Chew Terr wrote:I think what she means is, if women feel unwelcome to play the game, maybe there is something we and others are doing that makes them feel unwelcome. Certainly, we should make everyone want to play go. But in response to what you said, Joaz, I think we should make sure everyone feels equally welcome.
Absolutely. But if there's a disparity in the groups involved, perhaps we're
not making everyone feel equally welcome. If we can establish that this is the case, we should do something about it. (I'm not claiming it is necessarily the case; in fact, I think it probably isn't, but I think we ought to ask ourselves the question.)
Chew Terr wrote:And of course the (almost absurd) extension of your argument is "I think it's important for us to know how few Westerners there are playing go, and to think about it, and to try to work out why it is and how we can change it."
Well, that's relatively simple to answer, I think - people haven't heard of it. So we work on publicising it ...!
Chew Terr wrote:I hate the 'lolgurl' internet thing, and insofar as it creates a hostile environment for female go players, think it affects our game's community adversely. I don't know how to help it however, as part of it is just twelve-year-old boys being stupid (Seemingly one of the great constants in life).
Yes, you're right. There
are things we can all do reduce it, though - for example, stamping down hard on any idiot we see being part of it (not just turning a blind eye and accepting it as "idiots being idiots", but standing up and being counted and making it clear that it's not acceptable behaviour). Another thing we should all do is make sure that we don't casually make things worse - someone making a casual joke with no intent to offend can accidentally upset someone if there's already an awkward atmosphere. A hypothetical woman, new to the community, who's been subjected to several "lolGURL" comments from idiots is likely to assume the whole community thinks that way if she then sees more respected and respectable people making frivolous jokes along the same lines.
Basically - it's usually fine to pat someone on the back, but if they've got sunburnt, it's probably a good idea not to!
Chew Terr wrote:There's no reason for people to have to show their gender, because anonymity is a reasonable way to avoid that potential unpleasantness. I mean, we all know I'm a dinosaur, so I speak from a serious minority. However, I see nothing wrong in someone (particularly a woman) saying 'Man, statistically few women play the game. Is there a reason?'
Well, there must be a reason. The question is what the reason is, and whether it's a problem. Actually, I suspect that there are many reasons, and only some of them are problems - but I only have hypotheses, not evidence. And since they relate to society as a whole, not Go specifically, I'm finding it quite hard to create a double-blind trial on the subject.
