Quickies

Skepchick Quickies 6.3

Amanda

Amanda works in healthcare, is a loudmouthed feminist, and proud supporter of the Oxford comma.

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10 Comments

  1. I like the racism and sexism articles. They show the disparity quite clearly.

    However, get one thing straight and don’t further make the stipulation that minority men are less likely to be sexist. I’ve picked up on this tone around here that because a man’s a minority, that somehow he’s less likely to be sexist. This is in my eyes a form of racism and it can be a damaging line of thought to minority women in my experience and here’s why:

    As a minority man who spent a lot of time with my own minority community (mostly Indian), I can tell you sexism is very alive and well within it. And the sexism is a different than white people tend to experience, and these women could use some support that is tailored to their particular set of experiences.

    So fair warning, please be cognizant of the fact that minority sexism DOES EXIST, especially in first generation communities needs to be addressed specifically (optimally by minority bloggers who grew up in those communities and understand the plight).

    P.S. To Skepchick: I’ve spoken with my friend who’s writing a book on suicide rates of Filipino girls as a result of sexism, she said she might be interested in doing a guest post, who should I direct who to specifically?

  2. Another responces I keep starting, deleting and rewriting because I have no idea how to explain my confusion with the continuing attacks on women in the geek world. Most geek males lament endlessly on how they wish they could find a woman that shares their interest and yet anytime a female shows their geek pride they are attacked.

    I’ve met Felicia a couple of times as I was coming into the comedy theater that she was a member of as she was leaving and in those brief meetings it was quite obvious she was no “poser” she’s a hard core gamer not only online but at the time was part of a regular D&D game. And now that I think about it she shouldn’t have to be defended none of the men have to constantly prove their “cred”.

    But this is not unique to her sadly. I have a number of female geek friends and they get the same crap. Do these idiots that do this really want an all male clique?

    The community that I want to be part of is inclusive a safe place for everyone, most of us male and female were picked on by everyone else so the idea was we would stick together.

    But I guess if we can take anything away from this is that the truly good people in the community have stood up against people like this clown and shown that behaivor like this will not be tolerated.

    1. Typically the guys who make that lament and then go on the attack when their wish comes true find out that the geek women they’ve been dreaming of are people. It totally destroys the imaginary sex kitten they’ve built in their heads (buying into women’s only role is to fulfill men’s desires). Well if that brazen hussy/ frigid prude dares to disagree / not put out / have her own interests she deserves what she gets!

      I’m glad to hear you’ve tried to combat this in your own circles. If you’d like to see the community change the first step is to make sure that the places in which you operate are open and friendly. It’s one of those things where the people in power (geek men) need to call each other out on their bad behavior in order to make some progress. Silent dissent can be read as support by others.

  3. I used the term misandry – well, I called it “misandrony” – for years. Except when I used it, it was a joke. *sigh*

  4. The whole Felicia Day thing is bizarre. Obviously he felt that she was an acceptable target because of background misogyny, but I can’t help but also read a bit of plaintive self-loathing into a video game reporter asking an entertainer what her contribution is. Like somewhere inside him there stirs the slumbering awareness that he contributes nothing of value, and he expresses this by challenging others to be aware of their own contributions.

    Also it reminds me of those jackholes who say that Rebecca contributes nothing to SGU “besides jokes.” Even if it were true, jokes are not a non-contribution. Assuming that Felicia Day is comparable in some way to a booth babe, asking her about her contribution “besides personality” is stacking the deck. “Personality” is a pretty huge contribution above and beyond the typical booth babe.

    It’s like asking Neil Degrasse Tyson what his contributions to science are, besides being an influential advocate. Even if he can answer the question to your satisfaction, you’re basically spotting him all the cred he needs.

    1. I think it’s more like asking the creators of CSI what they’ve created to the field of criminal law. They, like Felicia Day are entertainers. Their job is to create enjoyable works of entertainment, and they have done so (subject to individual tastes, of course).

      That’s not even to say that entertainers don’t contribute to the field, tangentially. CSI has gotten tons of young people interested in forensic science who might not otherwise have heard of the field. I think Felicia Day’s contributions towards mainstreaming “geek” culture and women’s presence in it is really valuable. When I was a teenager I was a huge Tolkien fan but I never dared speak of LOTRO out loud, now that things like LOTRO and Game of Thrones are mainstream it’s so awesome to just be able to let my interests drop casually without fear of ridicule.

      I still keep my interest in gaming secret, due to my age and gender, but once we get a few more Felicia Days, I might not feel the need to do that anymore. That’s certainly valuable for me, at least, and all the future ladies who never feel they have to keep their hobbies secret.

    1. Nah. Fox News doesn’t have much to do with the network. I mean, that’s who has Family Guy and The Simpsons and stuff as it is, ya know? Also, Seth McFarland has a LOT of pull with the Fox Network. Which is why he teemed up with Neil deGrasse Tyson, btw — to provide money and network connections (otherwise he’s staying out of the production of the show).

      It’ll be fine.

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