Re: Put part of Google on 69/8 (was Re: 69/8...this sucks)

[Andy Dills <andy () xecu net>]

On Wed, 12 Mar 2003, JC Dill wrote:

> It is offensive to many people (both male and female) when someone
> automatically assumes that an "unknown" person is male.  Especially since:
>
>       Females aged 2 and up accounted for 50.4 percent of U.S.
>       Internet users in May, edging out their male counterparts,
>       according to New York-based Internet research firms Media
>       Metrix and Jupiter Communications
>
>       [...]
>
>       At Dulles-based America Online Inc., the nation's biggest
>       online services company, 52 percent of its 23.2 million
>       subscribers worldwide are women.
>
>       [...]
>
>       Some scholars believe the new-found gender parity is just
>       another reflection of the social changes of the past few
>       decades, when men and women found themselves on more equal
>       footing. "That distinction has disappeared, and it is a
>       huge revolution in society," says Michael Maccoby, an
>       anthropologist and psychoanalyst.

Got any statistics for the actual demographic in question (NANOG)?
Probably not. But if you did, they'd support the assumption that an
unknown person is likely male, with extreme statistical significance.

> It is doubly offensive when you opine that I have an obligation to
> create and use [1] a gender-specific name solely to make things easier
> for you and other sexist jerks^W men^W^W induh^H^Hividuals.  What would
> you do if my name was Pat or Chris?  Or if YOUR name was Pat or Chris?

Not be offended if somebody didn't know my gender?

> > > p.s.  Please don't cc me on replies, or on replies to replies, etc.
> >
> > We have seen time after time that the propagation delays on the NANOG
> > list, most likely resultant from sub-optimal postfix/majordomo
> > configuration and/or an overloaded box, make it unsuitable for
> > realtime communications.  With this in mind, I have taken the liberty
> > of cc'ing you in my reply, despite your request to the contrary.
>
> I have no urgent need for your reply, I am happy to wait until I receive
> email from the list.  I politely made my request very clear, both in my
> headers and in the body of my email.  You responded by taking extra
> steps to do the exact opposite of what I politely requested.  Then you
> have the gall to flame me for my polite request.  This was very rude of
> you.

Well, as somebody who rudely runs a mailing list, you should be used to
standard mailing list operating procedure.

> > If duplicate messages cluttering your inbox are causing you much
> > grief,
>
> They are just an annoyance, as is being mistakenly referred to as a
> male.  Since you seem to think that these annoyances must be accepted as
> part of participating on the net, be prepared to be referred to as Miss
> Rothschild by me, now and in the future.  What goes around comes around,
> girlfriend.

Except, you know he's male, and he didn't know you were female. So, you
end up looking like a petty whiner who siezed upon the ability to be
offended, even when there was no cause for it.

Get over it. If my name was Andrea, I wouldn't be pissed if people assumed
I was a woman. I'd correct them and move on.

Andy

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