Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Bob Biter · 06-11-2003, 07:46 AM

HiThereDear and JackSpratt:

If the tone of my post offended you, then I apologize. I went back and took out the curses, but my opinion on the matter still stands.

Obviously, there are times when a guy wants to talk to other guys exclusively. I fully agree with that. However, as I've mentioned before (and wasn't quoted on in your counter-points), the male/female ratio is stacked heavily in our favor. This means that the potentiality for any female response on male centered threads is substantially smaller than the opposite case. Even if women posted to a thread males deem "private" or "embarrassing," at least they are not physically facing each other. There's a lot to be said for the anonymity provided by the Internet.

While this argument could be construed to mean that said anonymity would also eliminate the need for an all-female board, I believe that its existence is better justified than any potential all-male board, based on my previously stated male/female ratio argument.

As for the "male rape thread" example, if the poster wanted a uniquely male perspective, he could've simply put a "male replies only please" warning on the thread title. While females would not be restricted to posting, I believe that this would be a sufficient deterrent. Rape, as was noted in that thread, is a problem that concerns everyone, which is why people from both genders replied. Also, it was posted in general discussion, one of the most heavily visited boards on this site. Had it been posted in "Titled Advice", with my previously mentioned warning, then I believe no women would have replied. Of couse, I realize that this is an isolated case.

As for my "articulate posts" comment, this was not meant to be all encompassing as if every male post was by nature mediocre, as my use of the word "frequently" was meant to convey. Please do not take this personally.

While I understand the desire for "fair play," I'm afraid I don't see what's unfair here. Obviously, if the ladies didn't feel like they were overwhelmed by male posts, they wouldn't need their own board. However, I've never seen a male poster complain about the fact that women were replying to a given thread, so, IMO, there's no problem here and an all-male board is not needed.

06-11-2003, 07:46 AM	#58 (permalink)
Bob Biter Non-smokers die everyday Location: Montreal	HiThereDear and JackSpratt: If the tone of my post offended you, then I apologize. I went back and took out the curses, but my opinion on the matter still stands. Obviously, there are times when a guy wants to talk to other guys exclusively. I fully agree with that. However, as I've mentioned before (and wasn't quoted on in your counter-points), the male/female ratio is stacked heavily in our favor. This means that the potentiality for any female response on male centered threads is substantially smaller than the opposite case. Even if women posted to a thread males deem "private" or "embarrassing," at least they are not physically facing each other. There's a lot to be said for the anonymity provided by the Internet. While this argument could be construed to mean that said anonymity would also eliminate the need for an all-female board, I believe that its existence is better justified than any potential all-male board, based on my previously stated male/female ratio argument. As for the "male rape thread" example, if the poster wanted a uniquely male perspective, he could've simply put a "male replies only please" warning on the thread title. While females would not be restricted to posting, I believe that this would be a sufficient deterrent. Rape, as was noted in that thread, is a problem that concerns everyone, which is why people from both genders replied. Also, it was posted in general discussion, one of the most heavily visited boards on this site. Had it been posted in "Titled Advice", with my previously mentioned warning, then I believe no women would have replied. Of couse, I realize that this is an isolated case. As for my "articulate posts" comment, this was not meant to be all encompassing as if every male post was by nature mediocre, as my use of the word "frequently" was meant to convey. Please do not take this personally. While I understand the desire for "fair play," I'm afraid I don't see what's unfair here. Obviously, if the ladies didn't feel like they were overwhelmed by male posts, they wouldn't need their own board. However, I've never seen a male poster complain about the fact that women were replying to a given thread, so, IMO, there's no problem here and an all-male board is not needed. __________________ A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.