I don't get it.

[lederhosen]

I don't get all the fuss about the 'Open Source Boob Project' business.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that it's skeezy and obnoxious and all. I just don't get why Some Guy On LJ being skeezy at a con is suddenly provoking such a flurry of posting, because my understanding is that there are lots of skeezy people on LJ - quite a few of whom go to cons - and generally it doesn't attract anywhere near this level of attention. If it was Orson Scott Card or somebody else famous (or even Brendan Nelson) I could understand, but not this.

(I think what this boils down to is that a lot of people seem to view the originator of the concept as a Somebody, and I've never figured out what makes him any more noteworthy than all the other folk on LJ who have opinions and aren't afraid to post them. Therefore I just write him off under the "lots of people are idiots" umbrella category.)

Comments

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Hm, I noticed quite a number of explanations, actually, not all of which were incoherent before he changed his tune.

Personally, I wouldn't have given a toss if he'd said that it was a fun thing he and his (male and female) cronies came up with - it was the attempt to imply that it should be a universal thing that got everyone's backs up.

[hpapillon.livejournal.com]

And since I'm only hearing about it well after the storm, I'm mostly seeing the apologies and explanations and not any obnoxious insistences that everyone should love this, which is probably why I'm falling on the "What's the big deal?" side.

[nicked-metal.livejournal.com]

Hm, I noticed quite a number of explanations, actually, not all of which were incoherent before he changed his tune.

Yes, and I'm absolutely convinced that the non-incoherent explanations were a significant factor in him changing his tune. Not least because he acknowledges them in the bit where he changes his tune.

Personally, I wouldn't have given a toss if he'd said that it was a fun thing he and his (male and female) cronies came up with - it was the attempt to imply that it should be a universal thing that got everyone's backs up.

Maybe so, but a little personal context is here. This is the same man who talks about how a happy marriage is based on the same principles as a winning Magic deck. He's pretty much incapable of opening his mouth without claiming to have unlocked the secrets of a happier society. While there's generally a grain of truth in what he has to say, a generous helping of salt does not go astray.

I'm disappointed in the people who have been reading him for years (I know with certainty that one of the orchestrators of the feminist reaction was reading him in 2003) that linked to his post and screamed bloody murder. They should have known better.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I don't think he's Teh Ebil - I certainly didn't feel the need to go WAHHHHHH at him myself in his post (I mean, I think a few "do you know how this sounds?" comments were more than sufficient), but, hm, while it was an over-the-top reaction, if it makes a few more people think about over-generalising from a particular set of circs, great.

I mean, I've certainly done the same thing - linked to something eye-rolly - not with the intent for them to be buried under the onslaught and do penance for the next 500 years, but to alert my small circle of like-minded friends to the cluelessness. Unfortunately, these things can go exponential due to the nature of the internets and how many people the situation might resonate with.

I think many of us have had the experience of being disappointed by someone who thinks they are more 'evolved', thus the level of response (although continuing to pile in, after the first couple of dozen comments, was kinda redundant).

[nicked-metal.livejournal.com]

I have absolutely no problem with people expressing disappointment, I think that the occasional expression of disappointment is vital to a healthy relationship.

but, hm, while it was an over-the-top reaction, if it makes a few more people think about over-generalising from a particular set of circs, great.

Agreed. But the more over-the-top the reaction gets, the more likely it becomes that people will go 'I wish those people would shut up' instead of trying to understand.