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WTF of Your Day

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  • Edit: Ok, I just realized this may be an ONN-style parody. I hope it is anyway.
    No, this isn't a parody. There are parodies of this, but this is serious.
  • =(
    It saddens me to know such a thing exists. I support freedom of speech, and don't think these people should be punished for expressing their opinions, and I don't think the TV channels broadcasting it should've declined their money. But I do think the people who made this ad are a bunch of dip wits >.<
  • How are they going to take away straight rights?
    Oh, the kid's school said gay marriage is okay. Lady goes Waaah! What do they want? Okay, you can get married, but you must live in shame and not ask straight people to treat you like you are normal?
    Stupid stupid. I hate this.
  • I don't think the TV channels broadcasting it should've declined their money.
    Of course they should have! My TV channel would have declined their money. No thanks, here at trogdor42-TV we don't spread hate, even if it means we have to go out of business.
  • I find it ironic that they call themselves a "rainbow" coalition.
  • I find it ironic that they call themselves a "rainbow" coalition.
    I laughed at that.
  • Please, PLEASE tell me this is a fringe case, female humans of the forum.
    Broken links? Very common.
  • Please, PLEASE tell me this is a fringe case, female humans of the forum.
    Broken links? Very common.
    Shouldn't be broken...

    Ah, Reddit's being really slow today. I'll copy-paste the part that's relevant, as I have it open still.

    I don't think it's intentional. I'm not even sure it's hateful, but it is sexist. The idea that a person, an average person, not a woman or man who happily gets in front of the camera, is treated that way is sad. I just think it's sad. But it's endemic to nerd culture--we have a distinct lack of empathy running through our ranks. It's hard to respect someone and see them as a person if you're too afraid to talk to them or only hang out with people like you and only have the media to go on for what other sorts of people are like.

    As a teenager (underaged, even) up through to my adulthood, I had a rough time being a nerd. Not only was I closeted, but I was a girl, too. Walk into any gaming store, hobby/comic shop, con, D&D; session, anime club, whatever. Just walk in. Just be there. If you've never experienced it, I hope some day a woman walks into a nerd cave near you, because I think you might be shocked.

    Eyes follow your every move. There are whispers. Giggles. Hungry stares. From the 12 year olds playing Warhammer to the 45 year olds running 2nd Edition D&D;, If they ever bother to talk to you, it's halting, awkward, usually directed at your tits, and if you're really lucky and you're out-going, you might be able to play tabletop games or video games with them. Why would you? Because no one else wants to play at all. It might be crooked, but it's the only game in town.

    I was once propositioned by a 40 year old virgin into Gor. He wanted to know if I'd let him whip me, fuck me, and dye my hair purple. In front of the gaming group. He never showed up for another session. I'd never seen my DM so angry; he nearly punched the guy. I was 16 years old. After that, he encouraged me to never go to any gaming shop alone, and that he and his wife would take me wherever I wanted and we'd play any games I liked, but she didn't want me going alone.

    If your character isn't forcibly seduced/raped/tarted up/kidnapped for plot despite being a hero like every other character, you'll get hit on in character. If you manage to play with older, married guys who don't try to massage your back without asking or smell your hair when you're rolling the dice, they'll treat you like you're merely stupid, if you're lucky. If you play MMOs, never go on Ventrilo, or you'll get told to leave the guild because "women cause drama," or worse, you'll get items offered to you in return for nude pictures. Have a female avatar in WoW? You probably already know the whispers I get.

    Being a girl geek sucks. Once I made the mistake of going into a comic shop with my then-girlfriend. We didn't touch. We didn't kiss. Few people would have guessed we were together. We chatted quietly about whatever to ourselves, but a 30-something guy ran up and asked if we'd make out for him. When we politely, quietly refused, he ran to the store owner saying we'd mocked him and the guy gave us a glare that said "Get out of my store."

    You don't have to be an attractive girl. I'm not. You just have to be (a height-weight proportionate) girl. Not every nerd, maybe not even most nerds, would treat a woman, or anyone, this way, but it's a 5 to 1 shot, in my experience, based on the nerds who out themselves as nerds and frequent nerdy places. Everyone's capable of being a dehumanizing asshole to someone. Someone probably thinks I'm being a dehumanizing asshole to greasy dudes in wolf shirts right now. But you know what? I never asked one of those guys to leave my game because of who he was unless he treated one of my other players or me like shit. I didn't kick him out simply because he wouldn't let me rape his character with an NPC over and over. I never told him to get out of my WoW guild because, when I tried to come onto him, he said "No," and when I tried to push myself on him, he slapped me. I've never done that to anyone.

    I guess what I'm saying is: loving sci-fi at a young age made me optimistic for humanity. Meeting other sci-fi fans at puberty made me pessimistic for humanity. Finally moving to a nerdy city was the best thing for my self-esteem I could have ever done. Being treated like a fuckhole in exchange for a little banter about DS9 is bad juju.
  • RAGE! I RAGE AT THIS SO HARD.
  • I know how she feels a bit. Luckily I started out in anime fandom where it was mostly girls anyway, but when I started going to other geek events and places it existed. Male Sci Fi fans treated me like a retard and gamers treated me like a pair of boobs.This case totally happens. It happens less to myself because I run in a lot of geek circles in the area. When it does it's in the form of super politeness, almost servitude.

    I might offend with this question/comment. Why is it that the girls who are treated like people are the one who:

    Are fat.
    Are plain or not that pretty.
    Only wear tee shirts.
    Sometimes smell.

    Is it because high heels and a dress are threatening? I just want to play an RPG and then I get the stare down from those girl or refusal or the guys are just like, meh, she probably doesn't know what CHA or INT is. ARGH!
  • edited November 2010
    I might offend with this question/comment. Why is it that the girls who are treated like people are the one who:

    Are fat.
    Are plain or not that pretty.
    Only wear tee shirts.
    Sometimes smell.

    Is it because high heels and a dress are threatening? I just want to play an RPG and then I get the stare down from those girl or refusal or the guys are just like, meh, she probably doesn't know what CHA or INT is. ARGH!
    Because that way they look just like the guys.

    I just... I feel like this is a bit like what Rym said about the people in his Video Power thing of the day a couple weeks ago: I feel like I've seen behind the veil. I never thought it possible that I was a suave pretty-boy compared to anyone, but I guess the people most likely to identify as "geeks" probably have some issues of their own.
    Post edited by Neito on
  • I might offend with this question/comment. Why is it that the girls who are treated like people are the one who:

    Are fat.
    Are plain or not that pretty.
    Only wear tee shirts.
    Sometimes smell.

    Is it because high heels and a dress are threatening? I just want to play an RPG and then I get the stare down from those girl or refusal or the guys are just like, meh, she probably doesn't know what CHA or INT is. ARGH!
    Because that way they look just like the guys.
    ... Dwarf society?
  • edited November 2010
    Re: Article: Sadly, I'm not supprised.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • @Neito: It's not fringe. I wish it was, but I know a few similar stories.
  • Seriously? It's kind of true. I never got it quite that bad, but you get hit on for just existing as a teenage girl in a lot of nerdy groups. I remember that in college, I literally had to keep reminding the people I played D and D with every session that my elf character was male, so they would stop hitting on me/him. The next characters I made were always hideous orc barbarians, to keep that from happening. At anime cons and gaming groups, there is a lot of desperation in the air. The relative scarcity of girls into hard core nerdery, coupled with the fact that most of these guys have limited interaction with humans of any gender, they tend to treat those without Y chromosomes in a very stilted fashion.

    I think the best advice I could give to anyone, male or female, nerd or not, is just try to treat everybody normally, regardless of who they are.
  • Raw fucking genius:
  • What...The fuck.

    Have NONE of these people heard of a fucking LIBRARY?!
  • I don't see why that's a WTF. I greatly prefer indie bookstores, but any place that is both book-oriented and serves as a hangout for kids is a total win. The added "book lounge" atmosphere is also a lot more conducive towards chilling and talking than most libraries.
  • Have NONE of these people heard of a fucking LIBRARY?!
    Do libraries serve espresso?
  • edited November 2010
    The one I worked in over the summer did. We also had programming classes (C, Java and Ruby) and web stuff (learning HTML coding and such). Oh and we had a digitised catalogue. Even if it was in MYSQL, it rocked.
    Post edited by ElJoe0 on
  • Have NONE of these people heard of a fucking LIBRARY?!
    Do libraries serve espresso?
    Pretty sure the one in Brookline does. I'll take you guys there some day if you want.
  • I would just like to note, that hitting on female characters on D&D happens to males that play female characters. Something Burning Wheel helps with is having the human drama that many people crave as well as the dungeons and the dragons. Why not add a romance between two characters while you are in high adventure. Unfortunately, this becomes over done because there are a lot less female characters played in role playing games (and the women who did play, played male characters). I can't blame them for wanting to "role-play" a bit of the traditional, slay a dragon besides the cool thief chick who you playfully flirt with. I mean come on :-p
  • I would just like to note, that hitting on female characters on D&D; happens to males that play female characters.
    You haven't played with shitty enough people. ;^)

    What typically happens is scary nerds hit on the one girl roleplaying with them using the game as an excuse to be obnoxious.
  • What typically happens is scary nerds hit on the one girl roleplaying with them using the game as an excuse to be obnoxious.
    "But that's what my character would do" needs to be punishable by a shot to the mouth.

    Also, via my friend Will, a non-euclidean level in America's Army.
  • What typically happens is scary nerds hit on the one girl roleplaying with them using the game as an excuse to be obnoxious.
    "But that's what my character would do" needs to be punishable by a shot to the mouth.

    Also, via my friend Will, a non-euclidean level in America's Army.


    That level is perfectly euclidean, it just appears to be non-euclidean. Now what I want to see is a game engine that is actually non-euclidean, imagine the potential!
  • What typically happens is scary nerds hit on the one girl roleplaying with them using the game as an excuse to be obnoxious.
    "But that's what my character would do" needs to be punishable by a shot to the mouth.

    Also, via my friend Will, a non-euclidean level in America's Army.
    That level is perfectly euclidean, it just appears to be non-euclidean. Now what I want to see is a game engine that is actually non-euclidean, imagine the potential!
    Inception!
  • edited November 2010
    That level is perfectly euclidean
    Technically it's psuedo-non-euclidian.

    It's much easier to create the illusion than have an engine capable of actually processing such things e.g. Portal's rendering system.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • That level is perfectly euclidean
    Technically it's psuedo-non-euclidian.

    It's much easier to create the illusion than have an engine capable of actually processing such things e.g. Portal's rendering system.
    After I played through Portal's commentary, I began playing through the commentary of every Valve game I owned. It's so revealing and interesting!
  • There's a portal commentary? I'm downloading it again!
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