[sudo-discuss] "Free as in sexist?" Free Culture and the Gender Gap

[Tom Hodder]

On 30 October 2013 00:38, Naomi Most <pnaomi at gmail.com> wrote:


> No, the message from society is that it's fine to be a sweaty basement
> dwelling MAN,


Apologies, that's what I meant, I intended it be implied by the context.


> and we will not only forgive you when you are abrasive
> and argumentative but reward you for it.
>

I don't think its fair to say that society is in general rewarding these
behaviours directly, but that society rewards these behaviours when they
lead to substantial economic outputs, which society does value directly.

However the converse of the incentives dynamic, is that what that does lead
to, is "slap on the wrist" type punishments for misogyny and unacceptable
behaviour, and the "letting of things go" which wouldn't be tolerated in
other contexts because of this latitude granted. Really it's like a bad
1970s comedy with Alf Garnett.

The author only briefly mentions "tyranny of the elite", the gender
distinction of the subjectivity of the interpretation of these behaviours.
The author seems to miss or skim over major contributing factors to the
gender disparity issue, and just quote mine from Susan Herring, or ....
well I think you get the idea that I didn't take to this type of
investigation ... (Maybe articles written as "naturalistic inquiry" take a
bit getting used to, it read like quote mining to support the author's
position... rather than scientific enquiry.)



> That's exactly the opposite of what women experience.
>

My argument isn't to diminish your experience, or justify it, but instead
to point out that the author does not do a good job to investigate the
issues sustaining it.


This systemic problem far transcends "the narrative of socially inept
> men victimizing women, because of their own inadequacies."
>

I completely agree.

However the author doesn't seem to think so, because the abstract is almost
entirely consistent with that narrative:

(a) some geek identities can be narrow and unappealing;  (social inept men)

(b) open communities are especially susceptible to difficult people  (men
victimizing women)

(c) the ideas of freedom and openness can be used to dismiss concerns and
rationalize the gender gap as a matter of preference and choice.. (and the
internet has some very rude people and people are very mean, and other
Barnum statements)


So as you can tell, I didn't get on with that article at all, however I
looked up the author and was surprised to see who it was, and "Good Faith
Collaboration" seems a pretty good read;
http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/chapter-1.html


Cheers,
Tom
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