[clug] What? There's women on this list! Since when?!

[Francis James Whittle]

(I hope you forgot to CC the list rather than sending just to me on
purpose?)





On Sun, 2009-07-12 at 15:29 +1000, Neill Cox wrote:
> This is another joke right?  Or are you seriously suggesting that
> white males are the most discriminated against group on the planet?
> As one small example, you are aware that females in Australia are
> still underpaid for the same work as males?

Review http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/aggregate?view=uk

On a per group basis, the group that is discriminated against by the
most other groups is as I wrote.  Which is not to say the largest volume
of discrimination is directed at them.  In fact, I'd be surprised if
anyone could come up with proof positive that Caucasian males don't dish
out more than twice as much as they receive.  We are, by and large,
nasty little men.  In summary:  Yes, it was a joke, or rather the
explanation of one.

I'm aware of the situation regarding payment conditions in Australia
(that applies to young people too, btw, and anyone the employer thinks
they can get away with shafting or won't miss when they decide to
leave).  I'm also aware we have a special arrangement here where we like
to pretend that things like discrimination and segregation don't exist
here, despite the fact that the evidence is overwhelmingly to the
contrary.  We have a definite "Old Boys' Club" mentality which is so bad
that it affects the very core of our various ways of life and the
quality to which we can live them.  That said, I'd like to hope there's
somewhere it's better, but I remain sceptical.  This is a much more
interesting topic of discussion than what obscurities of language we
use.

> I actually took the statement at face value.  If Lana doesn't want to
> be called a guy that's fair enough. 
>
> I don't see any problem in using inclusive language - it may take a
> little more effort but given how badly skewed the FOSS gender balance
> is the effort is well worth it.

Interesting point of trivia: The word ‘guy’ used as an improper noun was
first introduced to the English language to refer to an effigy of Guy
Fawkes.  Not only women have a right to be offended by its application.