Rage reacquired.

[green_dreams]

So, following links, as one does, and there were links, and posts, and a comment, and...

Well.

Short version is "Geeks totally aren't prejudiced! Hey, in the group I hung around with, the biggest prejudice was that I was a girl, and that was only one or two guys-- most agreed that I "didn't count" as a girl."

She then went on to ask about who let all the muck-rakers into her sci-fi. I swear I was polite--but Jesus. Bleeding. Christ is it so hard to understand that maybe a reasonable person might see something really fucking offensive about being told that you're actually worthy of being treated like a regular person despite being born into a category that would normally utterly disqualify you from it? Because you know, you're not really a woman. They'll just ignore that you're one of those icky oozy senseless things, because you act enough like a guy to...

Well. To pass, I guess? Is there a better word?

ETA: I am faintly hopeful, but Jesus some of the comments could fill bingo cards.

Comments

[orrin.livejournal.com]

Some of my best friends are girls...

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Oh, mine too, dude! They're practically just regular people--

--okay, I need a drink now. >sighs< There is just so much to wade through...

[karnythia.livejournal.com]

The fact that between them they have all the fail ever makes me think that optimism for future good behavior is probably a bad idea.

[torrain.livejournal.com]

...it's not getting worse? I hope. I think. I don't trust my ability to do a critical read right now, but I think it's not getting worse.

Also. Hang on. Hard to articulate this, but... even if the people with bad behaviour don't change, they're going to die out. And the more attention and articulation gets paid to this, the better a chance at cluefulness the people who are coming into the environment have to learn from example.

(I swear this is the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. And it's not directly related, except that despite all the people checking bingo marks in the comments, dammit, she did articulate the problem with being colourblind and maybe people will see it and think about it. Even if there is such a disconnect between the speaking openly and the whole "don't talk about it because it makes people uncomfortable" thing.)

[alumiere.livejournal.com]

pop over to karnythia's post about the apology - and check out melodyv's comments in particular

i must say that arhyalon hasn't made further comments in that thread, but her apology was also offensive and wrong in a lot of ways, and then at least one of her friends follows that up by starting a thread on karnythia's post saying that arhyalon apologized and she's going to drop the conversation now by telling karnythia that she needed to apologize to arhyalon (and melodyv also made the same comment in kate_neveau's journal (sp?) - utter fail blatently continues)

[snakey.livejournal.com]

But it's ok, cos she thinks you have cool hair. *facepalms until he can facepalm no more*

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Aaaaaagh.

Also to be pronounced "I said that before I read some of her other posts". Girl? Girl? Jesus jumped-up Christ in a chariot-driven sidecar...

I'm going to get coffee and attempt to get through this. (Did she apologize for that? Ever?)

[karnythia.livejournal.com]

She did. Then she talked about my cool hair.

[sivi-volk.livejournal.com]

"Some (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB1qYBnn7sg) of us ride bikes, work with rudimentary tools..."

Man, I learned a long time ago that saying a girl was okay 'cause she was one of the guys was a bleeding stupid thing to say.

[snakey.livejournal.com]

OW. Reading that made my head hurt (worse).

(Don't forget, the battle for sexual equality is over....)

I'm not sure "pass" is the right word, but I'm not awake and am struggling to find a better one. I will think on it. I am boggling too hard at the astounding idea that that was a) an ok thing to say and b) a sign of people not being sexist.

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Of course it was! The prejudice came from those few guys who weren't going to tell her she didn't count as a girl...

Ah, shrieking frustration. Doesn't do much for your faith in humanity, but if you can't get coffee it's better than nothing to wake you up...

[dcharlton.livejournal.com]

I noticed a jump from the quote using girl/guy to you writing woman. Why?

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Because she said she was in the Navy so I figured she was an adult, and because most of the readers of my LJ (and I think statistically most people) are adults, and I'm operating in an adult context.

I don't use "girl" for adults for pretty much exactly the same reason I don't call you "boy". It's belittling.

[rachel2205.livejournal.com]

If you ever want some geeky historical etymology on a related note, remind me to tell you about the use of "knave" and "boy". :D

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Ohhh! That would be spiffy, yes. :)

[snakey.livejournal.com]

*intrigued now*