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Sexism Is Still a Thing At Microsoft's GDC Party (techcrunch.com)
An anonymous reader writes from an article on TechCrunch: Microsoft hired a bunch of women wearing very little clothing to dance and socialize with people at the company's official Game Developers Conference after-party last night in San Francisco, Business Insider reports. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, said in a statement to TechCrunch. "At Xbox-hosted events at GDC this past week, we represented Xbox and Microsoft in a way that was not consistent or aligned to our values. It was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated. I know we disappointed many people and I'm personally committed to holding ourselves to higher standards. We must ensure that diversity and inclusion are central to our everyday business and core values. We will do better in the future." What's problematic is that Microsoft chose to throw a party that clearly caters to heterosexual men by hiring women as objects of sex.
While we're busy removing human interests that aren't directly related to the subject matter from the conference, should we ban serving food and drinks as well?
Yeah, professionalism. Bring your binder to the party, so that the bouncer will know who won't get in. Go-go dancing is professional entertainment. It's purpose is the same as hiring a band, a DJ or an MC: To get people in the mood to party, to loosen up. The only valid complaint that I would accept about this "incident" is that there was a lack of eye-fodder for the ladies. It's like people have never been to a dance club.
Dear whiplash It is time for some transparency here: did this article even passed through the firehose? People actually voted for it? Maybe times changed and people here are voting for this kind of article to the front page but, otherwise, it would be a great update, maybe the greatest, to go back to the roots of "News for Nerds, stuff that matter".
You raise a very good question. Who does approve these stories? It would seem that they are terribly unpopular, and most people who comment are mostly people who are simply annoyed at yeat another in a long line of stories that always condense down to all males are disgusting pigs.
I've been here for a bit as well, and this topic is the sewer of Slashdot something I hope would have diminished after Dice gave up the ghost.
It isn't that it is not ever news for nerds, but if anyone is foolish enough ot think that this constant reportage of whining is going to help things, they are not even wrong.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
What amuses me is that they're claiming that they're not a prude - and expecting us to believe this. It might be true, they might be mentally ill and not a prude at all. How sick do you have to be to get upset that someone's enjoying themselves, harmlessly, in a manner that doesn't suit your tastes - especially given that there were piles of other amusements.
They're like the fat chick at the dance who sits in the corner and cries because the good-looking people are all having fun dancing. She's usually got a gaggle of friends who try to comfort her and giving her affirmation that the people enjoying themselves are assholes for having fun. I swear to fucking God, it's like the world's decided to stay stuck in Junior High for the past 20 years, Pope. How these people made it to adulthood without being so offended by everything and just stringing up is beyond me.
"Some people were enjoying something I don't like! I'm ANGRY and will find a way to make my outrage known! I am Morality Police Man! Hero to Fat Chicks and Bane of Devilment!"
*sighs* I need to start drinking again. It's been over a few years. It might make me understand people better - or not give a shit. It still makes me disappointed with humanity and society. They've repeated, a few times, that they're not a prude. Methinks he doth protest too much.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
The only problem I see is lack of professionalism. Having dancers, be it male or female, at a professional event like this underestimates the intelligence of its attendees.
The dancers seemed quite professional to me, and after all they were the only ones working. In case you missed it, this was a tech conference (aka, an extended party), not a day at the office. It's all-marketing, all-sales-pitch, all-sex-appeal (mostly metaphorical sex-appeal, but still), all the time, with a thin gauze of technical briefing to fool the occasional company so that not everyone had to pay their own ride to the party.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
The only problem I see is lack of professionalism. Having dancers, be it male or female, at a professional event like this underestimates the intelligence of its attendees.
No; you have a nerd party. This goes better when everyone starts dancing and is happy. That happens quicker normally when a) some motivated people start the dancing and others join or b) lots of alcohol is drunk. Having dancers, in an appropriate controlled way, is the responsible way to go forward. This is nothing to do with "intelligence" and all to do with how to have a good party. Having more mixed dancers would probably help have everybody involved, but it's not a serious issue.
Bullshit.
These women KNOW why they're being hired. They're professional dancers. They're being paid to be looked at.
And they're NOT making minimum wage for being out there for hours on end with a bunch of sweaty devnerds.
And they're NOT being asked to cuddle up or sleep with these guys.
If they're going in, eyes open, and reaping the benefits of the interaction, who are you to tell them they're being sexually harassed?
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
That's not who they're trying to attract at events like this, not any more.
You seem to have mistaken "what they say" and "what they really do".
Having an all-white male staff has become un-PC, so all the big tech companies talk up diversity and fight over the handful of women and minorities actually available in the industry.
Same goes for targeting games to testosterone-impaired teen-and-twenty-something males; so now games include "social" aspects to attract the ladies (which usually means never leaving the lobby/safe-zone chat-rooms), and a few token "serious" female/gay/furry playable characters with dialog so badly railroaded that even female/gay/furry players still opt to pick either the male or tarted-out characters.
And fuck you for helping to perpetuate the view of women as sexual objects and not people. The fact that the only issue you see here is people trying to "ruin it for others" is a bit sad. There's an entire universe of other ramifications and undertones to this. There are probably things in life your mother/grandmother would have liked to do and enjoyed, but couldn't, because of guys like you who can't see past themselves and realize that there is a HUGE gender inequality in our society, and that needs to be fixed.
Why are you so offended by criticism of Microsoft? And why are you so offended that Microsoft listened to the criticism? How does it stop you going to titty bars on your own time? What right do you have to expect corporate events to cater to your sexual wants and be immune from criticism?
Geez, talk about a sense of entitlement.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Wrong. It's that companies have realized there is a large, untapped market out there. 50% of gamers are female already, and one of the biggest growth areas has been mobile games that appeal to women. Ignoring that is just ignoring a vast source of revenue.
Similarly, there is great competition for good developers. It got so bad that Apple, Google and Microsoft decided to break the law and create a no-poaching arrangement. Many tech companies are now investing vast sums of money into helping to develop talent in under-represented areas, because when developers easily command six figure salaries investing a few k$ in helping a female or Latino person overcome some disadvantages looks like a bargain.
so now games include "social" aspects to attract the ladies (which usually means never leaving the lobby/safe-zone chat-rooms)
Ah, I see why you don't get it now.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC