A question of pulling the thread?

[Jacki Schklar]

Again, not related to business, sorry, but late last Tuesday night I was accousted by three men in a parking lot and got away unharmed, just quite scared. Thursday night I posted my frustrations about being “surrounded” by men on here. I just put it together when I read Joe’s reply and I was also called for details again earlier today… Coincidence, probably not.

I think the topic is a valid point in general, but completely pointless to post about in a mostly male forum or anywhere, really.

[Mike Smith]

Sorry about your bad experience in the parking lot.

Isn’t it odd how things like that, aggression and bad karma, can grow, spread, spill out, when very few people want to be part of that?

As a man, I remember the shock I felt when I realized, as I walked down a quiet suburban street late evening, coming from the subway, that the woman walking maybe 100 yards in front of me was scared of me. (I had to slow, go back a way, cross the road – let her get right out of her sense of danger.)

A lot of guys play fair, do the right thing (by our own lights, granted), want to be the good guy. But if we let it, it only takes a very few to poison things. And that spark, in my experience, can come from men, or from women.

If we sit in the room and let one person crack offensive, racist, sexist or whatever remarks, or abuse the office junior or the support staff (one broadcast exec of my acquaintance over here, female, is notorious for that – it’s really not only guys), do we become complicit?

Hope you find the space you’re looking for.

[Brendan Coots]

Personally I think your frustrations, while perfectly valid, are aimed in the wrong direction. The case has been made that the lack of female participation here is due to lack of interest from women, plain and simple. If that irritates you or makes you feel like the Cow is less because of it, why not recruit some of your female friends to participate? When you get down to it, there’s nothing any of us can do short of being encouraging and inviting. I think this site does an excellent job on both fronts.

And as a side note, if you feel attacked it might be because no answers, no matter how sincere (or true) have seemed to satisfy you. I get the feeling we are all trying to make the same point using different wording in hopes that you will get the message – want more of X on the Cow? Make it so!

Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com