If you don't already read chromatic's journal then you really should. In his latest entry he brings to light some particularly nasty sexism that he discovered over on Slashdot. It's an imoprtant debate and I'm linking to it here so that it gets wider audience.
And here's a thought. How about if everyone who objects to Randal's photos of "Hooters Girls" asked him to remove all photos containing their face from his archive. Remember he needs the precise URL to the photos. I know what I'll be doing this weekend :)
What's wrong with being sexy?
pudge on 2003-07-08T23:11:38
I despise sexism. I also despise censorship.
I don't care what Randal has in his image archive of me, as long as it does not damage my privacy. Of course, that means different things to different people, but if I wouldn't mind someone else having it, I wouldn't ask Randal to take it down, even if I thought he were the most despicable person on Earth (which is obviously not the case).
The Slashdot posters were bad
... but that is because they are bored little trolls who like to get attention. And they got moderated down by other Slashdot users, because their posts were bad ones. The posts are still there, but you won't see them unless you want to, by reading at -1.
I think the answer to sexism is not to attack the sexist people or content, but to yourself foster an environment of tolerance. I am not saying you shouldn't speak out against something you think is wrong -- far from it -- but there reaches a point -- and on Slashdot, that point arrives much sooner than later -- where the attention you give to highlight a problem does more harm than good, by giving people and views more exposure and attention they would have otherwise had. It's a case of diminishing returns.
I think we can do more for the cause of tolerance by not getting bogged down by the problems of sexism and just moving forward. If something is really getting in the way, address it, but try not to LET things like Hooters pictures and Slashdot discussions get in your way. That gives them power they don't deserve to have.
