TaKe BaCk tHe tEcH.

by Haz Thu Nov 23, 2006 12:38

I recently raised (an admittedly fairly trivial) sexually demeaning online advert and I was pretty stunned by the general ignorance and inability to engage in meaningful discussion:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055013531

The more people do take their part in the web, the more accepting it will become - the Motley Fool (http://boards.fool.com/Index.aspx?ref=topnav) has the most welcoming forums I have visitied.

by milly Thu Nov 23, 2006 13:54

when i use the internet

i am a writer with a voice

when i stop.

i can feel my heart beating again.

by Shipsea Thu Nov 23, 2006 13:55

Had a look at your link, Haz. What a thread. Sexism of every stripe is alive and well in Ireland. Pity the twit who allowed herself to be used for a 'joke' like that. She might not find it so funny if she were living with someone who demanded that behaviour whether she liked it or not. Or perhaps she had no choice? As for the comments from the men - Irish men are neanderthal when it comes to this issue. Irish Broadband have calculated their market well - the younger, techie orientated Irish male - not usually a group associated with an understanding of feminism, as has been well researched and documented on IMC. Exactly the opposite, in fact. You seem to have run into some of them on that forum! Fantasisng about an unavilable woman in front of a computer screen? It's not so much a joke as an insult to everyone concerned, if they only had to nous to realise it.

Not surprising Irish Broadband are reduced to this, though, given the incompetence and tardiness I encountered when I tried to sign up with them last year - I ended up going to a well known Spanish-based company instead who were reliable, efficient and courteous.

by millie-tant Thu Nov 23, 2006 14:15

before 'Shipsea' de-rails the thread.

There is a very good website at the link:
http://takebackthetech.net

THERE; you can

1.tell your story.
2.use a sandbox.
3.create ideas for action opposing VAW (Violence Against Women)
4. There is a community project ongoing and it could be good- if the creative and
expressive ideas of women in politics/activism/protest are listened to.

ITS NOT ALWAYS FUN TO COMPLAIN=BE CREATIVE WITH YOUR ANGER.

Two women in mexico are outstanding for their dignity.

It's oK tO PrOpaGandiSe positively.

by Shipsea Thu Nov 23, 2006 15:05

The topic of my post is precisely on the point of your original post (if you are the same Millie-tant). It is about the violence (physical or cyber-based) that women experience from men. Haz posted an example of something she experienced in an ICT environment when she raised the subject of sexism in online advertising. I commented on exactly that issue. Know your friends from your enemies and stop the sly assaults on someone who actually supports the objectives of what you have posted here. Or are you incapapble of understanding the plain meaning of what I wrote? Im pretty sure I know who you are, though. Cowardly and inexplicable hositility. Still, its bound to impress some around here, I'm sure.

by Millie-tant Thu Nov 23, 2006 15:53

and again:

the link is http://takebackthetech.net

not:

http://allmenarebornbastards.net- using resources such as womyn@indymedia
in a creative and co-operative way for women to pool resources, and of course
create lovely subversive gossipy and recipe swapping sewing circles.

:-)

topics for discussion include: VAW/Abortion rights/religions/womenspaces/breathing spaces
bubbles of all varieties.

good cherry-scone recipes and how to construct a floral apron for gardening and eating
purposes.......there are also little discussions about:

Queerart.
Counterculture.
antiracism.
Unity
anti-violence and
anti-repression.

all female -type peoples can apply.

:-)
:-)
:-)

by Shipsea Thu Nov 23, 2006 18:38

Interesting example of one male IMC participant/s observation about cyber violence against women in the ICT context:

"I believe that this proposal is not enough to even begin solving some of
the sexism issues within Indymedia.

In our local example, with IMC-Ithaca, we started with an equal number
of women to men. Hindsight is 20/20, but through not having strong
enough of a social committment to non-violence and agressive pressure
comming from other parts of the Indymedia network early on, our group's
structure dissolved to a point where we're all men now.

I've seen a similar process in other IMC groups, and other "social
change" groups as well, where disagreements turn into agressivness,
which turns into a shouting match (or in our case, often flame wars over
lists and email), which always brings us back to a point where only men
can stand to continue participating. And even then, many men don't want
to participate due to the level of hostility.

Just because an IMC starts on the right foot as far as it's commitment
to gender equality does not mean it'll stay that way. I also do not
view our problems being that IMC men, generally, want to keep women out.
I don't view this as a sexism issue, but an issue of violence in the way
we treat each other within our local collectives and the network as a
whole.

As I have come to believe, the violent anti-social 'net "pop-culture"
which now dominates IRC, Newsgroups, and Web-based discussion boards
(including most IMC newswires) has found it's way into IMC circles,
becomming the social norm we've come to hate, representing the opposite
of what Indymedia's PoU states that we're for. The tech-heavy nature of
Indymedia attracts geeks, many of whom grew up in this "'net culture"
with little attention given to it's origin or ways to address it.

I believe a stronger statement would be a local committment of
non-violence within local IMCs, prehaps employed only by a few of their
members at first, gradually to be formally adopted as process of the
local groups. A stronger "offline" communications network, phone at the
very least, to begin breaking down the "net culture" within Indymedia by
seeing eachother as human beings. Lastly, a committed effort to break
down hostility within the global tech groups by both those involved and
by non-tech IMC'ers acting as mediators."

http://mail.indymedia.org/imc-process/2003-November/005....html

by anon Thu Nov 23, 2006 20:23

official policy of takebackthetech and it supporters

3.create ideas for action opposing VAW (Violence Against Women)

by Haz Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:21

violence can only perpertrated by men - official policy of takebackthetech and it supporters

Well the crime, prison, hospital, rape centre, refuge, workplace, school (etc etc etc) statistics do clearly, unambiguously demonstrate, beyond all reasonable doubt, and I am sure that nothing in http://takebackthetech.net/ disputes this, women are indeed responsible for some violence.

Take your place in the medium, walk through it and note (with humour and art of course, but with anger too) where it is unwelcoming.

*copyright (c) Michael Howard, 1994