On 23 July 2015 at 11:08, Carol Moore dc <carolmooredc(a)verizon.net> wrote:
<snip>
I might even be pursuaded to show up since it's in
DC. The whole
Wikipedia experience is just one more sexist/ageist thing that made me
antisocial in my old age, I'm afraid. booo hoooo ;-)
I just want to comment here that attending Wikimedia-related social events
has been a remarkably positive experience for me, and for many other women
I have met. First, there's visible evidence that there really *are* other
women out there - we may be smaller in number, but there is a level of
camaraderie that transcends language and culture. Second, as many
researchers have found, it's a lot harder to verbally abuse the person
standing in front of you, and I have seen several examples of individuals
who have modified their behaviour after that sort of personal
"confrontation". And, as a member of the over-50 set, I've always been
pleasantly surprised at how non-marginalized older Wikimedians are - I
found less age bias at Wikimedia events than I have in almost all other
similar events.
I do encourage those who can attend events, whether local, national or
international, to do so.
Risker/Anne