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Comment by lhnn | Hacker News Reader

I get tired of women complaining about sexism in the startup/tech field.

Yes, ladies, you will be hit on a lot at a conference filled with mostly guys. You are an attractive minority. Now, to the point:

--- There is no excuse for physical assault. I can even almost excuse a guy going in for a peck, but grab-ass and worse are not cool. If you're going to proposition a girl, do it with your wits and your words, not a firm, open palmed slap on the behind.

On behalf of all young, healthy, mate-seeking males, I apologize for the few who make us all out to be classless jerks.

--- Of course, it can be argued that you shouldn't be looking to hook up at a FOSS conference, but really... when ISN'T a single guy looking for a woman with similar interests (inside and outside the bedroom)? This isn't a 'geek' problem, it's a 'human' problem.

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It's interesting that you agree with the points, but put your tiredness down to the complaints of the affected women. Of the things on offer, that's an odd thing to put your frustration down to. I think it would be better to be tired of the guys who act like jerks and ruin things for everyone else.

I wonder how many guys are being enlightened by reading this thread on HN right now. My guess would be zero.

Marginal effects count. We don't have to cause an epiphany; making everyone slightly more aware of the problem is useful too.

I was commenting as much on the recent deluge of 'sexism in tech is rampant' threads on HN as I was commenting on the article. I was emphasizing that even as someone now jaded by such complaints, I find this to be a valid article.

I also comment on how inappropriate groping a woman is; I would consider my entire 3rd and 4th lines to be expressing frustration at immature male actions.

I consider all sides of an argument, and for that, I will not apologize.

In your original post you said it was a human problem. Among social animals, humans are unusually effective at avoiding being pushed around by selfish males, probably due to communication.

So I think it's good to talk about it. If more people recognise the problem then they're more likely to intervene next time they see it happen, and to marginalise troublemakers. They're good outcomes.

probably due to communication

This is key at all times, not just in a post hoc analysis. If a guy and girl are flirting and one takes it too far some of the responsibility does fall on the other to immediately let them know. When this communication is ignored is when there is a problem.

For example, I was out with friends one time at a club and was talking/flirting with a couple different girls. At one point in the night one girl simply grabbed my crotch. She was obviously intoxicated, but once I told her that wasn't very cool she apologized and went on her way. We had been flirting for most of the night, but any girl who does that and wants to hook up the first night I meet them isn't a girl I want to hang out with.

I certainly wouldn't presume to berate you for your opinion, and it's good to see someone who considers both sides to an argument, but I think we do need to keep hearing about these things otherwise we get to the point where we assume it's not happening when it clearly is.

I was emphasizing that even as someone now jaded by such complaints, I find this to be a valid article.

Then your original post was unclear, as you said nothing positive about the article. Because you were negative about the trend of complaints, it implied that you felt this way about the article itself. By proceeding to agree with the points themselves, it implied that these are self evident truths that should just be accepted and not complained about.

> "when ISN'T a single guy looking for a woman with similar interests"

Wait... what? The article is complaining about wholly inappropriate behavior, not inappropriate goals. They're not complaining about the attention - they're complaining about its manifestation.

Sure, it's a more-broad cultural problem, but it's highly concentrated among geek populations as so many of us are socially... stunted in general. And having essentially had a 'locker-room' industry for the last few decades certainly hasn't helped.

I get tired of misogynists who are too dense to realize their being misogynist.

As long as sexism exists women should be complaining about it. And as you have unwittingly proven, sexism does still exist.

Did you consider wording that as:

"I get tired of sexism in the startup/tech field."

I suspect it would be a sentiment shared by many who are affected by negative behaviour--both men and women.

I would encourage you to go read the proposed policy and see if you have anything constructive to add.

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/index.php?title=Conference_ant...

"I get tired of women complaining about sexism in the startup/tech field."

Cry me a river. Would you prefer people just shut up about it?

Yes. Things like "Men wanted" should not offend someone when used lightheartedly as a cultural reference, but it did offend a lot of people on HN. That bothers me.

Seems people went to town downvoting me here. I wonder what things would look like if HN had Slashdot's mod/metamod system. Oh, I can dream....

"That bothers me."

So here you are, complaining about other people complaining when something bothers them. Do I need to draw you a diagram to illustrate your inconsistency?

"Seems people went to town downvoting me here."

Perhaps they enjoy living in a society where people are allowed to express disagreement.

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