From: mcleman@nthead.zso.dec.com (Jeff McLeman)
Subject: Re: Sexist Statement
Reply-To: mcleman@nthead.zso.dec.com (Jeff McLeman)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 17:42:21 GMT


--
In article <6216@transfer.stratus.com>, fms@sw.stratus.com (Faith Senie) writes:
|>Path: ninja!pa.dec.com!decwrl!bu.edu!transfer!sw.stratus.com!fms
|>From: fms@sw.stratus.com (Faith Senie)
|>Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
|>Subject: Re: Sexist Statement
|>Message-ID: <6216@transfer.stratus.com>
|>Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 08:48:49 GMT+8:00
|>References: <486@arrl.org> <72036@apple.Apple.COM> <6_pn32b@dixie.com>
|>Sender: usenet@transfer.stratus.com
|>Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.
|>Lines: 89
|>
|>I was going to stay out of this -- I really was.  For the most part, I could
|>care less about the "guys" stuff -- I use the phrase for mixed groups, myself. 
|>But this last one, well, I just couldn't ignore it.
|>
|>In article <6_pn32b@dixie.com>, jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond) writes:
|>> winter@Apple.COM (Patty Winter) writes:
|>> 
|>> >Stop and think how you'd like it if, like Sharon, you showed up to help put
|>> >up a tower and were asked to cook food for the other workers. Not that 
|>> >feeding the workers isn't important, but why should someone assume just
|>> >because of your appearance that cooking is the most important skill you have
|>> >to offer?
|>> 
|>> Because MOST women ham ARE more interested in cooking for the guys
|>> than in manhandling a tower guywire.  No different than when I
|>> go with my wife to glass art meetings.  She does stained glass and 
|>> I do fused and slumped glass art.  I am in no way offended when someone 
|>> tells me of the "husband events" or tells me where the guys are
|>> off talking about whatever.  As a matter of fact, I'm honored that someone
|>> was that concerned with my pleasure.
|>> 
|>
|>But remember, John,  the glass art is only one little hobby.  Imagine if EVERYTHING
|>YOU DID involved having people come up to you and tell you that "the menfolk were
|>gathering over there"?  Think about being one of only a small handful of men
|>in a college that was 80% female.  Imagine going into an occupation that was
|>predominantly female.  Then start several hobbies that are female-dominated.
|>
|>THEN come tell us that we're taking it too seriously.
|>
|>I've gone to college alumni gatherings where other (male) alumni from classes
|>10-20 years before mine will come up, introduce themselves to my husband and
|>start up a conversation.  When my husband introduces me as class of '85, they
|>look at me, say "oh, hi" and carry on the conversation with my husband as if
|>I wasn't even present.  My college was 80% male when I was there -- the ratio
|>was much worse when these fellows were there, so they automatically assume that
|>anybody female at an alumni gathering is automatically spouse of alumnus, never 
|>thinking about the fact that the woman might just be an alumna.
|>
|>I've gone on interviews where (male) receptionists have called the (male)
|>interview contact to say "there's a lovely young lady here to talk to you".
|>I've never heard any of them say "there's a handsome young gentleman here
|>to see you" when the men come to interview.
|>
|>I was taking a videotape course through my company's education center.  The only
|>other person taking the course was male, and our contact in the ed-center was
|>male.  When I first walked into the classroom, the ed-center contact was in 
|>full conversation with my classmate.  When he finished his conversation, the
|>ed-center fellow turned to me and said "hiya, honey, who are you?".  Not a
|>terribly professional turn of phrase, in my opinion.  And, at the end of the
|>semester, my classmate told me he was initially disappointed to have a woman
|>in the class with him, because he didn't want to have to keep helping me with
|>the homework.  It was only at the end of the semester, after I had spent most
|>of the semester helping _him_ with the homework, that he told me this.
|>
|>So what does this have to do with Ham Radio?  Nothing -- and everything.  PLEASE
|>don't judge whether you point somebody at the kitchen or the guy wire by what
|>gender they happen to be!  I'd be much happier pulling guy wires than I would
|>in the kitchen.  Just because most of the female hams YOU know are more
|>interested in cooking than in hoisting towers doesn't mean we ALL are.  And
|>I'm sure there are many male hams out there who would be much happier
|>in the kitchen than they would hoisting towers, but everybody assumes they
|>want to do the tower work, so they never get the chance in the kitchen.
|>
|>Don't assume for anybody -- give people a choice!  "We've got a group over
|>here pulling the tower into place, and there's another group in the house
|>working on feeding the herd.  What's your preference?" is a very simple thing
|>to say, and offends nobody -- male OR female.  THink about it this way.  If
|>you replace male/female with white/black in what you are thinking/saying/doing
|>and don't find it racist, then you're probably not going to offend anybody.
|>But if replacing male/female with white/black makes it racist, then chances
|>are pretty good that at least one of the genders in question would be offended.
|>You wouldn't make racial distinctions in your actions -- why make gender
|>distinctions?
|>
|>My apologies for the excess bandwidth here, but having somebody say that women
|>have an attitude when I'm getting this crap from all sides just hacked me off.
|>Damn straight I've got an attitute -- I earned it!
|>
|>73 de Faith N1JIT
|>
|>
|>-- 
|>Faith M. Senie            InterNet: fms@vos.stratus.com
|>Stratus Computer, Inc.    InterNet: fms@hoop.sw.stratus.com
|>55 Fairbanks Blvd.       Pkt Radio: n1jit@ka1srd.ma.usa.na
|>Marlboro, MA 01752           Phone: (508)460-2632
|>
|>"I'm afraid I don't know very much about Romulan Disruptor settings" --Spock
|>

Right on Faith!!!

73


--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff McLeman, KD1IT	   email:  mcleman@zso.dec.com                 
Redmond, Wa.	  	   UUCP: ...decwrl!zso.dec.com!mcleman
                           packet: kd1it @ n7duo.wa.usa.na


 Views expressed here are mine, exclusively. They are not in any way
 connected to my employer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------