On Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 6:30 AM, Erik Moeller <erik@wikimedia.org> wrote:
IMO this list was started as an inclusive forum for discussion of
gender gap among equal participants. Discrimination by gender doesn't
make sense to me.
Erik,
Can I ask you a personal question? What gender are you? If you aren't female, why are you participating in this conversation? (And why is any person who gender identifies as male participating? Seriously? The question are basically for female participants basically: Do as a woman you feel like you have better chances to empower women than men do? Do you as a woman feel that you behave differently in a community dominated by men? Do you as a woman feel like your modes of communication change in mixed gendered groups?)
I think this is an issue of empowerment. Women can empower women more than men can empower women. When men empower women, it often doesn't work because who likes it when some majority group comes in to tell them what they should and should not be doing. This isn't about discriminating: This is about empowering.
I've read enough comments on this list to definitely feel discriminated against: Women's concerns don't matter! seems to be the underlying message. Fred makes flippant comments about gendered language. Michael implies women are stupid because they want to empower themselves. You, Erik, imply that women are discriminating against men on a list dedicated to increasing women's participation.
Please, tell me about your experiences as a male contributor to Wikipedia. Please, as a man, tell me all your problems with Wikipedia. Then Erik, tell me so that I as a woman fix them all for you. Because we know men can't solve problems at all unless women do it for them. (And if that offends you, then realise that some of us women may see the need to go to men to beg them for help to fix our problem the same way.)
Now, maybe because I'm a woman, I just don't understand your message here Erik. Why do you feel discriminated against? And do you feel that your position of feeling discriminated against carries more weight than that of women on this list?