Maybe The Problem Is That *You* Assume It's About Your Being A Woman
And even if it is, then the problem is that it means something to you that some rando guy behind you in the security line thinks it's weird for a woman -- or maybe anyone -- to have two laptops.
Twitter thread here.
An excerpt from my science-based advice column referencing a related subject -- so-called "mansplaining":
Consider my critical take on what's come to be called "mansplaining." Merriam-Webster defines this as a man's explaining "something to a woman in a condescending way that assumes she has no knowledge about the topic."As I see it, there's a problem with this interpretation, and it's the rather victim-thinky assumption that a man's tone and line of blather are driven by his having little respect for a woman simply because she's a woman. Sure, that could be the case. However, I'm with my evolutionary psychologist friend Diana Fleischman (@sentientist), who tweeted: "There's already a word for mansplaining. It's called being patronizing. And I'm as good at it as any man."
And let's get real: Say some dude in a bar starts instructifying me (somewhat in error!) on evolutionary psychology research -- work by a researcher I know and whose papers I have been reading for going on 20 years. Chances are, Mr. Bar Dude does not have psychic powers and isn't thinking, "Ha, you big redheaded moron...I read one news story, and I already know way more than you!" He's probably just trying to sound knowledgeable and interesting to a chick in a bar.
With people like her looking up at the skies, it's no wonder the Oumuamua alien space probe took a peek at Earth and then flew away from the Solar system at full speed.
Sixclaws at November 21, 2018 4:51 AM
How insecure must she be, to have 1) answered ANYTHING other than "to watch multiple porns at once" and 2) to have let it take up enough space in her mind she had to go to Twitter with it.
Momof4 at November 21, 2018 5:22 AM
I LOVE your idea, Momof4, and hello! Always great to have you around!
Amy Alkon at November 21, 2018 6:14 AM
The other thing I associate this with, unions.
If you are in a union job you pretty much can't be fired. So how do people react to that? By annoying the heck out of their coworkers. After all, the only way to get rid of someone you don't like is by making life so miserable they want to quit. Also about the only way to get promoted. So I've found that union jobs are bastions of racism, sexism, and just about every other vile and disgusting habit known to mankind.
She is in academia (astrophysics and AI). So I expect she works in one of the more sexist (and other ist) workplaces in the US. Still, that is something she chose. And blaming the rest of us because she chose to work in a hive of scum and villainy is not an excuse.
Ben at November 21, 2018 7:10 AM
Also doesn't excuse the bragging on twitter thing either.
Ben at November 21, 2018 7:11 AM
I have had to travel with two laptops before and it sucks. One laptop was a work laptop that they ridiculously locked down and the other was my personal laptop. This was before smart phones were common. I got looks and sighs.
I get looks and sighs now because I travel with a laptop (chrome book) and DSLR and a smart phone so I am slow to get through security at the airport.
The Former Banker at November 21, 2018 8:12 AM
I read the headline and was all set to come argue but then I read the article and yea, doesn't sound like sexism
NicoleK at November 21, 2018 8:28 AM
It's not about "women in tech", it's about the absurdity that is "security".
If people weren't being forced to run the rape gauntlet to be allowed to travel, no one would have looked twice at her 2 laptops.
Kent McManigal at November 21, 2018 8:35 AM
The woman in the story interprets eye rolling because someone is carrying so much tech as being about women in tech--no relation so it just says something about her obsessions.
The thing that women do not understand is that debate is a sport among men. They debate who is the best boxer of all time, whether Lebron should have changed teams, whether soccer is the best sport in the world, which insurance is best for your house, if statins are worth taking. Your ability to debate helps determine your rank in the group. If you have a good argument why soccer is best, you get points, even if you do not convince the other guys. It is not hostile, it is a sport. Women do not like debating.
As far as man-splaining, 1) see above and 2) men usually way outscore women on a test of general knowledge. How likely is it that a random women actually knows about engines, sports, hunting, or video games? Not too likely. So men get used to needing to explain things to the women around them. It is simply due to experience, not sexism.
cc at November 21, 2018 9:01 AM
Really? Is this international travel?
I don't get looks and sighs on domestic travel with a DSLR. It stays in my bag through the scanner and no one but the TSO and I know I have it.
The laptop (usually a MacBook) is put in a bin by itself and goes through without issue. Although, lately the TSOs have been telling me to leave it in the fold-out sleeve on my camera/messenger bag.
The smart phone goes in the little bucket with the pocket items and zips right through the scanner.
Conan the Grammarian at November 21, 2018 9:14 AM
However, I'm with my evolutionary psychologist friend Diana Fleischman (@sentientist), who tweeted: "There's already a word for mansplaining. It's called being patronizing. And I'm as good at it as any man."
I love that.
And the problem here isn't "mansplaining" or being a woman in a tech field — it's the propensity to take offense or to wilt at a minor incident (or, as they're called now, "microaggressions").
Seems to me a real #GirlBoss would think, "Christ, what an asshole," and then go about her business. That's what this #BoyBoss does, several times a day.
Kevin at November 21, 2018 11:59 AM
So she's an astrophysicist working on artificial intelligence but she can't partition the hard drive?
The Twitter comments from the desperately-signaling genetic males are enough to make you hurl.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 21, 2018 4:11 PM
Most my travel is international though I don't think it matters. I usually end up with backpack, chomebook, camera bag, shoes and belt, and pocket stuff. It just takes me a long time - part of it is that it is a real hassle to take the chromebook out with the pack full. I unzip and flip open the camera bag because I was required to several times so now I just do it. And it has gotten secondary screening a few times.
This summer I took a quick domestic trip and just had the phone....it was so much easier.
The Former Banker at November 21, 2018 4:50 PM
This is funny because many of my coworkers, lowly and traditionally female special education teachers, often use to computers for paperwork. We look at information on one screen and enter the data on another screen when cut and paste isn’t appropriate and the data is too tiny on a split screen.
Jen at November 22, 2018 6:54 AM
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