Well, yes, reasonably so—I wouldn’t be attending a meetup. I just find it amusing because the wording is what I’d often hear used in the opposite meaning—at a low status party, you ask this to someone as a compliment, like, they aren’t that low status then why they’re here? Must have been dragged in by an awfully low status boyfriend (the point is to make a joke at her existing boyfriend’s expense and see the reaction). Of course, in the context of e.g. science museum, that’d have entirely different meaning and is indeed awful.
edit: To explain.
In the context of a meetup, it’s a classical insecure, low status move. The guy feels need to assert that LW is awesome and above what women can understand, which is what is done mostly when there’s nothing really awesome and everyone involved knows that at some level. You’d not hear that sort of thing often at some sort of cool, tech related gathering which is high status and no one needs to assert anything.
Well, yeah, I’d have to say on the second thought that programmers are comparatively uncultured, especially in the west (the gender ratio in technical subjects in the west is absolutely ridiculous). I’m from eastern europe, gender ratio is not awesome here but not that skewed either, or at least, used to not be skewed so much. I do think though you’d hear that way less often on more classy of the conferences.
Does that matter? The post is arguing that it’s unlikely to be taken as a compliment.
Evidence? The target of the statement didn’t take it as an insult, some random bystander did.
The target of the statement politely said that she didn’t take it as an insult.
Well, yes, reasonably so—I wouldn’t be attending a meetup. I just find it amusing because the wording is what I’d often hear used in the opposite meaning—at a low status party, you ask this to someone as a compliment, like, they aren’t that low status then why they’re here? Must have been dragged in by an awfully low status boyfriend (the point is to make a joke at her existing boyfriend’s expense and see the reaction). Of course, in the context of e.g. science museum, that’d have entirely different meaning and is indeed awful.
edit: To explain. In the context of a meetup, it’s a classical insecure, low status move. The guy feels need to assert that LW is awesome and above what women can understand, which is what is done mostly when there’s nothing really awesome and everyone involved knows that at some level. You’d not hear that sort of thing often at some sort of cool, tech related gathering which is high status and no one needs to assert anything.
http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Here_with_my_boyfriend
Well, yeah, I’d have to say on the second thought that programmers are comparatively uncultured, especially in the west (the gender ratio in technical subjects in the west is absolutely ridiculous). I’m from eastern europe, gender ratio is not awesome here but not that skewed either, or at least, used to not be skewed so much. I do think though you’d hear that way less often on more classy of the conferences.