Egyptian village, where as evening came on, people would gather around the community TV set and watch American TV, which is very popular there. One of the shows included scenes in which a woman would speak up for her rights -- she might shout at a man who was mistreating her, or simply leave. Normal and justified behavior in the West, but not part of the lives of Egyptian women. I remember how those scenes were received by the village women, and how they did what they could to keep from cheering when they saw a woman speak up for herself. But you know what? In that society, those women are far from being able to exercise what we might regard as basic human rights. But women in this society don't have that excuse -- women possess, and can exercise, political and economic power, and they can vote with their feet. Or they can try to blame all their problems on men. The problem is not that women don't have power and rights. The problem is that women won't exercise them. It's much easier to say, "if only men would be nicer," and carry on posing as victims. Sorry -- no sale.