I’ve met a lot of very smart computer engineers who are the same. It reminds me of Neal Stephenson in Cryptonomicon, discussing a particularly virulent breed of chauvinist in the tech and gaming scene. He said they honestly believed they were “too smart” to be misogynists.

I knew this engineer, and he was crazy smart. But he could never hold a job because he was smelly, filthy, greasy, his teeth were never brushed, and every time he opened his mouth he’d say something inappropriate. He was a really good engineer, but he was basically doomed to failure at all human interaction.

No let’s not, because it was white as fuck.

Sure sweetheart. Whatever you say.

“Color blindness” ignores systemic racism. And things are already not being accomplished. That’s what all the protesting is about. We’re already divided. This is all racism 101 stuff by the way.

And whenever black people demand rights, we talk about divisiveness. And that doesn’t help anything either. But you keep doing it, and refuse to recognize the history behind that argument, and refuse to recognize why the movement is sick of it. Your arguing something that’s already been argued for decades, and is…

Of course you can. It’s a false dichotomy. Everything isn’t either or. In fact, most things aren’t. Nuance is important.

Everyone is complicit if they’re too busy nursing their defensiveness to focus on the seriousness of rape.

I’m so sorry. I received similar responses the infinity of times I tried to report my profoundly abusive parents. (I was very stubborn about being heard.) I was ignored, belittled, told I was lying, punished for my “behavior” (by reporting.) I was even told I should just “run away” if it was so bad, by the guidance…

Awww, who’s angry? Is it you? Yes I think it is!

I think you assume the term is what is making people defensive. That is incorrect. People are defensive because they don’t want to confront the uncomfortable reality of rape culture. No different term that comes to describe rape culture will be any more acceptable than this one.

Predators are good at picking out vulnerable victims. There’s a reason why homeless people, people with mental disabilities, elderly people in nursing homes, children in the foster care system and prisoners are at much higher risk for sexual assault or rape. Predators look for people who either can’t report, or will…

Thank you for sharing this, and I’m sorry for what you went through. Very well said.

I think that’s kind of the entire point though. Much like institutional racism, rape culture is everywhere. It’s the insidious and ubiquitous nature of it that makes it so difficult to fight. We tend to get so absorbed in defending institutions and groups we love, that we forget the fight has to be brought everywhere.…

Me too. There are so many things I allowed, thinking I had to, thinking I deserved it. I wish I’d had someone like this around to set me straight.

Beautifully written, thank you.

Your obsession with the Sarah Palin thing is bizarre. Especially after she addressed it specifically.

Then how do you know he’s gay? Because he said so? How is that keeping quiet?

You’re talking right now. Exactly how are you being stopped from talking?

They interrupted Jeb Bush as well.