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A sexist notion just struck me: Am I crazy (or sexist), or are most of the folks who participate in this discussion board male? Martha doesn't count, because she is a host! When I say "most," I don't mean a simple majority; I mean an overwhelming, filibuster-proof majority. If my observation is wrong, someone please slap me down. If it is correct, how can we explain it?
For that matter, for all of you who do participate in here, what do your partners think of it? My wife looks at my participation with somewhat disdainful, but tolerant, amusement. Which is funny, I think, as her major in college was English, no less. She enjoys the Way With Words show when I put it on, but she wouldn't listen to it if not for me. She's a big fan of Prairie Home Companion, maybe because she sort of grew up with it. But all in all, she thinks it's a bit silly of me to bother with reading and writing in this discussion board. What's the point with a bunch of people you don't really know?
So this is where the sexist thing enters the discussion. If it is true that guys dominate this discussion board, is that because guys feel more comfortable discussing ideas with anonymous, faceless strangers? Or is it because guys, with their egos, feel a greater need to be seen and heard, even if by strangers? If this were a discussion board for football, we wouldn't wonder. But this is a DB about language and, at the risk of sounding sexist again, language is not thought of as a "male" topic. So what explains the male dominance here?
I think my wife is vaguely suspicious, like maybe AWWW DB is really a front for internet porn.
It will be interesting to learn if the gender thing is real. I believe it is real that, in recent history, males have been generally early adopters of new technology, and have gained a comfort level with technology more quickly. Perhaps that distinction doesn't hold so true for the youth (I haven't read any recent studies on youth) but probably not many teenagers are spectating AWWW DB, anyway. My guess would be the technology thing.
Good point about technology, but then I see so many women who can run circles around me with their Blackberries, iPhones, iPods, and even with all the gizmos on the dang cell phones. And I work in technology! In comparison, posting on a DB is child's play, easier than composing and sending an email, which plenty of "non-technical" folks in their seventies and older are doing. My mother and aunt, and all of their high school classmates, are great examples!
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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