Coincidentally, and even better, this does not appear to be satire

http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-sexual-politics-of-meat-20130320-2gfx0.html

My favourite tin-eared line?

"5. Feminists and vegetarians believe that the personal is political. Just as we tell male partners that the minutia of who unpacks the dishwasher each night really matters, so too do we need to remind ourselves that what goes into our mouths also matters."

Hey, if I shop, cook, do the dishes by hand, and do your ironing for the next day, do I get to decide what goes in your mouth?

Lte - if you are doing the shopping & the cooking for someone you have quite a bit of control over what goes in there mouth.

I don't think it was wrong for her to talk to the organizers if something was upsetting her. I personally wouldn't have, but it was up to her.

I do think it is weird that the guy was fired, which makes me think there was more to the story than that. My guess is there'd been complaints about him before. If he was a stellar guy who was great at his job and beloved by all, he wouldn't have gotten canned.

Threatening her with death and firing her is also overkill, but maybe she wasn't so great at her job either and it wasn't worth keeping her.

The death threats, though...

As a vegetarian I don't believe it is about what goes into your mouth, I believe it is about the actions taken for something to arrive in your mouth. I have no moral objection to eating roadkill, in fact, think it is a good idea though I personally don't want to.

I don't think it was wrong for her to talk to the organizers if something was upsetting her.

It is if you're a grownup -- if you expect to be an equal in a business world that now includes women.

A question: Would a man complain that women were using vulgar language and not be laughed out out of his gourd?

Death threats have come from anonymous people, which makes them harder to tattle on.

Do you, at a lunch conversation, expect to have your pictures tweeted by the person at the next table if they don't approve? If you're in a restaurant? At a conference?

O c'mon, seriously?? What is wrong with people?? It's like the whole thing is turning into a contest of whose skin is the thinnest. Idiocy like this makes me want to vomit.

Hear, hear, Amy. I'll do anonymous stories about conversations I've overheard, but take their photo, make a complaint, then publicise it? No. Just no.

This is the Python Conference. Essentially a geek conference for webmasters and other techies.

The attendees are going to be overwhelmingly male. Any female attendees are generally in the geek class as well and know how to deal with any comments.

But no matter where you go you will have a group of men make similar comments, especially if they share a job category(s). A tool convention will have mentions of a carpenter's dream; a chef's convention -- butter her muffins; etc. Most of the time the males aren't trying to be overheard, but it happens.

The reporter was in the wrong from the start. If she has such a thin skin that she can't understand men are visual and appreciate an attractive women, without any more considered action than that, she has been way to sheltered.

My BF just sent this to me. And sadly, I agree with every word. Just like Momof4 posted in another thread, I, too, am astounded that Obama has thus far never even experienced an assassination attempt. Herewith, the email:

"Written by a USMC Vet
( I can't argue with any of it. Passing it along as it was received. )
He wrote:
The American Dream ended (on November 6th) in Ohio. The second term of Barack Obama will be the final nail in the coffin for the legacy of the white Christian males who discovered, explored, pioneered, settled and developed the greatest Republic in the history of mankind.
A coalition of Blacks, Latinos, Feminists, Gays, Government Workers, Union Members, Environmental Extremists, The Media, Hollywood, uninformed young people, the "forever needy," the chronically unemployed, illegal aliens and other "fellow travelers" have ended Norman Rockwell's America .
The Cocker Spaniel is off the front porch...the Pit Bull is in the back yard.
The American Constitution has been replaced with Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" and Chicago shyster, David Axelrod, along with international Socialist George Soros, will be pulling the strings on their beige puppet to bring us Act 2 of the New World Order.
Our side ran two candidates who couldn't even win their own home states, and the circus fattster Chris Christie helped Obama over the top with a glowing "post Sandy " tribute that elevated the "Commander-in-Chief" to Mother Teresa status.
People like me are completely politically irrelevant, and I will never again comment on or concern myself with the aforementioned coalition which has surrendered our culture, our heritage and our traditions without a shot being fired.
You will never again out vote these people. It will take individual acts of defiance and massive displays of civil disobedience to get back the rights we have allowed them to take away. It will take Zealots, not moderates--not reach-across-the-aisle RINOs to right this ship and restore our beloved country to its former status.
Those who come after us will have to risk their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to bring back the Republic that this generation has timidly frittered away due to "white guilt" and political correctness.
I'm done."

For more like this, consider the arguments swirling around Rebecca Watson, who apparently was asked out for a cup of coffee by a guy in an elevator and went nuts about it. No contact occurred.

I've met Adria's type. She's a PR flack with a degree in "communications" (or whatever it's called this month) who has memorized a few buzzwords, and because of that, now fancies herself as a tech expert. It's a desperate and rather pathetic attempt to present an image of being competent at something.

People like that will always throw their weight around, whenever they get a chance. It's to discourage others from examining them too closely, lest they see the truth. It's got nothing to do with sex and everything to do with being a Cluster-B idiot.

Ugh, I was all outraged against her and then the 4chan thing came up. At least now she gets a chance to see what real misogynistic abusive language looks like. I wouldn't wish the so-called 4chan "army" on anyone.

------

Flynne, I have to say the author of the piece you quoted comes off like a whiny little bitch. Maybe it's just because I completely lost patience with the Baby Boomer generation after the last election cycle or I'm just too full of piss and vinegar myself; but this is what I heard when I was reading it: "Waah, my kind of people aren't in charge anymore. Things are changing in ways I don't like and people are talking mean about me. I'mma take my vote and go home and you stinky women, buddhists, LGBTQ folks, and mexicans go play by yourselves until I can be team captain again!"
I've got so sympathy at all for someone who is not willing to fight back.

"My translation: We must infantilize women because they are not our equals. They must be coddled like blind kittens."

I find it's not so much they must be coddled like blind kittens, as much as "if we infantalize women, they will depend on us and therefore not be a threat to us." At least as it pertains to chauvinists in business.

"O c'mon, seriously?? What is wrong with people?? It's like the whole thing is turning into a contest of whose skin is the thinnest. Idiocy like this makes me want to vomit."

This is a byproduct of the nanny state, Flynne. It affects men just as much as women. "If something is wrong, somebody somewhere is going to do something or be held responsible. Heads will roll! I am a special little flower unto myself and Lawd have mercy I am offended!"

It all started with the stupid lawsuit over coffee cups. It was on it's way before that, but if you can sue for being an idiot and burning yourself and win, then hell, anything is possible.

"The reporter was in the wrong from the start. If she has such a thin skin that she can't understand men are visual and appreciate an attractive women, without any more considered action than that, she has been way to sheltered."

Well, I think they did a little more than "appreciate" her attractiveness, but again, Nanny State. Men can be pigs when the opportunity arises. Smart women use it to their advantage.

I'm just glad she was fired for her asinine behavior. She got to experience the consequences of her actions.

@ wtf:

The men did not "appreciate" anything about her...They weren't talking to her, or about her. She was in front and overheard a private conversation.

When she turned around to snap the pic, she was smiling at them. They had no clue what was coming.

Flynne: "It's like the whole thing is turning into a contest of whose skin is the thinnest."

Pretty much sums up PC ism, politics, and reporters today.

@ Ellie, Yeah it does sound whiny, but when it sinks in that it's from a Marine core vet, you got to wonder, a guy who would charge 100 to 1 odds with people shooting at him, without comment, comments on how stacked against him politics is.

I've got so sympathy at all for someone who is not willing to fight back.

I agree with you, Elle, except for the fact that this guy did fight, with the Marines, no less, in a war that was protecting the country he loved and its people. And I agree he sounds like a whiny bitch, but I don't like the direction the country is going either, and I was (and still am) a bona fide hippie. I was a liberal until I discerned that liberalism has pretty much come to mean letting the government call all the shots, and that is what I disagree with. And not just because the asshats running the government are just that. It's because the asshats running the government are so damn WRONG about so damn MUCH.

This is a byproduct of the nanny state, Flynne. It affects men just as much as women.

Oh yeah, I get this, wtf. I just don't LIKE it. In fact, I don't like people who keep perpetuating the stupid, and I really don't like women like this bitch who give the rest of us a bad name. I'm a bitch, too, but not even close to this. I bitch about the unfairness of it ALL, not just what affects me personally. Egads. I really don't like what's going on, and it's been going on for longer than it should and common sense is no longer common. I just want to smack all these idjits upside the head with a clue-by-4.

"The men did not "appreciate" anything about her...They weren't talking to her, or about her. She was in front and overheard a private conversation."

Upon re-read you are correct. However, I still say they must have been a little "indiscreet", to get this reaction. An over-sized, ill advised, and unwarranted though it was. Still, if she were smart, she would have realized they were typical horny men and used it to her advantage.

The proper reaction, if I were her, would be to flirt with them and extend my network. That they were using tech terms at a professional conference indicates they are intelligent, somewhat successful, and perhaps well connected in the industry. They might have not been useful at the moment, but you never know.

"I just want to smack all these idjits upside the head with a clue-by-4."

HA! Stealing it.

My personal fave: Some people just need a high five. In the face. With a chair. Made of steel.

I guess what I'm confused about is I thought you were all about public shaming of rude people.

Did you see what another woman (clearly a traitor to the cause!) wrote about her?

http://amandablumwords.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/3/

And she's clearly sort of clueless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF2rq6WaC_4

Still, if she were smart, she would have realized they were typical horny men and used it to her advantage.

Which had nothing to do with the situation.

But it's interesting to see that's where you went with it.

They were typical men. That's all she needed.

She used it to her "advantage". She tweeted, made herself a spectacle, demonized them, objectified them, and publicly embarrassed them for behavior that wasn't incorrect.

The proper reaction, if I were her, would be to flirt with them and extend my network.

Uh, no.

She wanted BIG notice. 2 guys help her not at all.

The fact it backfired because she did it so badly wasn't in her plans.

But it's interesting that you went there.
Really, it's what she was bitching about (seeing women only as objects), and that's your plan (seduce them).

KateC:

And she's clearly sort of clueless.

YOU'RE CHASING WOMEN OUT OF TECH!!!!

"Can someone talk to these guys about their conduct?" Adria Richards

Yeah, YOU CAN. You gotta problem with them, tell them. It might actually change their behavior or yours, but something will happen.

Open the can of worms for the whole world? Yeah, everybody loses. The guy loses his job on the interpretation of an overheard conversation. [The software industry CAN be that mercenary, esp if a PR flack might threaten a suit.]
She loses her job because she underestimates who might take exception to her conclusions.

Probably, based on her expressions in tweets, she expecting someone else to put the boys in their place, and I'll bet they have been doing so her whole life. But she isn't talking to the HR department now.

This is a prime example of the chilling effect I see all the time at work...

That it is the overhearer's INTERPRETATION of what is said, that is given great credence.

So... If I'm on the phone instructing a user precisely where to stick that dongle into the USB slot... do I need to worry that miss prudish frigidity might take exception?

BEARING IN MIND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT WAS SAID.

If I'm on the phone instructing a user precisely where to stick that dongle into the USB slot... do I need to worry that miss prudish frigidity might take exception?

And it's you who refuse to hire women into tech!

Amazingly unexplainable!

(Yes, there's some sexism. Goes both ways, though, which many miss. I've seen a lot of women hired for their sex. I've seen a lot of sexism that's unwarrented. In short, I've seen people being people.)

This form Taranto in the WSJ:
"As for "forking repos," here's what the term means, according to Atlassian.com: "Forking is a way for you to clone a repository at a specific point, and to modify it from there. To fork is just another way of saying clone." Surprisingly, it escaped Richards's notice that sexual jokes about forking are illogical too, since cloning is an asexual means of reproduction.

According to ArsTechnica.com, however, one of the guys involved, who goes by "the Hacker News name 'mr-hank,' " denied the forking-joke allegation: "The developers were discussing the process of forking code bases, not making sexual jokes, he said. 'While I did make a big dongle joke about a fictional piece [of] hardware that identified as male, no sexual jokes were made about forking,' he wrote."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324557804578376732465459590.html

"That it is the overhearer's INTERPRETATION of what is said, that is given great credence."

I've written here before about how I committed a career-limiting move at a previous employer, without realizing it. Late one afternoon, a co-worker and I (the two of us were the senior-level engineers on the project we were working on) were sitting in a conference room, behind a locked door, blowing off some steam. The customer was a very difficult one (we called them "the dysfunctional family"), and it was necessary for us every now and then to go over strategy for how we were going to handle the latest drama, and do some complaining out of the customer's earshot. While we were talking, the subject of a mutual female acquaintance of ours came up. She was rather famous for showing up at project social functions with a new boy-toy on her arm each time, and we got a laugh about it.

What we didn't know was that one of our charges, a young female, was eavesdropping through the door, using a drinking glass. She heard our conversation and reported it to management. Mind you, our young employee had not been mentioned in the conversation, but she heard another woman (not an employee of our company or the customer) mentioned in a disparaging fashion, and to her that constituted sexual harassment. As it was explained to me, I was guilty upon accusation; no defense would be permitted. I was suspended without pay for a week, lost a number of privileges, and was subsequently passed over for promotion. I eventually took the hint and moved on. She never faced any penalty for the eavesdropping.

She wasn't offended. It was just a power play. A "dick move," if you will (pardon my pun).

"I guess what I'm confused about is I thought you were all about public shaming of rude people."

NicoleK, I think you are confused about a lot of things. I am too, but here I say you are being dense or obtuse.

It will take individual acts of defiance and massive displays of civil disobedience to get back the rights we have allowed them to take away. It will take Zealots, not moderates ... to right this ship and restore our beloved country to its former status.

I'm curious what "individual acts of defiance" might be carried out by the zealots.

Apparently she is also race crazy (not too fond of whites even though she looks mixed herself).

http://i.imgur.com/HnOdzuU.png

Oh and if you are a white male good luck with her:

http://imgur.com/W9SqO4Q

"She wasn't offended. It was just a power play. A "dick move," if you will (pardon my pun)."

Yup. A montage of Richards' tweets etc.:

http://i.imgur.com/ujXTw3P.jpg

TSA dick jokes are funny. Dongle dick jokes are not. Now we know, and knowing is half the battle!

Unix;

Give me a fucking break will ya? What are you, 12?

Every single woman on the face of the planet has used being a woman to her advantage, to some degree. Please. If she hasn't, she's either a feminist,(no slur ladies I support!) a prude, or lacking in confidence. Whether it be flirting to extend your network, get out of a parking ticket, or getting your hubby to go to the store at 3am for ice cream, chances are we've done it, or at least attempted it. Men do it too. C'mon, no guy you've ever met has used being a "guy" to get out of the dishes?

And she did try to use being a "helpless" woman, she just went about it in the wrong way. Like a woman who smacks her husband with a frying pan then calls the police to report an assault. Women are supposed to be subtle, especially when using their gender to advance their careers.

There isn't anything wrong with using your gender to get ahead. There is something wrong with victimizing others while doing it.

Here's the thing, though, how is this different from the Anna Sturgess situation?

For those of you who haven't read Amy's book, in the chapter about cell phone rudeness there was a woman named Anna Sturgess talking on her phone in public (an obnoxious act) to her optician. Amy wrote down everything she said, including her name and phone number, which she posted on her blog. People then started calling Anna from around the world.

How come it is ok, and even admirable for you to do it, but not for Adria?

You know I love reading your blog and I very much enjoy your banter, but come on, why the inconsistancy?

I've been those guys. Twice.

I have a loud voice that carries and I don't always realize it. I think I'm talking quietly but I'm not. (No I don't have a hearing problem, I had it checked).

Once I was in a bus with my friends gossiping about who was sleeping with whom, and this older man started screaming at me. Then we got kicked off the bus, and the whole bus clapped. So I'm guessing my voice must have carried and made people uncomfortable. Or they saw a man and some young kids and weird clothes and assumed the latter were in the wrong. Or both.

Once I was in the movies commenting on the actors and an older man asked us to be quiet. So we said ok. So he elaborated, "Because some people want to watch the movie" so we said ok. So he kept going on and on.

I think most people don't want to be obnoxious, so just ask them nicely to quiet down. There's no need to be obnoxious while doing so.

The point is its easy to forget that other people can hear you, when you're so focused on your own conversation. And when you're with people who banter about sex and make dirty jokes, its easy to forget that a large segment of the population is offended by that sort of thing and finds it rude.

"The rights and wrongs of the case are, for now, irrelevant."

Lol ... and that about sums up all of what's wrong with society. Nope, folks, truth is not relevant, right and wrong are not relevant, what matters more is that we join in a modern witch-hunt against men.

What I don't get is how overhearing a non-sexist joke makes you a "victim".

Obviously these guys could be overheard, too.

"Can someone talk to these guys about their conduct?" Adria Richards"

Turn around and say 'Shhh!' Oh, but no...feminist blogs were all talking about how dangerous an environment that was, with 100 men in the room, she simply couldn't speak up. Sigh.

Women are getting more and more easily offended and fragile. Why, naughty words just make them wither! Anyone want to start up a smelling salts business with me? It seems that their comeback is only a matter of time....

My head exploded when one of my Facebook acquaintances basically flipped out over my ex posting this saying that she should have just turned around and told them to STFU.

This acquaintance sees a rapist around every corner. Seriously. She was all offended that men were not be politically correct all the time.

I tried to get her to see that a) you cannot be offended on someone else's behalf and b) if it offends YOU, YOU turn around and deal with it.

She came back with this fear-mongering drivel about how women have to look over their shoulders all the time, because, yanno, MEN ARE TRYING TO RAPE US ALL!!!

God, I cannot tell you how many dents are in my keyboard right now from my forehead.

If you're going to work in the real world, you need to learn to stand up for yourself. (Frankly, being who I am, I probably would have found whatever they said funny). That said, if it offended me, I just would have turned around and said, "Not cool, guys." Men are not mind readers, but they're also not idiots. If you just tell them what they're doing is probably a bad idea, most of them will get it. Sneaking a picture and posting up a passive-aggressive tweet about how rude they are is childish and immature. Besides, it was offensive to YOU. For all I know, they were talking shop. So stop trying to be such a precious little victim and act like an adult.

God, it's women like this that make it hard for the rest of us to be taken seriously in the workplace. They are also the reason I prefer to work with men.