Microsoft: Skimpy schoolgirls dancing for nerds at an Xbox party | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft: Skimpy schoolgirls dancing for nerds at an Xbox party

theregister.co.uk

38 pointsaceperry62 comments

It seems we're going to go through with the Kabuki Dance version of this HN thread, with the attendant gaslighting comments wondering how anyone could have a problem with this, &c.

In reality, this happened a week ago, and Microsoft got a small avalanche of bad press despite apologizing immediately (the event was handled by an event planning contractor, not the company itself). There is not in fact a live controversy about whether what happened was OK for a conference event: outside of venues like HN and Reddit, we're all pretty clear that it is not.

It's reminiscent of NDC 2012 (Norwegian Developer Conference), where also the event planning contractor arranged similar 'entertainment' (although more awkward than offensive, really), and Microsoft apologized afterwards [1].

[1] http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-apologizes-for-cringe...

I just feel bad for the event planning company:

"They didn't like the dancers?"

"Nope"

"But the vacuum guys like them, so did insurance guys, hell even the mortician convention liked them. Are these the same dancers?"

"Yep, but this is...technology. These people consider themselves different than everyone else in the world. They get offended when someone wears a suit to meet with them."

"OK, give me the heads up next time we deal with these people, I'll get them some wookies to walk around their party, or whatever the hell they like"

I am sure some people at those companies would not like them as well, but they are not one of the biggest and most well know companies in the world.

I'm a guy, and you want to appeal to me?

The best you can come up with is this? Scantily clad girls? Really?

It's just so insulting - like, the only possibly worthwhile aspect of my personality comes about through strippers, well thanks for that.

Let alone the other, multiple issues to take with this.

Shit, I'm an engineer who moonlights in the porn industry, and even I think this was in poor taste. Not everything has to be about sex, especially what appears to be a tech conference in an industry that admits to having a problem with being open towards women/trans/etc.

HN appears to be just about the only place on the internet where a majority (or at least a very vocal minority) thinks this was OK and feels the need to defend it. I think that's telling about our industry and the startup portion of it in particular.

> HN appears to be just about the only place on the internet where a majority (or at least a very vocal minority) thinks this was OK and feels the need to defend it. I think that's telling about our industry and the startup portion of it in particular.

Nobody's defending anything. The faux outrage on the other hand is just ridiculous. Most people outraged by that weren't even at the event. On the other hand given how packed the venue was, clearly people enjoyed it. Good for them.

Nobody's defending anything... except you, just a couple sentences later, in the same paragraph. Not only that, but your defense is: "clearly people enjoyed it". That's what you came up with.

I sort of think this is overblown. I suspect that they booked the dance club for the after party and the dance club just always has dancers there. That's sort of standard for a lot of clubs like that. It's definitely gross for a business event, but I don't think Microsoft went out of their way to have dancing school girls there.

That looks like DNA lounge, which definitely does not have go-go dancers by default. If so, it's pretty likely the Microsoft event organizers specifically requested/hired them.

Previous discussion

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11318461

Best part of that discussion was the dude saying that the dancers were dressed like schoolgirls because dancing is hard work and that was just athletic wear. Like, if they wore turtlenecks, they'd get all sweaty!

Would people's reaction be different if the dancers were dressed differently?

> Slutwalk

> How dare you tell me how to dress!

> Some party

> How dare these women dress the way I don't like!

Please make up your minds.

There's a difference between accepting that other people dress in "slutty" outfits and making it ok, and not wanting sexuality jammed down your throat at a technology event.

> not wanting sexuality jammed down your throat

How is a couple go-go dancers are 'jamming down your throat'? Really, if they are the first thing you see at a party and can't focus, maybe the problem is with you?

> a technology event

It was an afterparty, nothing to do with the main event.

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