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| − | '''Othering''' is a process or a rhetorical device in which one group is seen as "us" and another group as "them". In geek circles, women are often seen as the "other". |
+ | '''Othering''' is a process or a rhetorical device in which one group is seen as "us" and another group as "them". In geek circles, women are often seen as the "other". |
Similar othering is inflicted on various minorities within geekdom: disabled people, elderly people, trans people, and more. see [[Intersectionality]] for info on where geek feminism meets other equality movements. |
Similar othering is inflicted on various minorities within geekdom: disabled people, elderly people, trans people, and more. see [[Intersectionality]] for info on where geek feminism meets other equality movements. |
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* Phrasing which describes "geeks" as separate from "girls" sets up a false dichotomy in which there are no geek girls, and treats women as the "other" |
* Phrasing which describes "geeks" as separate from "girls" sets up a false dichotomy in which there are no geek girls, and treats women as the "other" |
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* [[Technical conferences]] may have [[Sexualized presentations]] which, through addressing an (assumed straight) male audience, ignore the presence of women, treating them as "other" |
* [[Technical conferences]] may have [[Sexualized presentations]] which, through addressing an (assumed straight) male audience, ignore the presence of women, treating them as "other" |
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| − | * Sometimes the use of "other" is explicit. |
+ | * Sometimes the use of "other" is explicit. While [[gender]] dropdowns in web apps that offer "Male, Female, Other" options are, in one way, better than those that only offer a binary choice, it has the effect of othering [[LGBT issues|transgender]] people. |
== Understanding othering == |
== Understanding othering == |
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* [[wikipedia:Other#The_Other_in_gender_studies|The Other in gender studies]] |
* [[wikipedia:Other#The_Other_in_gender_studies|The Other in gender studies]] |
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| + | * [[Wikipedia:A More Perfect Union (speech)]] - first speech by major U.S. political figure regarding othering. |
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[[Category:Issues]] |
[[Category:Issues]] |
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Revision as of 20:58, 19 July 2011
Othering is a process or a rhetorical device in which one group is seen as "us" and another group as "them". In geek circles, women are often seen as the "other".
Similar othering is inflicted on various minorities within geekdom: disabled people, elderly people, trans people, and more. see Intersectionality for info on where geek feminism meets other equality movements.
Examples
- Phrasing which describes "geeks" as separate from "girls" sets up a false dichotomy in which there are no geek girls, and treats women as the "other"
- Technical conferences may have Sexualized presentations which, through addressing an (assumed straight) male audience, ignore the presence of women, treating them as "other"
- Sometimes the use of "other" is explicit. While gender dropdowns in web apps that offer "Male, Female, Other" options are, in one way, better than those that only offer a binary choice, it has the effect of othering transgender people.
Understanding othering
The following example comes via Chris Niekel, originally posted to a private forum in relation to a discussion of UI for gender selection, and reposted with permission:
- What's your favorite operating system: Windows NT, Windows XP or other? As a linux-user that offends me, as I get put in the same marginalized bucket as all those completely different mac-users. Your suggestion that this is only about a very small minority may even make it worse (I don't want to hear that some corp thinks there the number of linux users is too low too count). [...] Please find something you're passionate about, and see how you feel when your choice is the other. (Favorite editor: notepad, vi or other?).
See also
further reading
- The Other in gender studies
- Wikipedia:A More Perfect Union (speech) - first speech by major U.S. political figure regarding othering.