
Feminist Hacker Barbie - richtr
https://computer-engineer-barbie.herokuapp.com
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tzs
The original article on the problems with Computer Engineer Barbie got flag
killed, although later the moderators restored it. For those who missed it
during its dead time, here is the link:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8625092](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8625092)

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dijit
I dislike the term feminist because despite noble intentions it causes a lot
of controversy.

could you please call it "computer-engineer-barbie" like the URL suggests?

I realise the irony of me pointing this out.

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ck2
Wait, why do the idiots get to win for injecting controversy into the word?

 _Feminist_ has a very clear, important meaning.

Don't let anyone corrupt it.

~~~
parfe
If feminists just behaved more to his liking then he'd totally support their
efforts.

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tptacek
The comment you're applying to seems correct enough without doubling down on
it and using it as a barb. Sometimes people can just be wrong without being
bad people.

~~~
parfe
How'd you even find this post? The community flag killed it within an hour of
it being posted.

And the OP is being incredibly condescending to a project that is specifically
trying to help deal with that exact condescension. Who is he to ask they
rename their project? And specifically to make him feel better about the fact
that it promotes feminism. He deserves derision.

~~~
tptacek
I first posted on it at the same time you did.

There's probably no less effective way to persuade people than by pointing out
that people who disagree with you "deserve derision". It's a uniquely bad
rhetorical strategy. It makes you look like you care less about the underlying
issue than you do about status.

~~~
parfe
It's not about persuasion. The guy doesn't like feminism. What's there to
persuade? He's not suddenly going to think "Oh, thanks for typing up a
dissertation on why work still needs to be done for women to have to equal
opportunity and choice in our community! I hadn't thought of it before."

He's free to not like feminism. I don't care. But as ck2 did, I highlighted
how absurd it is that someone came in here with the implicit comment that if
the project just made a simple change he wouldn't have a problem with it.
That's absurd. If you have a problem with the word feminist you have a problem
with feminism, which the project is promoting.

And doubly absurd that your issue is with me and not a community that
flagkilled the story within an hour and upvoted a comment asking that the
dirty f-word not be used.

~~~
tptacek
The guy you responded to isn't the only person reading your comments.

When your comments stop being about persuading and start being about attempts
to shame people, that's a cue that maybe it's time to let the thread die.
Anyone who truly deserves derision probably doesn't care about your attempts
at shaming, and meanwhile incivility makes the whole thread look bad.

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balozi
What the heck is a Feminist Hacker anyway?

~~~
jrkatz
If we understand a 'Feminist person' to be a person who is a feminist, it
follows a 'Feminist hacker' is a hacker who is a feminist.

~~~
dragonwriter
OTOH, if we understand "Computer hacker" to be a person who finds clever way
to exploit computers, a "Feminist hacker" is...

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Alex3917
I have a feeling the kind of parents who (proactively) buy their kids Barbie
dolls would probably be horrified if their daughters expressed an interest in
software development.

~~~
cwp
Not true. Some of use are horrified our daughters have expressed an interest
in Barbie.

~~~
tptacek
If your kids are at an ordinary age to be interested in Barbie, I recommend
not being "horrified" by anything they do. (That doesn't mean you have to give
them Barbie dolls.)

~~~
cwp
Yeah, good point. I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I'm
horrified by Barbie. It's like they're trying really hard to invent more ways
for her to be shallow and ditzy.

Nevertheless I let my daughter consume the Barbieverse in moderation and wear
her Princess dress to school every now and then. I just try to make sure she
sees the world through other lenses as well.

