[WikiEN-l] Introducing a new mailing list

[niht-hræfn]

On Dec 5, 2006, at 11:55, Bryan Derksen wrote:

> The Cunctator wrote:
>> On 12/5/06, Bryan Derksen <bryan.derksen at shaw.ca> wrote:
>>> And _this_ is pure tripe. Do you really think that my position is  
>>> that I
>>> don't want women to feel safe? If that's what you're implying  
>>> here I'm
>>> quite offended and suggest you retract it immediately. I've said  
>>> nothing
>>> remotely of the sort.
>>
>> Umm.... (looking desperately to change the direction of the
>> conversation....) How about those Nazi userboxes?
>
> What, are you saying I'm fat??
>
> (note, not actually offended on this one :)

Despite the fact that you're joking, and despite the fact that I'm  
not personally offended, that is a sexist remark. I find it  
especially inappropriate to make jokes at women's expense in a thread  
protesting the idea that women are treated in any way badly on this  
list. If Jew jokes were made every other post or so and this was  
considered okay and funny, I wouldn't be surprised if the Jews on  
list wanted a wikijews-l. More likely though, I'd think they'd leave  
the Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects on the basis that the Wikimedia  
Foundation allows rampant anti-Semitism on their mailing lists.

I really am shocked at the responses on this list. I'd think that the  
proper response would be, "I'm really sorry that you feel this way  
and that we never noticed it before. Is there any way we can make  
help make Wikipedia a more welcoming place for women?" and if the  
women said, "You know, it'd really help to have an all-women mailing  
list where we can talk about things without being ignored or  
dismissed," I'd hope you'd say, "It's a shame it's come to this, but  
if that will help, let's give it a try."

What I really never expected was that the community as it were would  
belittle the concerns brought forward by the women and go so far as  
to make fun of them.

--Keitei