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Comment by anon1385 | Hacker News Reader

It is a problem in the tech industry. It's a problem in pretty much every other industry as well. It is worse in tech than most other industries because there are more men in positions of power? Maybe, but I don't think it matters to how we respond to it. We here on HN are nearly all members of the tech industry, not other industries. Any amount of harassment is intolerable and it doesn't matter if it's worse in Hollywood or some other industry. That's no excuse.

As members of a community/industry we have a collective responsibility for what goes on; for our own behaviour, for the behaviour we let men get away with, and for supporting victims.

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There are more men in power in tech than in other industries? Real estate? Accounting? Hollywood? Construction? No. They just don’t have blogs.

What are you arguing here? That the tech industry has fewer people than those others?

I don't understand your second question. I'm not arguing that other industries have different numbers of people. I'm saying I'm not convinced that tech is more misogynistic and less meritocratic than other industries, especially entrenched industries with much fewer blogs and conferences where people get drunk around campfires.

I’m not arguing against any responsibility to improve the situation. I’m not convinced it is somehow specific to tech.

> I’m not convinced it is somehow specific to tech.

I don't think I've commonly seen that claim, aside from an "all lives matter"-style dodge used to try and derail conversation in tech e.g. "tech has this problem" "not just tech", the original claim was never that the issue is exclusive to tech, only that it exists in tech.

I've read plenty of tweets and posts that claim that the tech industry is particularly misogynistic. I'm not convinced the tech industry is more misogynistic than other industries with which I have experience. I think there is some cognitive bias caused by the fact that the tech industry has more bloggers and more free time for drinking around campfires and calling it a conference.

Are you making an accusation of derailment, or just throwing it out there?

It seems on the less useful side of pedantic to bring this up though, much as I'm a huge pedant myself and understand the urge. Is there a particular reason why you feel this is an important point to make (honest question)?

It’s a more general problem in need of a solution. It is in no way specific to tech. I’m involved in a lot of industries. I see a lot of claims that tech is particularly mysoginistic. I don’t think that is true, compared to other industries.

Yeah, in hindsight I don't take issue with your statement. It's true, and worth pointing out. I guess I just reflexively started assuming that such comments are in the 'whataboutism' category, but I have no reason assume that you meant it as such. My apologies for that.

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