On 3 February 2011 16:57, Nepenthe <topazbutterfly(a)gmail.com> wrote:
I wonder if Wikipe-tan is more of a generational issue
than a gender one.
I'm pretty much as humorless feminist as they come, but being in my early
20s, I grew up with anime and Wikipe-tan is no more disturbing to me in the
Wikipedia context than if we had come up with a Disney-style mascot not
wearing pants. (Granted, that OS-tans are pretty universally female is
undoubtedly a gender issue and the anime style is a legitimate concern as
well, but I think it's part of culture at large, not one that Wikimedia can
really address.)
I guess my point is that it might be a wash whether Wikipe-tan drives off
more older editors who find her offensive than she attracts younger editors
who find her friendly and familiar. It's really a side point though. It
never occurred to me that Wikipe-tan might be considered embarrassing or
inappropriate and I'm finding this conversation eye-opening.
Nepenthe
Well, I'm not thrilled about Wikipe-Tan, but the one that I identified
specifically ("Gothic Lolita") is particularly troublesome because of the
implications of the term "Lolita", which has a definite sexual meaning of
the type that Wikipedia probably doesn't want itself associated, even
indirectly. And no, I don't think that's age-specific; even young people
know that's a loaded term.
Risker/Anne