[LINK] How to Make oneself Unpopular - Was FemTechNet

[tomk]

Stephen,

Whilst your posts are usually informative, this ones intent and sixties 
style call to revolution raises my hackles...

On 14/09/2012 7:20 p.m., stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
>> From:   Melissa Gregg<melissa.gregg at sydney.edu.au>
>> Date:   Fri, 14 Sep 2012 02:36:27 +0000
>> Subject:  FemTechNet - new network and teaching initiative
>   
>
> FemTechNet - new network and teaching initiative
>
> Colleagues:
>   
> I am writing to introduce you to FemTechNet*, an international network of
> scholars and artists who are conceptualizing, designing, building and
> implementing the world's first DOCC* (Distributed Online Collaborative
> Course), a feminist rethinking and redoing of the unidirectional,
> massive, somewhat imperialist MOOC* (Massively Open Online Course).
> (* Please see definitions of our terms below).
Reminds me a bit of the words to that world war 2 rallying cry (anthem) 
of the German people; "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (literally, 
"Germany, Germany above all") *.*
We could just change the words,  Feminists, Feminists, /über alles/

>   
> Our DOCC, Feminist Dialogues on Technology, will be offered September-
> December 2013, on fifteen campuses around the world, at least one each
> per continent.
>
> Members of our network who do not take or teach the course can follow and
> participate in this pedagogic experiment in a variety of voluntary
> capacities, small and large.
>   
> First step: we request that you join our network!
<SNIP>

>   
> Thanks for your interest and please see terms below.
>   
<SNIP>
>   
> *Terms:
>   
> FemTechNet is a network of hundreds of international scholars and artists
> who work on or with technology in a variety of fields including STS,
> Media and Visual Studies, Art, Women's, Queer and Ethnic Studies.
>
>
Which is a watered down version of their website introductory statement:

Quote/ [From:https://lists.uoregon.edu/mailman/listinfo/femtechnet]
"Welcome to the FemTechNet listserv, a network of hundreds of 
international feminist scholars, students and artists who work on or 
with technology in a variety of fields including STS, Media and Visual 
Studies, Art, Women's, Queer and Ethnic Studies./Quote

Yes, let's all be equal.

But if you want to be a member of our little club, make sure you qualify 
under our "Terms"....

This type of Germaine Greer activism has past it's due by date.
In the Western world, men and women have reached an equilibrium.
Even in the land of Blokes and mates, we have at last a woman Prime 
Minister.
I doubt there is a heterosexual man anywhere in Australia that doubts 
even for a millisecond that women wear the longest, thickest and most 
expensive pants in any relationship.

"Behind every successful man is a hard working woman."

The only separation remaining between the sexes is those that are 
entrepreneurs and those that are not.

Women that have an entrepreneurial bent, lead and command top flight 
salaries.
Women that are not entrepreneurial, usually wind up as do 
non-entrepreneurial males, in supporting lesser paid roles.

Unemployment levels between the sexes seesaw - (See References.) - 
showing an equilibrium between the sexes.

Organisations that continue to draw a line and determine membership by 
sex, sexual preferences and ethnicity have no business in our modern 
society.

Any organisation (in the West) that attempts to justify it's existence 
by calling on the "Sisterhood", the "Rainbow" or utilising the "Race 
Card" is merely a "hate" wedge attempting to promote the rights of one 
group over another.

This is no longer a cry for equality. With words like :

Quote/"a feminist rethinking and redoing of the unidirectional,
massive, somewhat imperialist" /Quote

Such organisations have passed the tipping point of acceptable self 
promotion and are bordering on being guilty of massive social injustice 
engineering of our next generation and their real motivations should be 
carefully weighed up and analysed by all free thinking honest individual.
Equality is attained by respect. Let us call a stop to all segregating 
activity that strives for equality via any type of "ism", division and hate.

Here's some news for the Feminists out there. We had the revolution, the 
final score was Women 60 Men 40.
Ask the following question of any kid under thirty... "Who's in charge 
of your family, Mum or Dad ?"

A few poignant questions to any woman who believes that she is not equal 
to a man;

At the office, do you wear perfume, makeup, short skirts and a cross 
your heart lift and separate bra with a low cut blouse ?
Do any of your girlfriends wear such accoutrement's at their place of work ?
Have you ever flirted with a policeman to get out of a traffic ticket ?
Have any of your girlfriends ever flirted with a policeman to get out of 
a traffic ticket ?
Have you ever flirted with a customer to land a sale ?
Have you ever smiled at the big fat kid on the bus so you get his seat ?

These are the elements that contribute to the trough of Feminist 
disappointment through stereo-typing.
Removing these last barriers to gender equality will not be achieved 
through militant Feminist woman Gay and Ethnic only groups.

References:
Quote/: 
[http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics#Male_and_female_unemployment_trends]
The annual average unemployment rates for 2009 and 2010 were 
consequently slighlty higher for men (9.1 % and 9.7% respectively) than 
for women (9.0 % and 9.6 %); in 2011 however, unemployment for males 
slightly declined in the EU-27, while that of women continued to 
increase such that the rate for males was again lower at 9.6 % than that 
for females (9.8 %). /Quote