Washington State LUG to Hold "Nerd Auction"

elrous0 writes "As part of a PR stunt, a Washington Linux user group is holding a "Nerd Auction" and appealing to local sororities to exchange dates and makeover advice for their computer skills and homework assistance. 'The problem is that we're all still nerds. Let's face it, guys. If anyone's going to bid on us, we'll need some spicing up,' writes Washington State Linux Users Group president Ben Ford on the group's website. 'And who better to help with that than sorority girls who like nothing better than a makeover?' So far there has been no comment on how a Linux user group is going to help sorority girls with their Windows machines."

Comments

Holy Crap, that's sexist.

[Anonymous Coward]

'And who better to help with that than sorority girls who like nothing better than a makeover?'

WTF! If I was a sorority girl, I'd be pissed.

Re:Some Answers

[Anonymous Coward]

I realize that your group has good intentions (trying to increase females' interest in CS) but your event is demeaning to women, nerds, and Greek student organizations. Not all women are computer-illiterate, and many nerds would take offense to having their demographic being portrayed as a group that needs to be auctioned off to meet women (which I know you said wasn't the point of the event, but to Average Joe, that's what it looks like).

Even worse, the public already has a negative view on fraternities and sororities. The average person sees fraternities as a bunch of party guys, and sororities as a group of wild and sassy girls. Contrary to public belief, there are many fraternities and sororities that do a lot of good for their school campuses and local communities. Your "nerd auction" seems to reinforce the idea that sorority girls are a bunch of girls with no technical skills.

Why do you all play up to this stereotype?

[Conspicuous Coward]

Why do so many people here play into this wretched stereotype of the Linux user as a socially inept weird guy whose only chance of procreation is if some dumb sorority girl offers him a mercy fuck after he fixes her computer...
I find it profoundly depressing that so many of you have internalized this kind of nonsense to the extent you actually repeat and propagate these stereotypes of yourselves.

This "nerd auction" simultaneously insults and stereotypes women(as sex objects who need a man for anything technical) and Linux users(as socially inept nerds).

I'd expect the former on a male dominated computer-user forum, depressing as it is. The way in which people here propagate these negative stereotypes of themselves is genuinely surprising to me though. Is this an American thing? Do all intelligent young people get beaten so badly in high school that they lose all self esteem? Or just what the hell is this all about Slashdot? I Demand answers dammit!!

Re:Some Answers

[The One and Only]

The support has been so huge, that instead of a small fund-raiser like we were intending, the goal now is to raise enough money for a female scholarship in Computer Science.

Maybe you should raise money for not perpetrating sexist stereotypes. Oh, wait.