Guess this disscussion was bound to pop up some time. I'll try to explain my POV :
Linuxchix want to talk linux, and not be a target. The way I felt when I was a newbie, with a non-computer-related job, haifux was the only place for me to hear people talk about computers. I didn't mind too much about being hit on - but like, that wasn't the POINT, it was an obstacle in the way to the conversation I was interested at. I just hadn't had any other place with people I could talk about computers to. > c) Without knowing the circumstances of Orna's encounter at Haifux, I > must admit that her comment struck _me_ as a little > insensitive. This point often escapes the attention of men and > women alike, but have you considered that if a person shows an > interest it is already a compliment? And that it would take a bit > more than vital stats for an intelligent guy to become interested? > I have a feeling that Orna's problem was not that guy but all the > rest present who paid no attention to her (as a linux user, which I > assume is all she wanted). > It's generally not a bad thing to be hit on (to an avarage sane lady), but the feeling you are a walking talking target is sometimes scary (the mere feeling can become obnoxious), regardless if it comes from people you like. The point here is, on linux meetings, there are by far more arrows pointed at the bull's eye than in, say, a supermarket. More quallity arrows, if I may speculate, but arrows non-the less. > Seriously, when a woman, especially an attractive one, walks into any > gathering with men present, even a geek one, she can, and should, > expect some attention. Whether that attention is annoying or pleasant > depends on the details, but it is unreasonable to expect anyone to > totally shut all the services down (pardon the jargon) just because > the setting is a technical lecture. On the contrary, if we both are > there we must have something in common... True, we should expect that. I personally can mannage the worse of you "with my firewall tied up behind my userspace", but thats just because I'm worse than the worse of you, or maybe because I've had an "educating" armi service. Your everyday delicate geekchick, on the other hand, might shy off from such a situation. Not saying anyone can do anything about it, just trying to explain. It's nothing against individual males (not taking to account explicit or implicit harrasers) , its the fear of the mob )-: <Women should, however, give us some credit and assume that > we need something _more_ than a breathing Barbie to consider a woman > attractive. Why should women give men that credit? Sorry, statistically, men don't deserve it. But linux meetings are bad. I'll give credit to anyone on personal basis if he bothers to asks for it. > Obviously, it goes both ways in our liberated society, but > the gender asymmetry above is too stereotypical to ignore. > It goes to both ways indeed. I'll take this opportunity to appologize to any linux person I may have accidentally harrased... > I realize that a clumsy "hit" can be repulsive. In general though, > dear ladies, if you sense that I seek your company please consider it > a compliment. I promise I'll do my best not to annoy you in the > process... Hehe (-: As henlin wrote(paraphrasing ) - "manners are the oil on the wheels of an allready rusty and quirky machine" If a lady you have aproached politely has chosen to be offended, it's probably not your fault, but a bad flashback, or just her problem. Then again, thats only my opinion. BTW about thia of guy's remarks: > I don't think that being afraid of being hit on (to the point that another > girl mentioned her BOYFRIEND in capital letters in a previous post) I was answering this line : > This means that when your girlfriends talk about > spinning you'll think of spinlocks... Ouch! and the capitalization was just there to correct the 'girlfriend' part (well maybe also to react on the reactions I ofter net - "what, you use linux? you must be gay!") Now I'm gonna leave that thread be (: good night maayan ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
