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Comment by obstinate | Hacker News Reader

Well, she's a woman, which alone is enough to catch a lot of heat on Reddit.

I'm not sure that's accurate. I rarely see women get "heat" on reddit but once someone identifies as a women they seem to get far more comments, many even sexual. I'd say women get hit on versus catching heat.

Dear lord. Are you telling me you believe unsolicited sexual advances in response to any non-sexual thing one might post is desirable to women? News flash: it ain't. If you think that women aren't treated badly on Reddit, go to /R/shitredditsays. If you have a problem with the politics of that group, you need not read the comments. Just peruse the linked posts. A pattern quickly begins to emerge.

I think he just means that sexual harassment is different from "heat", however you want to define that.

To catch heat means roughly the same thing as to catch flak. In other words, to be complained about/insulted/whatever.

> To catch heat means roughly the same thing as to catch flak

Correct.

> In other words, to be complained about/insulted/whatever.

No, that's not what that means. To catch heat or flak is angering / upsetting others due to your actions then being on the receiving of said anger. It has nothing to do with one sided insults.

Not necessarily due to your actions, nor due to wrong actions. Pao is catching heat/flak over removing comments (which there is zero evidence of) or extortion and lying (which suing someone and losing is not) and over banning harassmemt/hate subs (which decision she announces and likely had a hand in, but was a right action).

Maybe it's a cultural thing but I've never seen the phrases "catching heat / catching flak" used when it's not in return of an action (I don't see any official definitions online either but as far as I can tell it's in return of some sort of action). What you're describing just sounds like typical insulting / disparagement.

I don't really know how much evidence is in any of those claims (I thought there was supposedly evidence, not zero, but I really don't care enough to bother looking anyway) as I never really wanted to talk or even fight about anything relating to Pao but I could see that changing the context for catching heat / flak if there is or isn't evidence.

> Are you telling me you believe unsolicited sexual advances in response to any non-sexual thing one might post is desirable to women?

Perhaps you didn't read my post clearly but I said nothing of the sort.

> If you think that women aren't treated badly on Reddit, go to /R/shitredditsays

I said the exact opposite; women are hit on pretty heavily in reddit. I don't see that as being treated well; it's obviously unwanted (at least in the vast, vast majority of the time).

I have no idea where you could get the idea that my post said or even implied anything but women being treated poorly on reddit...

You said that women don't catch heat, which to me meant you thought they were treated well. To catch heat (without a cause) is to be mistreated, and it seemed to me as if you were saying this was not the case. My apologies if I misunderstood you.

> You said that women don't catch heat

Please take a look at my original comment as I did not say that. Women catch heat all the time. All I said was, in my experience, I rarely see it when compared to all of the sexual harassment they receive.

> To catch heat (without a cause)

I haven't seen this phrase used without a "cause"; isn't that just an insult? Can you even "catch heat" without doing anything?

"I rarely see women get 'heat' on Reddit." -- You. I understand now that you were making a comparative statement, but at the time I believed you were making an absolute one.

> "I rarely see women get 'heat' on Reddit." -- You

I'm not sure why you're quoting that; it doesn't support your assertion. Rarely does not mean an absolute don't.

> I understand now that you were making a comparative statement, but at the time I believed you were making an absolute one.

Even if it was absolute I was certainly highlighting a problem with women being sexual harassed on Reddit which you still somehow took as me thinking it's desirable. Worst yet you never corrected your mistake within the editing window so my comment is being downvoted to hell and people probably think I'm supporting the sexual harassment of women.

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