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Unread 08-06-2010, 07:51
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gblake gblake is offline
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Re: Girls in Engineering- Comic that explains it all

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajd View Post
The trouble with retaliation, ... by attacking men in general is very similar in effect to "retaliating" against one woman's "high-maintenanceness" by attacking women in general.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gblake View Post
We can try to suppress comments like the high-maintenance one, or we can rob them of any power by embracing them, and by balancing them with a few reasons why men and chains are similar.

I, for one, prefer educating the stereotype sources by converting the stereotypes into badges of honor, instead of by castigating those who express them.
...
ajd - Your reply makes me think that you missed my point.

I recommend getting past the point where posting a wry reason or two about why chain drives are like men would be retaliation. Retaliation implies that one group has allowed themselves to be hurt and now they are doing something that will hurt the original perpetrators.

You can't hurt me by comparing males to chains. I know that any comparison is simply irrelevant except in stand-up comedy and in the unavoidable human tendency to use simplifying stereotypes to create abstract mental-models of everything they encounter.

Using humor to shine a light on those stereotypes is often a useful way to bring them into our conscious thoughts and to defuse them.

I am encouraging all females to adopt a similar "you can't hurt me" attitude, to avoid getting mired in any attempts prevent such utterances, and to instead shoot right past the situation on their way to getting some real work done.

Given 15 minutes to devote either to the comment or to completing a good chain drive; I think spending the time on completing the drive train is the better short- and long-term choice.

The "high maintenance" phrase only has as much power as we give to it. I suggest giving it very little.

Blake
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