Not writing about either of the two things I thought I would write about. Nor am I writing the paper that's due Wednesday.
But. First: Maggie and I went to Staunton and did some exploring in the abandoned DeJarnette Center building, part of the abandoned Western State Mental Hospital complex. Our top twenty photos are here. More to come later. I think, actually, I'm going to make a web page with all of them. But until now they're on flickr.
But the real subject of this post: I'm irritated. So the other night when I was driving home, I heard this story about microsoft's new viral marketing technique for their (lameass) search site. The idea is that they have a character, called Ms. Dewey (played by actress Janina Gavankar, who is apparently on The L Word --itself an interesting and troubling choice) who responds to the search queries you put in the search box with funny comments. She's what Sean Cole, in the story, describes as "a sexy librarian type." I'm not sure about the "librarian" -- I guess because the site supposedly gives you information? But she certainly is supposed to be sexy. Gavankar plays it up with little intakes of breath before all stressed words, swaying hips, pursed lips, sudden intimate smiles or pouts, an artificially deepened voice, and batted eyes. It's supposed to get you excited about the search site. I'm not going to link to the site, because I detest it, but you can go there if you really want. I finally couldn't resist, myself, just to confirm that yes, I really, really detest this marketing technique.
Because it is SO DAMN SEXIST. I mean, seriously badcrazy sexist. As Cole points out in the story, Ms. Dewey "always assumes you're a guy," and that's entirely right, but it's not the whole story. The fiction of the site is that you, the searcher, are a heterosexual (geeky) man who would sexually titillated by the Ms. Dewey character. It is of course a fiction -- the site is consciously silly -- but it's a fiction I find pretty deeply offensive. Here are some sample responses, so you can see what kind of paradigm I'm talking about:
You could see more for yourself. I wish you wouldn't, though, because I hate this concept. It's one more example of the outrageously wrong and damaging assumption that the major users of technology -- particularly web technology -- are men, and men who only prefer one very stereotyped set of entertainments (including this very annoying type of "sexy"). I am just so damn tired of this attitude, or joke, or whatever it is. Obviously, anything by Microsoft isn't going to be used only, or even primarily by men. Microsoft is as mainstream as you get computer-wise, which means women as just as likely to be trying some new product by them as men are. And yet, here's a site designed as if only men were likely to be technology users or consumers – or perhaps as if only men were likely to try some new web gadget. That flat out isn't true, it's offensive and exclusionary, and it's part of an attitude I am so tired of.
Why is it that we seem to feel the need to disenfranchise female technology users – and female nerds or geeks – over, and over, and over again? Because that's what's going on here. It's this astoundingly, offensively pervasive attitude that only (straight, socially stupid, unattractive) men use and like technology or like "nerdy" things. As a (bisexual, non-socially-handicapped, reasonably normal-looking) female sci-fi-television fan (and raging nerd) I get versions of this ridiculousness all the time. People (particularly male people) will act shocked that I like star trek, for instance, or tell me that I'm one-of-a-kind because I’m a female firefly fan (boy is that not true), or tell me bemusedly that I can't possibly be a real geek. Because why? Because I'm female. That's it.
And I am so tired of being excluded this way! The idea that women are not fans of sci-fi or fantasy; aren't voracious users of new technology; aren't geeky or nerdy is so damn wrong, and it's about time we stopped subscribing to it. How is it serving anyone to ignore the really large section of (consumer) society represented by female nerds? I guess what I'm maddest about isn't that the responses of the site itself are sexist (it's based on a sexist story), but that the marketing technique is sexist – that the people who want to market this site assume that only men who enjoy the kind of sexist, reductionist story Ms. Dewey tells will be interested in their product.
Well, maybe they're right. I'm certainly not interested in it. Not now, not ever.
But. First: Maggie and I went to Staunton and did some exploring in the abandoned DeJarnette Center building, part of the abandoned Western State Mental Hospital complex. Our top twenty photos are here. More to come later. I think, actually, I'm going to make a web page with all of them. But until now they're on flickr.
But the real subject of this post: I'm irritated. So the other night when I was driving home, I heard this story about microsoft's new viral marketing technique for their (lameass) search site. The idea is that they have a character, called Ms. Dewey (played by actress Janina Gavankar, who is apparently on The L Word --itself an interesting and troubling choice) who responds to the search queries you put in the search box with funny comments. She's what Sean Cole, in the story, describes as "a sexy librarian type." I'm not sure about the "librarian" -- I guess because the site supposedly gives you information? But she certainly is supposed to be sexy. Gavankar plays it up with little intakes of breath before all stressed words, swaying hips, pursed lips, sudden intimate smiles or pouts, an artificially deepened voice, and batted eyes. It's supposed to get you excited about the search site. I'm not going to link to the site, because I detest it, but you can go there if you really want. I finally couldn't resist, myself, just to confirm that yes, I really, really detest this marketing technique.
Because it is SO DAMN SEXIST. I mean, seriously badcrazy sexist. As Cole points out in the story, Ms. Dewey "always assumes you're a guy," and that's entirely right, but it's not the whole story. The fiction of the site is that you, the searcher, are a heterosexual (geeky) man who would sexually titillated by the Ms. Dewey character. It is of course a fiction -- the site is consciously silly -- but it's a fiction I find pretty deeply offensive. Here are some sample responses, so you can see what kind of paradigm I'm talking about:
King Lear: (reading a romance novel) "You can't always judge a book by its cover. Unless, of course, you're talking about me. In which case, your judgment is totally...(sultry look, pursed lips) on.
How to write a book: "('Carl' character comes on with a stack of books) I'm writing a book, you know. It's called 'I kiss, therefore I tell.'"
Feminism: "You can ask me anything, and that's what you waste your time with?
Google: "ones and zeroes, ones and zeroes...all the useless coding, and you still couldn't create the woman of your dreams. Poor you (pout)."
You could see more for yourself. I wish you wouldn't, though, because I hate this concept. It's one more example of the outrageously wrong and damaging assumption that the major users of technology -- particularly web technology -- are men, and men who only prefer one very stereotyped set of entertainments (including this very annoying type of "sexy"). I am just so damn tired of this attitude, or joke, or whatever it is. Obviously, anything by Microsoft isn't going to be used only, or even primarily by men. Microsoft is as mainstream as you get computer-wise, which means women as just as likely to be trying some new product by them as men are. And yet, here's a site designed as if only men were likely to be technology users or consumers – or perhaps as if only men were likely to try some new web gadget. That flat out isn't true, it's offensive and exclusionary, and it's part of an attitude I am so tired of.
Why is it that we seem to feel the need to disenfranchise female technology users – and female nerds or geeks – over, and over, and over again? Because that's what's going on here. It's this astoundingly, offensively pervasive attitude that only (straight, socially stupid, unattractive) men use and like technology or like "nerdy" things. As a (bisexual, non-socially-handicapped, reasonably normal-looking) female sci-fi-television fan (and raging nerd) I get versions of this ridiculousness all the time. People (particularly male people) will act shocked that I like star trek, for instance, or tell me that I'm one-of-a-kind because I’m a female firefly fan (boy is that not true), or tell me bemusedly that I can't possibly be a real geek. Because why? Because I'm female. That's it.
And I am so tired of being excluded this way! The idea that women are not fans of sci-fi or fantasy; aren't voracious users of new technology; aren't geeky or nerdy is so damn wrong, and it's about time we stopped subscribing to it. How is it serving anyone to ignore the really large section of (consumer) society represented by female nerds? I guess what I'm maddest about isn't that the responses of the site itself are sexist (it's based on a sexist story), but that the marketing technique is sexist – that the people who want to market this site assume that only men who enjoy the kind of sexist, reductionist story Ms. Dewey tells will be interested in their product.
Well, maybe they're right. I'm certainly not interested in it. Not now, not ever.
Labels: anger, feminism, nerd power, web
I tried it but it jammed up my computer. You know that everyone who uses it is going to type in "buttsex" or "tittyfucking" or variations thereof.
I think what would really take off would be if you could make your own avatar and program it with responses... god, that would be better than photochopping. It insults me that this has not been created yet because I could use it in my own personal fight for feminism which I fight every day on reality tv show message boards.
I searched for "suicide helpline". She called offscreen, "Hey Ricardo! Come over here and get a look at what this guy did a seach for!"
I did it again, and she said, "Hmmm, looks like somebody needs to get a hobby. Like, um, something interesting?"
The third time: "Ladies and gentlemen! In this corner, weighing 157 pounds, the world's lonliest man!"