Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference • Hacker News Board

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#101

Post by protomyth » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:51 PM UTC

CydeWeys wrote: post #97

protomyth wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want the real examples, you look at daycare workers and elementary teachers. Insurance is an issue with daycares that hire male workers. Plus, you have quite a few parents that are fine with their boys being changed by women, but not their daughters being changed by men. Thus the problems, plus the pervasive stories of child molestation and societal stigma against males in this area. The shame of it is that wi…

It's definitely a problem, and it's not good that male role models are often lacking in earlier childhood education (especially when male role models may be lacking at home at well), but one key difference is that these aren't generally well-compensated positions.

I don't see why a position being "well-compensated" is relevant, particularly when society is worse off for the imbalance.

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#102

Post by leereeves » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:52 PM UTC

unbalancedparen wrote: post #92

wccrawford wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the article, it sounds like the only reason they didn't name the people was that their lawyer told them not to.

That is not correct. I have no interest in damaging anybody. That is why I did not write names and other things that happened in the article. He has already been banned from other conferences. I am trying to protect myself based on what happened and other people told me, I assure you the last few weeks have been a hell for me. My only objective is to be able to run my conference as I want and not to be harrassed.

But you did identify the woman on Twitter. I won't link to it because I don't think we should share it further, but someone posted it in this discussion.

I sympathize but I think the court of public opinion is unlikely to do anything other than further escalate things.

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#103

Post by emilfihlman » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:53 PM UTC

https://twitter.com/unbalancedparen/status/11223070591548702...

>Apart from this, @joycftw is related to people that doesn’t follow our code of conduct.

Seems like Google's "by associating with these people we ban you" or China's social credit system.

OP is hardly any better than the idiot harassing him.

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#104

Post by nocitrek » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:54 PM UTC

mcguire wrote: post #99

nocitrek wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course not. So, tell me, when are you going to be happy? When ratio in conferences are 33% men, 33% woman, 33% minorities? What did you accomplish by that?

I think there is something wrong with your math there.

3 white male and 3 black woman?

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#105

Post by alexanderlabrie » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:54 PM UTC

ativzzz wrote: post #67

alexanderlabrie wrote: post #26

Small potatoes. I can't imagine legal action helping much. Move on from the unpleasant experience and help others who face greater injustices.

You underestimate how far some people are willing to go to harass someone, and in his case it has financial consequences, hence the lawyers.

False: OP has not mentioned any financial consequences, only that he had to "give explanations to sponsors."

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#106

Post by imroot » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:55 PM UTC

ativzzz wrote: post #67

alexanderlabrie wrote: post #26

Small potatoes. I can't imagine legal action helping much. Move on from the unpleasant experience and help others who face greater injustices.

You underestimate how far some people are willing to go to harass someone, and in his case it has financial consequences, hence the lawyers.

...and how unbalanced it can be when one of the parties is an attorney.

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#107

Post by emilfihlman » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:58 PM UTC

opportune wrote: post #66

gregmac wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My team and I were contacted by different people to warn us that they were uncomfortable with the participation of a speaker and her boyfriend in our conference. They told the organization of the conference that this couple had caused problems to women in the community. > Several people who knew both of them confirmed that they had had problems with them in the past. We also talked with the organizers of other conf…

I was hoping for something more specific i.e. concrete actions

Probably controversial views on the internet, ie. nothing actually bad.

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#108

Post by wysifnwyg » Tue, May 21, 2019, 6:00 PM UTC

baud147258 wrote: post #62

electricslpnsld wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I see nothing wrong with naming names As he is pursuing legal options, I’m guessing his counsel told him not to.

He named people (and showed pictures of messages) on Twitter in this convo [1], FWIW. At this point, I think it's more to avoid further escalation, as said in the article. [1] https://twitter.com/unbalancedparen/status/11223070591548702...

Link no longer works.

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#109

Post by charliepark » Tue, May 21, 2019, 6:01 PM UTC

CydeWeys wrote: post #97

protomyth wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want the real examples, you look at daycare workers and elementary teachers. Insurance is an issue with daycares that hire male workers. Plus, you have quite a few parents that are fine with their boys being changed by women, but not their daughters being changed by men. Thus the problems, plus the pervasive stories of child molestation and societal stigma against males in this area. The shame of it is that wi…

It's definitely a problem, and it's not good that male role models are often lacking in earlier childhood education (especially when male role models may be lacking at home at well), but one key difference is that these aren't generally well-compensated positions.

Definitely, compensation is a big factor. In fact, compensation for women in other roles is also a factor. The more that women can be paid in technical / other roles, the more flexibility their partners would have to take on jobs that don't pay as much but that might be more personally satisfying (like this). People who object to women getting paid more often seem to treat it as a zero-sum game, rather than as a rising tide lifting all boats.

Re: Bullshit I had to go through while organizing a software conference

#110

Post by draw_down » Tue, May 21, 2019, 6:01 PM UTC

The conference scene feels like such a hostile environment. I have my own reasons for not being interested in speaking, but even absent that, my desire to avoid anything resembling the above is much stronger than whatever desire to have people listen to me talk about computers. And that's just speaking; organizing is something I would never do, and really can't imagine how people put up with it.

There is a conference I've gone to twice now and really enjoyed, so I'm going again this year. But I expect as this conference grows, eventually this stuff will come along with it and I'll stop attending.

It's a shame, but I don't really pin this hostility on any particular group (ie, I'm not mad about "SJWs" or whatever). A lot of people acted in bad faith for a lot of years for us to reach this point. There is another poster in this thread talking about how "cry bullies" caused the problem. That kind of shit is not helping.