Do guys really welcome women into the world of HT? (1 Viewer)

[Max Leung]

I figured he was joking...of COURSE he was, Joseph.
Good picture!
(I'm still looking for that commune reference...ugh, I thought I had it, but instead I found a feminist lament that "commune-raised" children have "no joy")...looks like I'll have to break out Bobbi Low's excruciatingly detailed "Why Sex Matters: A Darwinion Look at Human Behavior"...I feel like I'm using a hammer to fix a watch!
(Edit: Blah, I'm having a tough time finding the reference...there's a reason why evolutionary psychology is still a hobby for me! Too bad it doesn't pay well...)

 

[Vanessa]

Max -

I work at Hewlett Packard designing Deskjets... Why did you think aerospace?

Vanessa

 

[Adil M]

After reading this thread, I have a mental picture of about a hundred HT guys slobbering over any female who shares their interests.
SO, I have an un-PC question, how many of you women used to be men?
Doh, I am fulfilling the stereotype.
(scratching head

 

[Ryan Wright]

After reading this thread, I have a mental picture of about a hundred HT guys slobbering over any female who shares their interests.

There's another reason women avoid places like the Home Theater Forum. Any woman who shows an interest in male dominated hobbies can expect to be constantly hit on - especially over the Internet. I always tell these women to take it all in stride. Instead of seeing a bunch of male pigs hitting on you, see it for what it really is: You are an incredibly special woman. You're the kind of woman men dream about, lust over, pray to find. So enjoy the attention. If it helps matters any, you should know that the attention you receive has nothing to do with your looks or your body (as none of us have any clue what you look like), but purely your mind and your attitude. How's that for ya? If I was a woman, I'd think that was pretty darn cool (being so sensitive about my body and all, you know how us woman are ).
I married my dream woman. She's into my cars. She's into my home theater. She's into my hovercraft. She doesn't rip off her shirt and climb under the hood to help me tune my vehicle. Nor does she rip off her shirt and grab a screwdriver and help me rack-mount a new amp. But she digs most of my hobbies, and the rest she at least (a) tolerates, and (b) shows an interest in by poking around with me, asking questions, helping me out, etc.
The best part is when I explain the benefits of a potential new toy. Sometimes she says, "Wow, that's cool, have fun." Other times she says, "Really? It does THAT?! Let's go buy one! Come on!!" But she never says, "NO. That's stupid. Stop playing with that stupid thing and take out the garbage."
Anyway... to close, of course men welcome women into the HT hobby. We welcome you with open arms and encourage you to look past some of the BS you get when you hang around with a lot of men. Sometimes we get going on threads that aren't exactly encouraging to women, but we mean no harm. We enjoy and value your presence. Personally, I think women are the HTF's greatest assets.

 

[Joe6pack99]

All I got to say is HELL YEA i wish i could find a hot girl that was into HT,computers,games....oh WOW i am dreaming now LOL!

 

[Julie K]

Instead of seeing a bunch of male pigs hitting on you, see it for what it really is: You are an incredibly special woman.

There's a big difference between an occasional flattery and being constantly hit on. The difference lies greatly in societal roles and who is generally in the dominant position. And in any case, constant attention is wearing and unwelcome.

And as for the flattery issue, I'll just say I don't want attention only because I happened to be honest and gave my name as "Julie" when I could have easily wrote "James" when I registered here. There's nothing "special" about being in one half of the population.

Max,

Yep, aerospace it is, with heavy emphasis on the last syllable.

I don't believe in a 'blank slate' either. However, at such a young age cultural conditioning is a very strong force. As I said, I have watched, with a great deal of amusement I might add, as people have simultaneously praised themselves on raising their kids gender-neutral while doing just the opposite!

 

[CapnSharpe]

Vanessa you work for HP? Oh no!! I work for Compaq - please don't hate me. For the record, I'm a research analyst.

 

[Max Leung]

Vanessa: Aerospace is much more romantic than bridge construction, that's why I guessed it, not knowing anything else about you. And hey, it's much more flattering than "designing shopping carts".
Julie: Cool! Does your company do military contracts? And NASA contracts as well? (I think it likely that most aerospace companies do both). Hmmm, I wonder if they have any positions available for an embedded systems programmer or Windows software flunky...Although, I am quite weary working for people who are hell-bent on profit, and nothing but profit, like my previous employer. Yucko. Working for publically-traded companies suck.
Say, is it true that most American parents dose their kids up with Ritalin? Some still do that up here in "enlightened" Canada, and it pisses me off to no end. I can see how it can make kids of both sexes equally vacant however!
Ryan: You lucky bastard.

 

[Julie K]

Although, I am quite weary working for people who are hell-bent on profit, and nothing but profit, like my previous employer.

We don't make a profit. We're really not a 'company' in the normal sense of the word in any case...
As for Ritalin, unfortunately yes. Apparently it's easier to drug a kid than provide parental guidance and discipline :rolleyes

 

[John Besse]

A hot woman that I could talk Home Theater with. That would be a life long dream come true! Or better yet... One that could talk Star Wars and extended universe!

 

[David Susilo]

Where were all of you five years ago?

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

I give props to the ladies for having the courage to participate in any of the male-dominated areas of the Internet. I personally feel embarrassed for my half of the species whenever a woman gets bombarded by pickup lines as soon as she makes her presence known in a chat room, discussion forum, newsgroup, etc.

 

[Vanessa]

Theresa -
You work for Compaq? Small world! Of course, I don't have anything against Compaq, besides that whole thing is definately out of the hand of the lowly worker bees!
Max -
Yes, working on space vehicles and the like would be more romantic than Deskjets, and I'd probably prefer to be working on medical devices, but you'd be surprised at how complex we make those printers. Plus, if I screw something up no one will die in a ball of flame!
V

 

[Ryan Wright]

I personally feel embarrassed for my half of the species whenever a woman gets bombarded by pickup lines as soon as she makes her presence known in a chat room, discussion forum, newsgroup, etc.

I don't know why this bothers women. Really, I don't get it. I can understand crude remarks and outright sexual solicitations - that would upset me, too. But why would a woman be bothered by a bunch of men she's never met taking a strong interest in her purely based on her intellect? Isn't that the "holy grail" women quest after - a man who is attracted to her for who she is, rather than how she looks in a bathing suit?
I'd bet a woman who actively participates in the Home Theater forum could pretty much have her pick of any single man here. I can't believe this is bothersome.

 

[Janna S]

Speaking only for myself, "finding a man who is attracted to me for my intellect rather than for what I look like in a bathing suit" is not the "Holy Grail" and is not something I spend time thinking about or longing for. Both experiences have occurred, and have never presented a particular problem for me, and just aren't high on my list of concerns.

Gender and sex ought to be unimportant in most enterprises, and being "attractive" in the course of any given activity is almost always irrelevant and distracting to the activity and more bother than it's worth.

"Having my pick of any single man here" holds no interest for me. My gender, and whether men here are single, and whether I could have my "pick" of one as if I were choosing a puppy, have nothing to do with my interest in this forum, HT, or most of what I do in the real world. Thus I find pick-up lines, and being hit on, and a focus on the elements of attraction, to be annoying and irrelevant and distracting except in the very specific circumstances of a real-life encounter and a developing or prospective relationship.

 

[Julie K]

I'd bet a woman who actively participates in the Home Theater forum could pretty much have her pick of any single man here. I can't believe this is bothersome.

Oh great I thought I came here to discuss HT and instead I find somewhere where I should be grateful to have men hitting on me so I can find a mate?
Sorry, no.
Ryan, you said it yourself. You don't "get it." I, and many other women, do not want to be the constant center, or even partially a center, for sexual attention. Ok? (If you think about biology a bit it might become clearer.) I don't want sexual attention here because of my name or my posts - I just want to talk HT (and other crap over here in AH...)
Perhaps one of the best ways for some guys to "get it" a sexual harrassment seminar I read about. These were guys who didn't "get it" why a woman wouldn't want constant flattery and attention. They quickly changed their minds when the male instructor started hitting on them...

 

[TheoGB]

I know enough women I get on well with. It's finding someone I get on well with who wants to shag me and vice versa that's the problem. A discussion forum about HTF is not really my idea of the right place to find such a woman.
Afterall, just 'cause she appreciates DVD, doesn't mean she puts Empire Strikes Back and Fight Club as her top two movies, loathes MOR and thinks Radiohead and Blur are the greatest bands that ever lived!
PARTIES ARE WHERE ITS AT!
Personally I think it's nice to see women on a forum like this because, apart from alternative viewpoints, it tends to curb tiresome levels of FHM/Loaded/GQ-style 'laddism'.

 

[Mike Voigt]

First off, Pamela, certainly you are more than welcome. And I really do hope that discussions will center around the topic of HT, and not around the fact that you are a woman wanting to know more about HT. The latter would be a real shame; IMHO, it shows a certain lack of maturity.

My fondest wishes for a growing, friendly HTF would be that this board was group-neutral, that the discussions here would center around HT and not any characteristics of those who participate, and that as a result anyone could participate without being perennially asked questions like "so what is it like being a woman on an HT board"... or being told they can "rule the roost"... or worse...

Mike

P.S.: If anyone - ANYONE - ever has an issue like that happen to them on HTF, PLEASE get in contact with any Administrator or Moderator ASAP; we have taken action in the past, and will continue to do so in the future, to discourage any such behavior.

 

[Donald Shrum]

Hi Pamela, Welcome to the board. What does your HT system consist of???

 

[NathanP]

I for one love smart women.

I can't stand air-heads!

I've been going with the same girl for 11 years... one month I sort of pissed her off by insulting her family.

So, I went to go see what else was out there.

Then I met her.. Her name just happened to be Venassa.

She was/is very attracted to me, but I can't stand her because she's such an air-head!

So women, if your smart, don't hide it!

BECAUSE I CAN'T STAND IT!