At Talk:Open Source Male Privilege Checklist, I posed the question of whether that list and this list should be merged. Please discuss there -- thanks! Monadic 18:50, July 31, 2011 (UTC)
"Joining in appreciation of the sex object du jour without having to be gay or bisexual." is problematic
This is pretty othering to those of us who are bisexual or gay of any gender.
- I'm bi, and the person who originally wrote that was bi. I think the point is that when workplace bonding involves appreciating a "sex object du jour" who is a woman, this includes the majority of men (those who are het or gay), but others the majority of women (those who are het).
- If you have a better way to phrase it, please go ahead and try. But I think that as per articles like Sexualized environment, heteronormative displays of het male sexuality are a way that women in tech fields get othered that need to be discussed. 208.54.5.128 21:33, July 31, 2011 (UTC) (Oops, that comment was actually from me: Monadic 21:34, July 31, 2011 (UTC))
Removal of strange and unreasonable points
I think this list would stand a lot better if a few of its more questionable points were removed.
Here are the points, followed by my argument as to why they should be removed.
- "The ability to listen to speakers refer to an inanimate software construct as "this guy" without feeling othered and getting distracted from the content of the talk."
Anthropomorphism is a common literary technique. It is common to call ships "she," for example. If you're talking about code with some figurative intent (the daemon wants to keep your connection alive, eg), it is natural to describe it in a anthropomorphic way. Would the author of this point would find it equally objectional for the software construct to be described as "this gal"? Asking that speakers reject this technique is (in my opinion) extreme and seems unreasonable in contrast to the other good points raised in the list.
- "Being praised for the content of your writing rather than the neatness of your handwriting."
Neat handwriting is not exclusive to women. If someone comments on your good presentation, have the good grace to accept the compliment. Again, this item stands out as extreme and nonsensical compared to the others.
- "Having potential romantic partners assume from your career that you're smart and well-to-do rather than unattractive and unfeeling."
Again, this sentiment is hardly uniquely ascribed to female programmers. In fact, this is the dominant stereotype of nerds generally. The tides may be changing (slowly), but most male nerds suffer from the assumption that they are cold.
- "If you're married, having people take you to lunch without them speculating on how your spouse would feel about them taking you to lunch."
I take exception to this item because it is absolutely unrelated to programmers or the tech scene. This is supposed to be a list about male programmer privilege.
The reason I took the time to write this is because I assume the intent of the list is to educate. Points that are easily disproved or ridiculed serve to weaken the list as a whole. It's a good list, and I think it would be a better one without the points listed above.
- I find this comment to be derailing. Please reflect on whether you're engaging in Oppression Olympics here.
- With particular attention to the first point, gender-specific anthromorphizing is othering. Like ranking women by hotness as an example of a database algorithm, it sets up an "us" and "then" dynamic. Saying it doesn't matter because it doesn't bother you is a textbook example of several of the oppressive discursive strategies catalogued under Category:Silencing tactics.
- But it would be good if others expressed their opinions. Finally, please consider creating an account (which need not be tied to your identity) and signing your comments. It would show that you are committed to making this wiki a better resource, rather than just pushing a point of view. Monadic 05:08, August 1, 2011 (UTC)