23/09/2002

[Techno Men]

I hear these women raving 'bout their monkey men
About their cheating husbands and their no good friends
These poor women sit around all day and moan
Wondering why their wandering papa's don't come home
But wild women don't worry, wild women don't have no blues
- Ida Cox

My aunt's birthday was yesterday. I didn't send a card.

Recently, on one of the many lists I am signed up for, I've noticed a distinct shift in tone. Partly I think this is because I receive the digest version (the volume of emails was too much) and so it allows for a broader perspective on the threads of conversation going on. Partly it's because a bunch of guys have signed up for it.

The list is ostensibly for women in the tech-field, who run the gamut from neophyte to expert. There is no (obviously) restriction to it being only for women (nor did I think there should have been), but since all the guys have joined, I've noticed this metamphorosis.

• First there was the increase of technical posts [proof of being a techno-techno man]
• Then the move from the signatures ending in lovely little phrases like "warmly" to either nothing, or full-blown authority credits (ie: DJ, VP, BA, MSC, all the urls I've ever worked on -- ba da bing ba da boom)
• Then the opening phrases, once a friendly greeting -- as simple as hello, to a detailed update of life circumstances (I've been off-list for a few months due to having kids ...) -- have now transcended to the clear and lucid "bullshit!"

Should I write the listmeister and complain? Normally I don't bother any more pointing out these gender issues. It's important to pick one's battles well. But this did seem to be an easy target.

Yours warmly,
crankygirl

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