<Glazblog/>

All words ending in -ism are bullshitism

Through twitter, I stumbled upon this document logorrhea. I found it so silly that I need to post something here. I am expecting trolls to wake up so comments will be closed on this post, exceptionally.

Let me revisit the 13 bullet points present in that article:

Using "guys" to mean "people"
I find this ridiculous. One just does not change a living spoken language like that. Complaining about that makes people think about it while most of them were not thinking that way, and were certainly using "guys" in a totally non-sexist way.
Using "girls" for "women"
This is again ridiculous and so US-centric. Here in France, women of all ages call themselves "les filles" and I never heard anyone complain.
"Mom" as an example of non-tech user
All W3C co-workers can testify I often quote my dad as an example of non-tech user. For two reasons: first, my mom passed away ten years ago; second, my dad is an excellent non-tech beta-tester. Anyway, I would happily use "mom" if my mom was still here AND a non-tech user. This is none of your business anyway if I want to mention my mom or my dad.
Using avatars that are male by default
Seriously? This sounds like the rant of a frustrated 10 years old kid (and I don't even know if the person who wrote the article is a woman or a man, old or young, westerner or not, I just do not care)...
Describing software or algorithms as “sexy”, “hot”, etc.
Some of my friends can testify I used to describe the beauty and the "sexyness" of some complex proofs in maths. They did the same, men or women. This is not going to change, and I find this request absolutely ridiculous and having nothing to do with sexism.
Assuming women they meet are in non-technical roles.
Here, the author has a point. Agreed.
Fetishizing “hot geek girls”
It seems to me the author of that list is fighting a war impossible to win: there will always be morons on this planet, and they will always outnumber the others. Live with it.
Denigrating things by comparing them to women or femininity
In 23 years in the software industry, I never ever heard someone do that. This is about fighting Don Quixote's windmills.
Stereotyping women’s needs… or ignoring them.
I just cannot find the right words to describe my feelings reading this, sorry.
Using dark UI patterns.
This is so wider than sexism I have no idea why it's here.
Repeating generalizations about gender essentialism.
Ah, a new concept, "gender essentialism". Lobbyists go so fast inventing new terms for their rhetoric fights these days I cannot cope. Ooops, is that generalization? So sorry...
Assuming every woman in tech feels the same way and/or wants to discuss her experiences “as a woman in tech”.
Again, 23 years in tech and I've never seen that happen.
Staying quiet when other men do these things.
I promise I will never stay quiet when bullshitisms appear on my radar, wherever they come from, including from people fighting sexism with arguments that seem to me totally wrong.