The most reasonable people are now afraid to speak
their mind. They rightly fear being shamed and
harassed by those who scream the loudest of abuse.And, while there are certainly quotes that could be misconstrued, I had a hard time seeing how anyone could take away part of this without at least acknowledging the rest. Yes, the author touches on some uncomfortable topics. Yes, I can see how someone might find certain arguments upsetting, or even offensive. At the very least, not everyone will agree with every point Wittens makes.
But the take-away, at least for me, was how vast the grey area is between the "sides" of these topics, and also how much of what we perceive (about people, sexism, and the tech industry as a whole) happens within a bubble. That there are a ton of related and important issues in the wider context, which fail to get addressed when the discussions are so narrow in scope.
There are plenty of other take-aways too, and perhaps I'm missing something that someone else will point out, but overall I found this piece really refreshing, especially after a the other discussions I've read lately, on HN and elsewhere.
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Note: I originally responded on this link, which is now dead:
Judging a book by its cover is the new tolerance. We throw people into the stocks based on feelings while ignoring intent and assuming victimhood. This is why I fundamentally disagree with equating offense with harassment: it provides unlimited ammo and shuts down discussion rather than giving people the benefit of doubt. It elevates the exception to the norm, by presuming the worst.
This is key. I can't be responsible for the feelings of every person who overhears anything I say. If I say something offensive, call me an ass and move on because I'm not worth giving any attention to.
5% of my subscribers are women, which hopefully goes to show that they too seem to understand lighthearted poke at ourselves.
Often, when people (myself included) write comments we're making an instant, gut reaction. We might have only read the title, the tl;dr, or heard second-hand. But it ignites our insecurity and we lash out. We're no longer wrestling with the author's thesis, we're focused entirely on ourselves.
"If you're ready for a build server so pretty you could take it to the prom.."
Is there some context or interpretation I'm missing that implies otherwise?
Now I cannot stop wondering what kind of patriarchal horror is hiding in robotfindskitten.