$10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013 • Hacker News Board

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#41

Post by pifflesnort » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:45 PM UTC

famousactress wrote: post #2

So, if I was at a shop with a large recruiting budget trying hard to land new talent, and I was also specifically interested in fostering an environment the encouraged and promoted women in our industry.. I'd seriously consider writing a check for 10k and doubling the contribution today. Any takers?

Let's pretend I'm at that shop with a large recruiting budget, and a $10k check is only an e-mail to accounting away.

I also just watched a massive blow-up and bad press around Adria Richards, PyCon, and this issue in general. I'm naturally wary of my company being connected with or supporting these virulently negative forms of misogyny and feminism of which the entire donglegate episode seemed to spring.

What would $10k would be funding, and the good press that would come of that? Reading http://www.pyladies.com/, they appear to put on study groups and other events, but their "Code of Conduct" is higher billed than an explanation of what PyLadies actually does with funding.

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#42

Post by gojomo » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:45 PM UTC

SeanDav wrote: post #13

In the light of what happened at PyCon with Adria Richards and the whole internet explosion of nastiness and short sightedness from all sides I actually don't quite know what to think about "Women in Tech" I saw so much hate that I was ashamed to be a male and in tech, yet I also saw so much narrow minded reporting and deliberate distortion of events from many so called feminists and feminist activists (not all femal…

You "would rather not even see articles like this" -- just because it reminds you of that other controversy, which this article had the good sense not to mention?

As you note, the previous controversy had no real winners. Well, we all keep losing when that connection is reflexively made. Sure, it's natural to recall personally, but it doesn't need to be strengthened with constant mentions and fresh complaints.

I suggest going with your first impulse, give the thought some time off, and skip such articles if they make you feel bad... rather than the second impulse, picking at the scab.

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#43

Post by obviouslygreen » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:45 PM UTC

pekk wrote: post #28

JonnieCache wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He didn't say it was a nice part of him. He was just being honest.

That is not an acceptable excuse for publicly saying that you wish women would not be in tech. It definitely doesn't make it any more rational to want to punish all women because you feel personally offended about the stupid actions of one person, which did not actually affect you in any way. If this pattern of feeling irrational resentments and using them to justify inflammatory public behavior is "just being honest…

Then people just shouldn't say what's on their minds? That's not a very good attitude to have if you want to gain any understanding at all of the actual state of the industry in terms of who believes what. Suppressing opinions doesn't get rid of them, but it does make them almost impossible to change, because you now have no idea not only what people think, but who holds opinions you consider worth challenging.

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#44

Post by amix » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:45 PM UTC

PyCon had 500 women out of 2500 attendance. Gave away over $100,000 in financial aid. Gave away 2500 Raspberry Pi's. Thought kids to code. Raised $10,000 for the PyLadies. Gave permission to publish amazing online videos etc.

And then you have these 3 idiots (and more online idiots) that steal the spotlight and everybody focuses on them. Sigh. Let's focus on the positive stuff!

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#45

Post by pekk » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:46 PM UTC

r0sebush wrote: post #38

What Ms. Richards has done to those 2 young men could have been much worse. She used her position in the developer/twitter community to intimidate and to cause harm to those 2 men. She knew what she was doing and the same outrage that Ms. Richards experienced, would have been the same outrage those 2 men would have received if what she did originally wasn't wrong. She could have said that they were talking about rape…

What does that have to do with PyLadies?

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#46

Post by JonnieCache » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:47 PM UTC

pekk wrote: post #28

JonnieCache wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He didn't say it was a nice part of him. He was just being honest.

That is not an acceptable excuse for publicly saying that you wish women would not be in tech. It definitely doesn't make it any more rational to want to punish all women because you feel personally offended about the stupid actions of one person, which did not actually affect you in any way. If this pattern of feeling irrational resentments and using them to justify inflammatory public behavior is "just being honest…

I read it as a lament that an unhappy situation had provoked unhappy thoughts. The unhappiness of the thought serves as evidence of the unhappiness of the situation.

But I agree that we should move on.

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#47

Post by pekk » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:48 PM UTC

keepkalm wrote: post #32

My initial reaction was this is great, women are underrepresented in tech. Thoughts that came afterward: this is a horrible overreaction to what happened at PyCon over dongle-gate and this reinforces the boys club by making women a protected class (no pun intended).

Why do you think this has anything to do with Adria Richards? PyLadies was receiving donations well before any of that blew up.

If you want to argue that PyLadies is hurting women somehow then you are going to have to provide better evidence.

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#48

Post by niggler » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:49 PM UTC

famousactress wrote: post #2

So, if I was at a shop with a large recruiting budget trying hard to land new talent, and I was also specifically interested in fostering an environment the encouraged and promoted women in our industry.. I'd seriously consider writing a check for 10k and doubling the contribution today. Any takers?

If you are really serious, you would contribute to or set up a grant program like Etsy did with Hacker School: http://www.etsy.com/hacker-grants

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#49

Post by pekk » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:50 PM UTC

pifflesnort wrote: post #41

famousactress wrote: post #2

So, if I was at a shop with a large recruiting budget trying hard to land new talent, and I was also specifically interested in fostering an environment the encouraged and promoted women in our industry.. I'd seriously consider writing a check for 10k and doubling the contribution today. Any takers?

Let's pretend I'm at that shop with a large recruiting budget, and a $10k check is only an e-mail to accounting away. I also just watched a massive blow-up and bad press around Adria Richards, PyCon, and this issue in general. I'm naturally wary of my company being connected with or supporting these virulently negative forms of misogyny and feminism of which the entire donglegate episode seemed to spring. What would…

Do you know anything about PyLadies? What led you to believe that PyLadies is about "virulent feminism" or is masterminding provocations?

Re: $10,000 Raised for PyLadies at PyCon 2013

#50

Post by mnicole » Mon, Mar 25, 2013, 5:50 PM UTC

pifflesnort wrote: post #41

famousactress wrote: post #2

So, if I was at a shop with a large recruiting budget trying hard to land new talent, and I was also specifically interested in fostering an environment the encouraged and promoted women in our industry.. I'd seriously consider writing a check for 10k and doubling the contribution today. Any takers?

Let's pretend I'm at that shop with a large recruiting budget, and a $10k check is only an e-mail to accounting away. I also just watched a massive blow-up and bad press around Adria Richards, PyCon, and this issue in general. I'm naturally wary of my company being connected with or supporting these virulently negative forms of misogyny and feminism of which the entire donglegate episode seemed to spring. What would…

"I just saw a person screw up, should I base my decision to fund an entire gender's disadvantage on a single person's irrationality?"