Maybe I’m jumping the gun here, but do you see what’s going on with this Adria Richards/PyCon/PlayHaven affair? The factual developments have been widely discussed: PlayHaven confirmed yesterday that they fired someone for joking about “big dongles”; later in the day, Adria Richards, the woman who instigated the incident, was fired from her company, SendGrid.
What’s going on now, it seems, is that the bigger news outlets are catching hold of the story because Richards was fired when the travesty here is that the programmer from PlayHaven was let go.
BuzzFeed’s headline:
Woman Publicly Fired For Tweeting About “Sexual Jokes”
When Adria Richards was fired for complaining about sexually inappropriate comments at a tech conference the internet erupted. And now it looks like internet activists are attacking the people involved.
Unpack: Richards didn’t merely complain about sexually inappropriate comments – she outed people and shamed them publicly and then a company hidebound to gender equality at every cost fired the guy.
USA Today’s:
SendGrid fires staffer after her tweet exposed sex jokes
Those are the two biggest outlets to touch the story, and look at their slant. Adria Richards was fired by her company. The bigger and bloodier story is the fact that she got a guy fired from PlayHaven. And, of course, Jezebel waited to weigh in until a bunch of anonymous internet people said some bad things somewhere against Adria Richards. This reminds me of John Madden cautioning players against retaliating against opponents who strike first because “the referee always flags the retaliation.” Same here: USA Today and BuzzFeed are the referees.
In other news, Adria Richards has a history of being overly microly-aggrieved (h/t Pax):
Why don’t I enjoy Adria? I met her in New York some years ago at a conference and invited her to speak at a conference I was organizing in Boston. She was a very good speaker and I wanted her to help our beginners. She’s not an easy person- she didn’t like the title of her talk, she didn’t like her time slot, etc. Two weeks before the conference, we got a few emails from attendees that she had just threatened on her podcast to boycott our conference because one of our speakers, Danielle Morrill was giving a lightning talk about how to use screencasting software called “Getting the Money Shot”.
And the man who was actually fired from PlayHaven contacted VentureBeat using the moniker “Mr. Hank”, but he has not agreed to go on the record on the incident. “Mr. Hank” told the publication:
I have not yet been granted permission to quote the developer, who calls himself Mr Hank on Hacker News and emailed me from what looks like a very recently-created “mr hank” email account. In his email, “Mr Hank” said he just wants the issue to be resolved and over and is looking out for the best interests of his children. I’m still asking him for more details and permission to quote him.
One thing I think everyone could agree on?
“I wish this could just be about the issue,” the PlayHaven representative told me today. “This is an important topic to discuss, but the forum should be a constructive one.”
Let’s be clear about the reaction to this whole incident. Most people seem to abhor Adria Richards’ actions which led to this man getting publicly shamed and humiliated. ‘Mr. Hank’ gets residual sympathy just from being fired, but that masks his complete lack of backbone. He told VentureBeat that he is worried about his children. He’s thinking purely short-term. But what about the best interests of his kids regarding how easily they can be publicly shamed and then pushed out of a job just because a person with an agenda wants to make a statement? How about worrying about the fact that a minor and harmless expression of masculine yuks can alter the course of your life and put said children in a hard spot in the first place? The best interests of the children were diminished by Adria Richards. How about that anyone who wants to make an accusation about an offensive incident has complete and utter power over your child. That doesn’t piss this guy off? To bring in another euphemism: they’ll have his boys by the short and curlies.
I want to lay it out there that I know the identity of the guy who was fired from PlayHaven. A fear has been communicated to me over doxxing the guy and making his life all the worse. I’m not going to doxx anyone because outing the guy does not serve any purpose beyond my own desire to showcase my ability to do some internet sleuthing. But what is clear from my background work on this is that PlayHaven does not want anyone associated with the company to discuss this matter. The fear from the company is palpable, and that fear has been clamped on its employees. Their media contact doesn’t even answer the phone or return emails. The company CEO talked about having a conversation about gender equality, but neither he nor anyone who knows anything about the thinking behind the firing of the programmer is willing to start talking. It’s despicable behavior all the way around.
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” ‘Mr. Hank’ gets residual sympathy just from being fired, but that masks his complete lack of backbone”
It’s not clear to me why you say that. It sounds like he’s simply saying ‘no comment’ at this time.
One thing I learnt after having kids is that it isn’t always bullshit when someone takes a soft option “because of my kids”.
It isn’t always bullshit, but if no one involved on the receiving end of this fembot’s pogrom is going to stand up it won’t matter if she’s fired. It’ll happen with another and another until someone says public, loud and angry that this cannot stand.
Sure – I hope that he does stand up and give her a blast. But I can feel sympathy for his position.
We need to stop apologising for shit like this. People have the right to say whatever they want. There is no need to look at the etymology of the word ‘dongle’ in some vain attempt to explain that it derived from some sort of geeky sexual slang. The whole thing is a disgrace – as far as I can work out this silly bitch has never stated exactly what he said and whether it was said directly to her.
Did the fired programmer apologize?
“But what about the best interests of his kids regarding how easily they can be publicly shamed and then pushed out of a job just because a person with an agenda wants to make a statement?”
Exactly…
I don’t think so. I was speaking figuratively – everytime the media piles on for verboten speech- the ‘perp’ vainly grovels – much good it does them. This guy should be out and proud.
“But what about the best interests of his kids regarding how easily they can be publicly shamed and then pushed out of a job just because a person with an agenda wants to make a statement”
As the father of boys, this is the primary motivation for my anonymous intrnet ravings. I could sit in my office all day and then go home, watch Sons od Anarchy with the wife and ignore what’s going on. But, I am afraid that they’ll grow up and find themselves in a world where the likes of Richards can destroy their lives because of her personal crusade.
Yes he did, immediately and profusely.
Other commenters in that Amanda Blum thread that know Richards say that it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Amusing that no one that knows her has come forward to defend her, which is also telling.
She also leaked info on a backdoor exploit of Senatorial candidate Norm Coleman, which is a huge industry violation of ethics and actually illegal (worse than the offense that Weev was sentenced to as he reported the AT&T leak to Gawker before AT&T, where Richards posted about the leak on her own website and apparently never to the Coleman campaign).
She’s a career shit-stirrer.
Leftist playbook 101. Always take the moral high ground… and always play the victim. That’s why you ALWAYS see the “death threats” car, which of course are never investigated just reported. She is well trained.
What is sad is yesterday the manosphere was claiming victory. You had hope. Now reality has punched you in the face. This woman is not only going to WIN in the end, but smear poop in your faces. Sorry but the truth.
” immediately and profusely”
Well, then ‘spineless’ fits.
Will people ever learn that apologizing makes things worse? Its not even a coward’s bargain in that you’re forgiven when you debase yourself and renounce your beliefs as revealed by your gaffe – apologizing only makes it worse. (and not to be too hard on cowards as were all human and succeptible to weakness when pressed by an irresistable force and there are high stakes in play, like being responsible for a family.)
I do understand it though when liberals like this programmer or George Zimmerman apologize. The former being presumably feminist-friendly and the latter being an active anti-racist. When your own side condemns you, you really do feel remorseful.
But either way, never apologize in these situations. At least wait until you speak with a lawyer.
Going back to being responsible for a family… what sort of an example do you set for your children when you publicly apologize for something you did that wasn’t wrong?
Yes, never apologise.
The mistake people make in apologising in these situations is that that they believe the issue is one of right and wrong. They think – “My fem-bitch attackers are after me because I’m in the wrong, if I apologise then they will accept my error”.
Whereas in reality the issue is one of asserting power over an enemy. By apologising you are just saying “I am a weak enemy – do with me what you will”. If you are a member of a victim group then maybe you will get away with an apology, but these white middle class geeks are the enemy – no mercy for them – cut their balls off.
If the issue was one of right and wrong and principle then the fems would be going after blacks, Muslims etc. Actually strike that they would never have the intestinal fortitude to do shit like that.
PA 03/22/2013 at 6:00 am
Did the fired programmer apologize?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57575727-235/dongle-jokes-and-a-tweet-lead-to-firings-threats-ddos-attacks/
“Hi, I’m the guy who made a comment about big dongles. First of all I’d like to say I’m sorry. I really did not mean to offend anyone and I really do regret the comment and how it made Adria feel. She had every right to report me to staff, and I defend her position. However, there is another side to this story. While I did make a big dongle joke about a fictional piece hardware that identified as male, no sexual jokes were made about forking. My friends and I had decided forking someone’s repo is a new form of flattery (the highest form being implementation) and we were excited about one of the presenters projects; a friend said “I would fork that guys repo” The sexual context was applied by Adria, and not us.
“She gave me no warning, she smiled while she snapped the pic and sealed my fate,” he said. “Let this serve as a message to everyone, our actions and words, big or small, can have a serious impact.”
Continuing the train of thought of being responsible for a family and thus apologizing in vain hope of keeping your job:
Beta husbands aren’t so much concerned with the material and social hardship that comes with being fired; they are terrified of their wife coming down on them.
An alpha husband would wait out his wife’ natural shock and being upset with losing his job, and then he would explain to her why he is not apologizing, why he is right and his persecutors are wrong, why he is standing by his beliefs, and why she and their children ought to walk proud. He would then reassure her that he will find another job, two shitty jobs if necessary, and everything will be all right.
This is yet one more reason why being an alpha is better than being a beta.
” Whereas in reality the issue is one of asserting power over an enemy”
Excellent point
I agree, no apology. He doesn’t have to do anything, but hire a lawyer and sue for wrongful termination. Adria Richards, with her attention whoring, will hang herself.
He doesn’t even seem upset that he was fired. Makes me think he has another job lined up.
This woman wasn’t even a programmer, she was a glorified sales rep or PR person with a fancy title. Her job was to give the firm good PR and connect without other developers etc. That was her job. With her unbelievably overblown sense of entitlement, she can’t even do that. She provoked people in a passive aggressive way, gave her company a black eye and alienated large masses of potential clients or employees. What … a … bitch.
Sorry, “connect WITH other developers …”
You know she has been a problem employee for a while, now, and they’ve been looking for a way to get her out. Looks like they found it.
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Wow – what a pissweak statement.
Irony is an addiction for these dweebs -
Hi, I’m the guy who made a comment about big dongles.
she snapped the pic and sealed my fate,
I don’t know what to make of that whole long and stupid explanation about forking.
Taking an actual position can always be criticised, much safer to be sarcastic. At least a real apology would have been sincere. He wants to say that she over-reacted but lacks the balls. This guy is no Voltaire.
Apparently I would fork that guys repo is a hanging offence these days and this dweeb who has lost his job because of it thinks that’s kind of OK but lame.
The headlines sympathize with fired Ms. Richards, but the content each read neutral. The USA Today report addresses “how she reported the conduct”, and “private conversations/public shaming.”
As to the question of apology or not: I receive my fair share of professional attacks and my immediate impulse is to not apologize. Seems to work well for me.
#womenruineverything needs to start trending right the fuck now.
” The headlines sympathize with fired Ms. Richards, but the content each read neutral.”
Vile apologist jz, that is still lies and manipulation of public opinion because most people only read the headlines.
I still don’t understand why the fired developer didn’t just deny everything. Its a crowded room, full mainly of somewhat scruffily dressed white programmers in their 30s who look pretty similar to the untrained eye, and there is no video.
Simply saying “She must have confused me with someone else who made such an insensitive remark” is a perfectly good cover, and there is literally no way to prove it wrong. Even the most oversensitive HR can’t act on it. The “These aren’t the droids you are looking for” approach would have solved the problem.
These programmers need to learn from bankers – straight-faced denial is the best way to handle these things.
As I said up the thread has this loathsome bitch ever actually made a concrete allegation as to what was said ?
At this point it appears that we have something like -
Nerd Beavis – “That guy on stage must have a big dongle”
Dork Butthead – “Right on man, I would sure like to fork his repo”
Fuck me dead.
Apparently lame double entendres are now an indictable offence.
I’m guessing “Are You Being Served” is not going to be shown on American TV any time soon -
Well, SendGrid is not likely to hire Richards back; she’s a huge black eye for the company.
But Playhaven’s whipping boy of the hour isn’t getting his job back, either. Frankly, the whole situation is ridiculous, and I would hope that young developers take this lesson to heart: even the tech industry, that former bastion of nerd-dom, is not safe from the Anita Sarkeesians (and their manboobed sepoys) of this world.
BTW this made it to the Justice Porn subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/JusticePorn/comments/1aqqql/feminist_gets_programmers_fired_because_she_felt/
He doesn’t have to do anything, but hire a lawyer and sue for wrongful termination.
This. And if his lawyer has any sense, he can use Shrikey McShrikes own words against her. In her blog she admits to being quick to take offense and to be constantly scanning around her for threats. She is clearly paranoid and trigger-happy. On the other than, the dummy that got fired fessed up to it and apologized, so that could make legal action more difficult. Had he taken the “I didn’t say anything, she’s crazy” approach, he would have had ample evidence of her paranoia (her own words) and his company would be left with a she said/he said where the “she” is clearly a loose canon. Oh well.
I just wish I was a customer of PlayHaven so I could stop buying whatever it was I bought from them.
This will go off the radar in a few days and another outrage meme will emerge from the femedia.
After 30 years in tech I don’t want anything to do with “women in tech”. For every bright, talented gal who is easy to work with there is an angry, militant female with a chip on her shoulder and a willingness to invent victimization to further her co-worker agenda. I approach any interaction with workplace females with trepidation as there is a 50/50 chance she will play this card when it suits her needs. I have been sexually harassed by women on every job I have had. I have had them concoct lies to discredit me at no cost to them. I have constantly had them assume I am hot for their feeble wares and get indignant when I showed zero interest. I have had female co-workers perform a screaming, public meltdown when I did not reciprocate their advances, at not cost to them but inflicting a cloud of suspicion on me. More times than I can count I have had them make a show of “rejecting” me as if I had a romantic interest in them when all I was doing was interacting to get the job done. In every job there has been a low-talent queen bee who self-promotes through office drama and intrigues. These meddlers have gotten me fired and I have witnessed them teaming up to get some poor sap fired by bending the ear of the mangina boss. I have had women threaten to “tell their husband” over some trifling workplace friction. I have heard them publicly disparage “white males” and then publicly fawn over the lone black man, much to his embarrasment and discomfort. They have fumed with rage when younger, prettier women entered the mix. It is cliche for them to dress innapropriately and act flustered as if the men were staring at their baggy cleavage. And always, the required sexual harassment training to reinforce the whole fabric of gender-based lies.
Not to mention the constant carping about “careers” and men’s failure to promote total equality and fairness. As if eking out a living were not difficult enough we are to take special time out to enable our competitors.
But either way, never apologize in these situations. At least wait until you speak with a lawyer.
Going back to being responsible for a family… what sort of an example do you set for your children when you publicly apologize for something you did that wasn’t wrong?
The Joan of Arc thing though – go along and get along – keep the head down – the lead dog is fore pawed and frayed.
“I still don’t understand why the fired developer didn’t just deny everything. ”
The same character traits that makes someone a good programmer also tends to make them perfect victims for sociopaths, ie literal-mindedness, guilability, strong sense of fair play, social cluelessness, etc. Which explains why there are so many feminists who make careers in “technology”; they’ve found prey with virtually no resistance against their attacks.
Similiar reasoning goes for all nerd-dominated fields. It’s like watching dodos go up against european sailors.
On a different note, I can’t help but wonder how much friction this crap costs and how much less competitive this makes western companies compared to companies in cultures where they simply don’t give a fuck about equality.
I suspect a HUGE part in the advantage of startups is that they are much more able to avoid parasites and freeloaders.
The sad thing to me is that the women in tech I’ve worked with have been mostly really terrific. They’d probably have responded to dumb dongle jokes with a reply so filthy those guys would have blushed and been dumbstruck.
Most women in tech are the kind of women who grew up with boys, hung out with boys, and have zero problem handling a little mild sexism with a laugh and a cutting put-down of their own. Adria Richards gives them a bad name.
four pawed, by the way
though it works for the cock roaches and cray fishes
apologizing did not work for Jesus – nor in the white man’s adaption of his story
sorryz
getting self referentially obscure
i knowz – need my own blog
what i meant was that apologizing works for insects – and not for white men
insects have two more than four appendages or limbs – yes i know
they are eu social and i am not
How sweet it would be if this dude just grew a dongle and made a statement to the press along the lines of, “Are you serious? I made a joke that would barely get me a reprimand from a teacher in third grade, then I get fired, and yet somehow this snitching little professional victim gets your sympathy? Screw you, I’m just contracting from here in out.” Or something along those lines.
Dude needs to realize that while this may feel like USSR under Stalin, there’s actually no Siberia and he can certainly make a better living with his skills than at a company that caves to these kinds of nitwits.
GLU Mobile is apparently one of the biggest customers of PlayHaven.
Boycott them as a message to PlayHaven.
“I suspect a HUGE part in the advantage of startups is that they are much more able to avoid parasites and freeloaders.”
At a small enough startup, there is no such thing as a Human Resources department. It’s bliss.
No pity among competitors of SendGrid or something.
Fork my Dongle tshirts
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A man gets his legs blown off and the world shrugs. A woman gets a hangnail and Something Must Be Done About This Now, Dammit!
First it was the atheist community, then it was Science Fiction Fandom, now it’s the Python community. Who’s next?
I’m seriously considering boycotting any convention that has a really obnoxious “sexual harrasment” policy. I may not have the moral fortitude of Zed Shaw, but I can try.
He’s probably not talking to the press because he’s suing the company for wrongful dismissal.
I don’t care for her at all but why on earth would her employer fire her via facebook?
Point about the dodos and the European sailers – I mean, sailors? The Europeans tried eating the dodos and decided they tasted awful. It was the dogs, pigs, rats et al. they brought along who ate all the dodos.
Here’s a scenario – how about Adria being a growing ball of anger because she has to suck up to white male bosses in her job. For such a politically hardcore fembo that has got to create tension.
So she is desperate to find some kind of offence that she can use as an attention seeking device plus she desperately needs to make some random white males miserable in the way a kid wants to pull the wings off flies – because she can.
But try as she can to find offence there is none anywhere. She might not have been even getting any lustful glances from those conference nerds. That has got to hurt.
So she is sitting there getting angrier and angrier and overhears these guys, she turns around and takes a picture and – kaboom.
(In one of her videos she goes on at length at how she is black and Jewish so obviously she is very ethnically aware as well}
We should go for the throat. Old-time allies of the Left can be turned our side:
https://oogenhand.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/age-of-consent-should-be-fourteen/
So I take it all you losers want to do is gangrape and butcher Richards? Because that’s what you sound like.
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