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Comment by johnplaxton | Hacker News Reader

Why is it "teach your girlfriend"? Why does he presume that his audience has a girlfriend who needs to be taught, rather than a boyfriend? You can't say "well he has a girlfriend so he wrote it like that" because he's not talking about him in the title, he's talking about you - he's presuming you have a girlfriend who needs to be taught, and that's sexist. I don't think it's the crime of the century, but I do think less of the guy.

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Let's not let facts get in the way of political correctness, shall we? /sarcasm

Audience = programmers. Programmers = at least 90% male. I don't know what proportion have girlfriends, but we can always hope the number is pretty good.

That 90% can have boyfriends, too, you know.

Most certainly, but keep in mind less than 5% of (American) men are gay.

(http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/american...)

Oh, gee, it could also be considered heteronormative. Go ahead and have a cow about that too.

Mostly because some other person who happens to be a man and is in a relation with a person that happens to be a woman may feel like teaching her some basic programming and a title that ports this situation to a possible reader elicits a stronger connection. That and "How a humam should teach another human partner how to program" would be very daft. I don't see anywhere in there, where it is stated that a girlfriend needs to be taught. Would it be ok if it was "teach your boyfriend" ? Where are you going with this ? You think that title is sexist because he says he has a girfriend that he will be teaching ?

It wouldn't be sexist if he wrote "how I taught my girlfriend to program".

Imagine if it said "how to teach your black friend to program". Why only black friends? Why only girlfriends?

There's a difference between girlfriends and black friends. (Hint: are you having a close, sexual relationship with all your black friends?) Therefore it's appropriate to distinguish between your girlfriend versus regular friends. It is not appropriate to distinguish between black friends and your regular friends. If he had written about teaching your female friends to program I would see that as full-on sexist. As it stands you are seeking to be offended and you found something offensive which is unsurprising.

Added in response to : 'It wouldn't be sexist if he wrote "how I taught my girlfriend to program". Imagine if it said "how to teach your black friend to program". Why only black friends?Why only girlfriends?' ----- Sorry, trying to mix race in this just to raise issues is simply not going to fly with me. He has a girlfriend and wants the world to know they both are geeks that want to do something together. There is no plural in that title unlike the way you distorted it, it is a common way to use the infinitive, what is your problem with that, can't you just read it for what it is. Don't you see there simply isn't traction for a sexist cavalcade on some guy that is over the moon because he found someone that will put up with his 'teaching'. How can you miss something so simple to the point you are trying to project discrimination on some couple doing something together.

Because the methodology he prescribes is applicable to girlfriends. I assume a girl would apply a different strategy to teach her boyfriend.

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