Over on the Men’s Rights subreddit, elegantchorus has provided the definitive mansplaination as to why the apparent sexism in the tech world isn’t really sexism.
He starts by addressing one recent controversy: the lack of any female presenters at a press event for Sony’s Playstation 4. Sexism — or just the whimsical finger of fate?
Sony not having female presenters at its console announcement because Sony doesn’t have any female executives, MIGHT be sexist, but its more just coincidence … .
What a strange coincidence that is! Sort of like, I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this, but all the popes so far have been men. Weird! What are the odds? Anyway:
[T]here is certainly great examples of women in leading positions in important tech companies. Marissa Mayer of Yahoo comes immediately to mind.
That certainly is great examples!
Yet people spent a lot of time talking about how sexist the Sony conference was, while giving relatively few props to women who have actually succeeded, I actually think that’s more sexist than anything the IT industry can conjure.
Yeah. I mean, Kotaku ran an actual article about that Sony thing. Yet where — WHERE!!!? — are the articles about Marissa Mayer, or about that Sheryl chick from Facebook. What’s her last name?
Sheryl Sandberg! That’s right. I wonder how Google knew that. I mean, it’s not like she gets much press coverage. Oh well. Kudos to the male programmers at Google for figuring out which Sheryl I meant!
Anyway, enough with the discussions of actual women in tech. Elegantchorus moves on to the truly important question to deal with when we talk about women in the tech world, which is: where are all the lady coal miners?
The complaints about apparent inequality are always directed towards jobs like Computer Science and Engineering but never towards something like Coal Mining.
You’ve got to admit he’s got a point there. I mean, why are these selfish ladies all worked up about being excluded from high-paying jobs that involve sitting on your butt in front of a computer in a nice office instead of the really dangerous ones that take place deep underground? Why are women more interested in good jobs than in not-so-good jobs?!
It’s quite the GOTCHA moment. I mean, feminists NEVER EVER talk about getting more women into mining, except, you know, when they do. And it’s quite telling that there are ZERO organizations devoted to expanding the number of women in the mining industry except for, you know, the Women’s Mining Coalition and Women in Mining International, and maybe others, I don’t know, which obviously don’t count because of reasons.
Why aren’t there more Coal Mining women? Is the coal mining industry inherently sexist? If you can’t take that question seriously, why should I take the concern about the IT industry seriously?
Seriously, what a ridiculous notion! Sexism … in the mining industry? Pshaw! Women have always been welcomed into the mines with open arms — and some good-natured ribbing! Consider this amusing anecdote I found on the Internet.
The women who broke ground as coal miners faced discriminatory hiring practices from the owners as well as sexual harassment from men who felt threatened by the demands of the women to be treated as human beings, equal in every way. Barbara Angle, a mining woman, said, “There were three women and 300 men in my mine. They used to ‘joke’ with me. “Hey, just set up a cot at the pit mouth and you’ll make more each shift than if you mine.”
It’s funny because women are really only useful as vagina suppliers to men!
Meanwhile, I’d like to add, while feminists sit on their butts and don’t do anything about the lack of women in mining, except organizing and filing lawsuits and all that, bold and courageous Men’s Rights activists have been active indeed in trying to increase the number of men in glamorous female-dominated professions like, you know, housekeeping. Selfish ladies, bogarting 89% of the housekeeping jobs! And 97% of the secretary jobs!
You may recall the chants that filled the air at last year’s Men For Crappy-Paying Lady Jobs rally* in Washington DC.
What do we want?
To be secretaries!
When do we want it?
Right before your 11 o’clock appointment, sir!
And besides, though elegantchorus doesn’t get into this, women are simply not biologically suited for high-paying jobs in tech, just as men are biologically incapable of taking jobs as dental hygienists.
As a Redditor named lbzip2 explained in a comment posted in the thread, women
lack the necessary attention to detail. They are simply not interested in it. Guess what, they have no place here, just like I could never be a historian or translator or lawyer or doctor, because I hate meeting new people. I’m not “enforcing” this or some shit like that, I simply accept that most girls are like this for whatever reason and I’m not trying to force them into IT.
As for those ladies who for some crazy reason actually want to work in the tech world, lbzip2 offers nothing but respect, and the occasional sexist joke:
I treat my female coworkers with respect, I politely discuss technical stuff with them if they feel like. I do make sexist jokes if I was able to get to know them sufficiently before, like any healthy male. They mostly laugh and if they don’t, I apologize and tune it down.
They mostly laugh!! So obviously the sexist jokes are fine, and probably not even sexist. Did you hear the one about the lady miner and the cot?
Yet some ladies bizarrely think that the deck is stacked against them in tech:
“Missing out on best career opportunities?” Well, concentrate on the fucking task at hand, not irrelevant details. Suppose I’d like to work in a fuckin’ bakery but hate that the clothes are white (which doesn’t mean in the least that they are clean). So who will start a crusade for me? If the circumstances of your otherwise coveted dream-job are accidental, try to change them. If they are intrinsic, live with them or leave.
Oh, and speaking of things that are stacked:
In my college class we had this beautiful girl with huge boobs. She was smarter than any guy in the whole class. Did we envy her? Did we hate her? Hell no. We respected her and we constantly tried to bring her in discussions for her insights. Did we talk about her body among ourselves? Hell yes, we’re no monks!
Boobs.
Boobs boobs boobs.
Booooooobs.
Oh, sorry.
Anyway, all you gals who don’t like sexist jokes at tech conferences, consider this: lbzip2 doesn’t like to travel!
Women consider sexist jokes repugnant in conference presentations? Well, I don’t go to no fucking conference, because I hate to travel, I hate to spend money, I hate the crowd.
Q.E. fuckin D! Male logic defeats weird lady feeeelings once again!
So, in conclusion, ladies don’t belong in the tech world, and there’s nothing whatsoever sexist about that. Also boobs.
—
*The Men For Crappy-Paying Lady Jobs rally is imaginary. The chant is real, though, in that I said it out loud a couple of times to my cats.
Thanks, Argenti Aertheri.It’s really heartening to get something funded. I’ve experienced first-hand the types of erasure Uncle Elmer et al. peddle, and a not-insubstantial part of the grant was about working with elementary-aged girls and programming. People like Elmer can’t keep women out of the clubhouse forever.
@Bagelsan – True, it is easier in the life sciences. But my dad was a neurobiologist, and he can still list you LOTS of crappy behaviour by people speaking in the abstract. 🙂
@argenti aertheri
I’m oblivious too. If it’s of any consolation, I assumed the cot was just supposed to catch rocks or something… I kind of took it way too literally. *blushes*
@reginaldgriswold
Yay! Congrats! 😀
@nitram
Agreement! 😀 I just normally forget to comment on the pics cuz I see them first and then I get other comments in my mind.
@nopestories
I…I can never tell what your trying to say, since you seem to be just boring ableist troll, but I think a lot of things have been invented by Africans (in different cultures, Africa is not a monolith) besides piano, so it seemed random to me. /ramble
First totally true thing that nope has said.
I’m in Northern Sweden, and here miners are DEFINITELY well paid. I have a five-years-at-university-degree type of job, and I will never make as much as the people in the mining industry.
Also, the pay in my profession has steadily declined as the percentage of women has grown.
I do wish I had the miners union instead of my own. Mine are weak and has the employers running roughshod over them in every single negotiation.
Also, the pay in my profession has steadily declined as the percentage of women has grown.
That seems to be the general pattern.
Why not go with “glowing mice will help pet owners avoid stepping on them in the dark?” (JK, I know they only glow under UV!)
I did PChem and the biologists always wanted to know what good it was determining the intrinsic volumes of nickel complexes.
“He brought a feather bed to a nuke fight.”
Actually I bish slapped all of you. Amateurs.
Elmer, if that’s your best “bitch slap,” I’d hate to see your worst. Stop bringing knives to gunfights, shitwit.
Maybe Elmer meant fish slap. Though if that’s the case, he’s definitely Michael Palin and not John Cleese.
http://youtu.be/IhJQp-q1Y1s
One thing (among many) I do not understand is even if the trolls were correct (and they are not) and men invented programming, that does not prove or even imply superiority. Are Italians better than the English because the Romans conquered England? The whole argument is stupid…in addition to being wrong.
He “bish” slapped us? Does that mean he slapped us with pretty anime men? :p
Aw, Uncle Elmer’s magical thinking is so cute. Keep trying to create your own reality through visualization, dude, I’m sure it will all work out some day.
Bagelsan — Bisho slapped works for me. Well, certain bisho characters anyways.
My vote’s on the fish dance though.
“Are Italians better than the English because the Romans conquered England? ”
What have the Romans done for us?
Kitteh — a whole bunch of shit we’ve lost over time…you know the radiant heating craze? Yeah, Rome had under floor heating, found it in Pompeii. I guess volcano heat makes for toasty feet.
More practically, enjoying Easter? Or would explaining that be too crass… Ah well, the crucifixion story is Roman soldiers. (And the eggs and bunnies? Rome really loved stealing pagan religions, they’re hold overs from fertility rites.)
Argenti, she’s just quoting the Pythons 🙂
Oh…well I still rank Saturnalia among Best. Holidays. Ever. (Romans sure knew how to party!)
Well, they invented Latin instruction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdHEwiAy8
joanimal, that’s my favourite scene from that film!
http://youtu.be/IIAdHEwiAy8
Elmer: Actually I bish slapped all of you.
Amateur indeed.
Bish : a cross between a fish and a bicycle.
Uncle Elmer, I know that counts as humor where you come from, but we have much higher standards here.
Especially since a cross between a fish and a bicycle is a fishsicle. Look, it’s JohntheOtter enjoying a refreshing fishsicle!
Enjoying? JohntheOtter enjoying? Nah, can’t be him.
I was prowling some old Pharyngula threads yesterday and saw that he *cough*challenged*cough* PZ Myers to a debate. Can you imagine the laughage if that ever happened?