> do you think he really knew the pictures made some people uncomfortable?
>
> in some really ignorant stupid way, some men think those pictures are "art."
>
> They also seem to think that by plastering babes up ("classy" ones, like
> models), people will get the impression that they're desirable (the men
> putting them up i mean).
These weren't arty at all - they were Sport Illustrated style. And, we live
in a college town which is virtually run by women and has a rep for being
"PC." I'm pretty sure it was his way of thumbing his nose at all those "PC
feminists." I felt that I could get away with making a comment because I
was doing him a favor (showing him how to wire his office for ethernet), but
I'm sure most people would have been too intimidated.
He owns a lot of downtown property, has tons of money, gets his name
mentioned in the paper frequently, and has a rep for being tough and
outspoken. I'm pretty sure he's aware that the pictures are in bad taste
(or that a lot of people would think so), since most of the development work
he does is in very good taste.
It's funny, but like I said, I wasn't so much offended as amused. But, I
know he creates an intimidating environment for women who work for him. His
assistant calls me for help once in a while and it's always "You've GOT to
tell me how to fix this before Mr. X finds out there's a problem!" She
always seems scared of him. I'm not saying he's JUST a sexist, or even that
he's a bad person. I think he probably likes to keep everyone "in their
place," including the men who work for him. I think that, in this case, the
pictures are consciously meant to make "uptight" people - especially women -
uncomfortable.
I'm not even sure if I think it's worse to try to offend people on purpose,
or to be completely clueless. The assumption so far has been that it's
better to be clueless, but if someone's at least partially aware of the
implications of what they're doing, you can discuss / debate it with them.
To me, the issue isn't so much whether or not it's a sign of oversensitivity
to be offended or made uncomfortable by these pictures, but whether it's a
good idea to display them in a given context with the knowledge that many
women feel that way (for whatever reason).
Deidre Calarco
Robert Darvas Associates
(734) 761-8713 (ext. 16)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
************
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.linuxchix.org
