Write linkspam on it (26th September, 2009)

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Update (by Mary, 28 Sep): misskinx told us in comments that the workshop on dating violence is not a Carleton University event, it’s organised by the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW) and the Sexual Assault Network (SAN).

6 thoughts on “Write linkspam on it (26th September, 2009)”

  1. I read the comments to the Carla Schroder article. It seems like the thing that her opponents jumped on was the “whatever the offended person says it is” bit. I thought that was very interesting, because what they are admitting actually is that they fear they have to be highly self-inhibited and self-conscious in order to avoid sexist behaviour in a space in which they felt that they did not have to be self-inhibited.

    Do geeks generally have a problem with self-inhibition? I don’t necessarily mean, “do they have a problem inhibiting themselves?”

    As for the workshop on violence against women, Terri, you do remember that day—I think we were in grade 11—when all the boys were pulled out of class for a special assembly? (I think it was just the boys, at least, it was a while ago now :) ). So, it was well-intentioned, but a little ham-fisted, and the general feeling of the audience after the presentation was one of mild derision…

    …because what we were treated to was a slideshow of media images of men and women, along with a running critique from some guy we had never seen before attempting to educate us on the pitfalls of traditional masculinity. It was definitely *not* well-geared to its audience, for whom attendance was largely mandatory. LCI was a disproportionately geeky school, and too many of the boys there had no aspiration to be Mark Wahlberg or a football star. I mean, you can see the problem with doing a presentation on masculinity meant for a mainstream audience at a geek school, right?

    So I suspect that any presentation of sexism to geek males would have to take into account the fact that most geek males have simultaneous self-images of being outsiders to the mainstream and over-achiever (the “you-may-be-beautiful-but-I’ll-be-your-boss” effect). I mean, didn’t you get the feeling that Lisgar in general and Space Sim in particular were kind of like islands? That’s gotta have an effect on how these things play in geek audiences.

    As for the workshop at Carleton itself, I too have wondered whether it’s just the converted who show up, and what value that has (implicitly admitting that I never went to any of those events). I have been to a Tunnel of Oppression interactive museum-style exhibit event at Maryland that I thought was a more effective way of presenting the issues than a lecture/discussion.

    Also, this is considered to be an effective anti-date-rape campaign but probably *not* the model to follow for anti-sexist work in a male geek crowd.

  2. I read the minutes from the “mini-summit” with some interest. I failed to find any discussion of the notion that the president of the FSF wandering around expressing his notions of what constitutes a “holy duty” might or might not be a terrific idea.

    Go figure.

    I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that Mark Shuttleworth manages to ultimately set a better example…

  3. Hi,

    Just an important point of clarification- it is NOT Carleton University that is offering the workshop on how man can ” take a leadership role in addressing issues of dating violence”; it’s actually the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW) and the Sexual Assault Network (SAN). Why the need to differentiate this? Because Carleton University still refuses to develop a sexual assault centre on campus because according to them, it will bring bad press to Carleton that sexual assault occurs on campus.

    The workshop is great however and I hope as many men attend. It’s time that men start speaking about their role in helping to end violence against women.