I don't know what's left to say. I'm not sure I have much left in me to say truthfully. I feel very strongly about this topic and my opinion has not swayed. I maintain that this board can be a very unwelcoming place for women. I think the way I have been treated (by some, not all) in this thread and others serves as an example of how unwelcoming this site can be for women.
I posted my thoughts, after being asked for them, and I took a beating for it. I've been called whiny, loud, self righteous, childish, hypocritical, too sensitive/PC, and was part of the squeaky wheel club. And why? Because I asked people to think before they speak. Some took what I thought was a simple request, and turned it on its ear talking about extreme "what if" scenarios. It hurts to see an argument that I thought was made sincerely and thoughtfully belittled and rejected as imagined sexism.
It's especially unfair, in my opinion, because all we did was ask for some consideration and respect. I didn't ask for a complete crackdown on anything remotely directed at a female. I am honestly shocked at the reaction. I didn't think this would be such a controversial situation. I am a very laid back person, but some of what I have read in this thread truly breaks my heart. I have a little baby niece and I weep thinking about what she is going to have to face in her lifetime.
I thought we had a decent discussion going on at times, but it's been derailed with discussion and focus on my avatar. So in the interest of moving forward, I will take down my avatar. I am doing this so we can move on with the discussion and we can hopefully come to some understanding of what can be done to better the site. I am also hoping that others will follow suit and reconsider their avatars.
Since this post seems to be creeping into martyrdom territory, I will wrap this up by saying that I really do feel strongly about this topic. I've experienced sexism and discrimination on a near daily basis, so it is difficult to not respond to some posts with anything but anger. If my anger got the better of me as a result, I apologize. If you think I've been childish, please don't let that paint our whole argument as simple angry ramblings that are without merit.
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-Elle-
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