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Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

vanityfair.com

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Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#41

Post by ImSkeptical »

tathougies wrote: post #37
ImSkeptical wrote: post #34

This article makes me wonder, what, exactly, is wrong and what is supposed to be done about this. I get that it seems exploitative and probably does have consequences for social attitudes at work, but what I don't understand is what's to be done about this? Surely there's nothing (drug use aside) that's legally actionable about this. The encounters seemed consensual in the sense that the women weren't threatened or f…

The entire article was on how these interactions are facilitated by the intentional use of illegal, mind-altering drugs. Aside from the obvious fact that the drugs are illegal, there is also the question of whether those who are under the influence of these drugs can consent to sex.

I think if you consent to go to the sex party, you consent to physical romantic activity, you consent to taking the drug knowing your context and what the drug will do, and then you consent to sex throughout the experience, it's hard to see how it's anything but consensual.

If you have a colonoscopy done, the medication they give you will make it so you don't remember things or (I hope) feel things, but, my doctor told me, you will still respond to instructions like "roll on your side" etc. If I consent to go to the doctor's office, and have the IV after it's explained to me what the drug does, and then they give me the drug and I have the procedure, am I consenting to the procedure even though I'm very much impaired during the process? I'd say so.

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#42

Post by dang »

jenkstom wrote: post #10

I think there is a certain amount of denial about male sexuality. It's like trying to change the fundamental personality traits of a child: it won't work and will probably result in someone who is antisocial or otherwise crazy. I don't know why we can't have a discussion about this. Possibly feminism is caught up in a narrative that is overly female-centric, which isn't really unexpected (or entirely unreasonable). B…

This comment started out in thoughtful territory and ended up in ideological flamebait, which breaks the rules here. Somewhere along that line is a point we all need to learn to catch ourselves at, stop, then turn in a more thoughtful direction. On difficult, divisive topics, respect for others—all others—is mandatory if we're to have the civil, substantive conversation we're hoping for.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#43

Post by dang »

Pica_soO wrote: post #25
astura wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be an attractive female with the right connections or be a powerful male with the right connections.

I call this power discrimination. I demand equal treatment of all men by the oppossum sex.

If you continue to post unsubstantive comments to HN we will ban you.

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#44

Post by ocdtrekkie »

JamieBeckett wrote: post #36

Yuck. I felt slimy after reading this article. What female would participate in this?

One trying desperately to survive in a male-dominated industry in a geographic area where failure means you join their ever increasing homeless population, I imagine.

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#45

Post by [deleted] »

nickthemagicman wrote: post #32

There's a power asymmetry between white men in silicon valley and black/latin men. But (most) black/latin men don't have the option to participate in a silicon valley orgy to better their career. They have to schlep it out like the rest of us average schmoes. So in my mind this is an article about women getting an unfair advantage over the rest of us.

[deleted]

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#46

Post by dang »

tareqak wrote: post #24

Original title: “Oh My God, This Is So F---ed Up”: Inside Silicon Valley’s Secretive, Orgiastic Dark Side Techmeme summary: Emily Chang / Vanity Fair: An excerpt from Emily Chang's upcoming book Brotopia, on Silicon Valley's drug-fueled sex parties attended by powerful investors and well-known entrepreneurs Could those who downvote this comment please explain why you did so? I try to provide extra context for those w…

Please don't do this. It's mechanical and detracts from good conversation, which is the purpose of the threads.

I realize you're trying to help, but this is one of those areas where the help isn't helpful. It's closer to a single-purpose account, which we don't allow here. Community members should engage each other as human beings, not abstractions.

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#47

Post by blueyes »

This is a nothing burger of an article. It's about consensual drug use and sex among adults. It happens to involve rich and powerful people who (gasp) can throw these kinds of parties. In any unequal society, there will be people who are willing to trade sex for financial security or access to power, with others who are seeking sex. It would be deeply naive to think otherwise. The outrage here strikes me as hollow.

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#48

Post by jpzisme »

What's up with all these sensational articles about Silicon Valley? Maybe the lifestyle is different as a VC, but as an engineer, this seems so disjointed from reality that it's almost farcical. I can barely get some of my coworkers to stop talking about code for more than a breath. There's no way that they're engaging in any of these activities.

Can anyone vouch for this behavior being prevalent? To me it just seems like a result of psychology where people think that others have more interesting/fulfilled social lives than they do despite it not being actually true, but maybe I live under a rock.

Furthermore, there are a ton of small VCs and startups in the valley. Of course a small percentage will do sketchy stuff. This is true everywhere and would really only be a problem if it was widespread or common amongst the major players and served as a meaningful barrier to entry. The only firm mentioned by name, Binary Capital, looks like a two or a one person shop, and I assume doesn't have much market power.

Re: Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Side

#50

Post by sushisource »

jpzisme wrote: post #48

What's up with all these sensational articles about Silicon Valley? Maybe the lifestyle is different as a VC, but as an engineer, this seems so disjointed from reality that it's almost farcical. I can barely get some of my coworkers to stop talking about code for more than a breath. There's no way that they're engaging in any of these activities. Can anyone vouch for this behavior being prevalent? To me it just seems…

As totally skeezy as it sounds, I have a hard time believing you're really "shut out" of the VC/startup scene if you don't attend like the article says.

Agreed that it seems totally out-of-phase with my understanding of reality

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