Slashdot Mirror
Interviews: Ask Brianna Wu a Question
Brianna Wu is the head of development at Giant Spacekat, a company specializing in cinematic experiences using the Unreal engine. She’s also a frequent speaker on women-in-tech issues and was one of several women subjected to a campaign of attacks in Gamergate. Wu has worked as a journalist and politico. She currently has a patreon campaign which helps to offset the costs of doing speaking engagements and work to further the goals of feminism and women in tech. Brianna has agreed to give us some of her time and answer any questions you may have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post.
You recently tweeted that no one who isn't transgender should voice opinions on transgender issues yet you regularly voice your own opinion on these issues. Is this a tacit "coming out" of your own transgender past, and if so, what does it mean for your own position as a representative and "megaphone" for women's issues and how you speak to the personal history of growing up as a woman?
Are you ever going to stop criticizing other developers for having character design that is in fact less "hypersexualized" and "misogynistic" than yours is?
I'm interested in what development languages you excel in and how you mastered them - as head of development for a gaming company, I think that's my first question. Follow-up side-points would be when you transitioned from journalist to game developer, and why game development? Was it related to some of the 'sparks' and 'movements' by some other females 'in the gaming community' - and seen as an easy way to jump on a bandwagon that was clearly going to make waves? Journalist to developer just seems like a very strange transition to me, so I'm curious about the particulars.
Do you have a github account where you publish some of your code?
I have no problem with asking a women in tech (even one that experienced an abnormal amount of ill will or perhaps even overt sexism) about their experiences and how being a woman has affected their career and how they look at the world of tech. Having a less masculine perspective is fine, I want women to feel welcome and their ideas represented... But my number one question in this case would have to be why THIS person?
Did Wu contact Slashdot first for some reason? If so, why? Was this meant to go well or did Wu intend on this going badly?
In the case that Slashdot contacted her, the same questions apply.
Of ALL the women, they chose one of the very few that would get the most adverse reaction possible at this time. If that isn't fishy, I don't know what would be.
Also, not posting as AC because I legitimately feel like these are important questions to ask. I don't know if this is malicious, or simply not thought through well.
Ms Wu, you've been accused of exaggerating the scale of the harassment against you. For example, you've stated that you were so scared that you moved out of your home, but a number of people were able to reconstruct the location of your various online broadcasts and establish rather conclusively that they were all made from your home.
How do you respond to this? Were you actually scared out of your home or not? When?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Serious question: How do women and minorities get selectively harassed online when it is usually impossible to know their gender or race?
Blind auditions for orchestra positions are now standard. Can we not have the same for gaming and technology?
Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
Regardless of what you believe Ms. Wu experienced, do you truly not know any women in software or gaming who've experienced the kind of awful "boy's only club" attitudes and sometimes downright literal sexual harassment?
regardless of which, supporting a scam artist is not helping your cause and will only serve to de-legitimize it.
Or mabey the body size shaming, ableism about mental health, and even classist attacks on the typical software engineer through the "neckbeard" stereotype don't help much. 10-15 years ago, this would most likely include some underhanded homophobic attack(i.e. 'question' their sexuality), and 5 years ago, some form of genderphobia would also be present.
Brianna, you alleged that you are the the target of an online harassment campaign, and that law enforcement has done nothing about it, and yet it has come to light that you never contacted the police in the first place.
Would you explain why you made those allegations? Is there anything you wish to say in defense of your article?
Wu, how do you justify your claim of being a feminist when your game has females depicted as an adolescent boy might draw them, play the victim card all the time, have been caught exaggerating and outright lying so often and then hiding behind claims of sexism, etc.
Follow-up question: your male past is easily found by anyone doing a cursory search. Do you refuse to talk about it because you are afraid that others won't see you as a "real woman?" Wouldn't a real feminist embrace their trans experience to provide a more inclusive view of, and insight into, the female experience from the viewpoint of a transsexual?
note ... I was outed on Slashdot a decade ago, and overall the experience was very positive. Being open about it has presented opportunities to help others reach a better understanding of who we are.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Was it tough going from being a journalist and politico to becoming a hard-working developer at a legendary game and media studio like Giant Spacekat?
What engine do you develop on? DO you have an on-site rendering farm that you work directly with, or do you outsource it?
How do you find the time for public speaking with all the 60+ hour weeks that you must put into developing Giant Spacekat's massive games and interactive media library?
Are you tired of ignorant people saying your "developer" title is just a joke and that your game company is just a sad front for your real job of gender hustling?
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.