I just have to say this:
I deal with sexism, discrimination, injustice, etc. everyday at work.
I'm the only technicial female (and under 21) at my workplace where
only 8% of the staff are female (and most of them are secretaries).
The rest are old, crusty male engineers that don't know what the word "progress"
means. I've had
clashes and encounters with them and have learned a few things. 1)
most people are not aware that their behaviour may be offensive to
someone else. People are not generally mean because they are trying
to hurt you. Most people would put a nudie picture on the wall
because they liked to look at it, not because they were trying to
demoralize the opposite sex. 2) You cannot judge people fairly
unless you know them. It is not fair to call someone's actions right
or wrong. You may disagree with them because they don't agree with
your doctrine of living, but no one way is the right way. And finally
3) Unless someone has attacked you personally, with malicios intent,
you have no cause for anger. If you don't like something, fine,
that's you opinion, but it's only an opinion.
I don't like going to a test site and being seen as "cute", but I
don't let it bother me. You have to take people for who they are and
try to figure out why they do the things they do.
My dad gave me some advice once on how to handle people that
treated me differently because of who I was,"Screw 'em." If you can't
handle the pressures of a male dominated field, then get out. All I
can say is learn to make your mark within that community. Change
will happen more quickly when it is allowed to happen than when it is
forced.
angstrom
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[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.linuxchix.org
