"Big Dongle" Jokes Get Everyone Fired

[Tudz]

I couldn't disagree more with this line of thought.

We'll just have to disagree then.

She shouldn't have to turn around and ASK to be in a non-offensive professional work environment. It should be a basic universal expectation. I don't condone her "public shaming" bit, but I'd support her every bit of the way had she instead done the trade-show equivalent of "going to HR."

We don't even know how offensive it actually was. Like I said, dongle and forking a repo are terms in the field, people need to grow up and stop acting irrationally on their being offended.

I don't like a lot of what Penn & Teller do, I do think they are dicks, but I do agree with this video that someone posted earlier...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bwGsOBTlhE

There is no place for talk like that in a professional setting (or really anywhere) and coming out to bat for that douchebag, you really look like you are defending the "good old boys" gentleman status quo.

Name calling? Really?

1. "talk like that" is dongle and forking a repo? Am I going to have to stop talking about polishing my shaft and lubing my hole as well simply because it can be taken as sexually. I'm going to have to stop drilling and reaming holes as well? Stop screwing things? Stop referring to an adhesive as being white and gooey?

2. The "douchebag" as you called him actually turned around and gave a level headed and sincere apology with an explanation of what happened after the event. He's not a douchebag, he's the one who had a lapse in judgment and is paying for it dearly.

I'm all for making an extreme example of anyone who even dares approach the grey zone of workplace sexual conduct, with the hope that maybe future generations will be influenced and find it unacceptable.

Again, are you talking about "sexism" or just "sexual innuendo"? Please be specific here. I'm all against sexism, but sexual innuendo (which I believe this was more than actual sexism) I couldn't give two fucks about and would PREFER if everyone removed the sticks from their arses and learned to deal with it and not be offended at something so absurd or if they are offended to deal with it like adults.

Although it doesn't directly apply, as he's talking about swearing rather than sexual innuendo and connotations, I think what Stephen Fry said is true...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ0Ny6WhfLU

If we are all lucky, in the next couple of generations there will be absolutely zero tolerance for "boys being boys" type bullshit.

While you are right, there is no direct equivalence, and this is very very minor in comparison, it is "boys being boys" thinking like this that leads to the kind of coverups and bullshit that happened in Steubenville. It needs to be completely and totally eradicated if we are to have a decent society.

That's just bullshit. It's nothing to do with boys being boys, girls make lewd comments as well. The fact you link sexual innuendo to the bullshit that happened at Steubenville just shows how you are trying oh so hard to be offended by linking some non-sexist sexual comments to something heinous as that. It's like linking someone saying "I'd fucking kill for a sandwich" to someone murdering a bunch of people then fucking their corpses.

Also, get off your fucking high horse. You're complaining about comments on dongles and forking repos and having a decent society, but you turn around and call the guy a douchebag after he's made an sincere apology, perhaps you should practice what you preach and show a bit of acceptance to create this decent society of yours (which I'm imagining something along the lines of a dystopian society where no one is allowed to say anything but what fits in with the mandated culture).

 

[Tudz]

I'll add to that and say sorry I went a bit overboard.

My closing comment is simply that I think gender equality is not about having a list of words you aren't allowed to say and it's not about public shaming and it's not about getting higher powers in to "deal" with comments you are offended by. If you are looking for gender equality, that's not how you get it and Adria hurt that more than anyone else. Creating change IS about turning around and telling the guys "come on, that's not cool" and given the guy's apology that he posted, I'm guessing it would have been more than sufficient to make him realise "whoops, that was a bad thing to say at this time".

Was what he said actually bad? Maybe, I'm not convinced it was that clear cut. Was what she did wrong? I think most definitely on multiple levels. Did she deserve to lose her job for it? I think so. Did he deserve to lose his job for it? Maybe, in our current culture, I think it's unfortunate that he did.

 

[socK]

She's solidly in asshole territory given that she seemingly has no qualms about looking to get someone in trouble under some horseshit guise for something that she herself has done.

Like seriously can she not act like a normal human and ask them to relax a bit if it's really that horrendously grating to her? They were having a conversation, if she is legitimately incapable of managing to keep her shit in check because she dared overhear something that hilariously minute from an unrelated party, then there's something wrong with her.

 

[Righty]

This is why i work for myself. Id rather live in an old RV on some land broke than put up with this type of shit. I dont know how you guys do it.

 

[c3141hf]

I couldn't disagree more with this line of thought.

She shouldn't have to turn around and ASK to be in a non-offensive professional work environment. It should be a basic universal expectation. I don't condone her "public shaming" bit, but I'd support her every bit of the way had she instead done the trade-show equivalent of "going to HR."

There is no place for talk like that in a professional setting (or really anywhere) and coming out to bat for that douchebag, you really look like you are defending the "good old boys" gentleman status quo.

I'm all for making an extreme example of anyone who even dares approach the grey zone of workplace sexual conduct, with the hope that maybe future generations will be influenced and find it unacceptable.

If we are all lucky, in the next couple of generations there will be absolutely zero tolerance for "boys being boys" type bullshit.

While you are right, there is no direct equivalence, and this is very very minor in comparison, it is "boys being boys" thinking like this that leads to the kind of coverups and bullshit that happened in Steubenville. It needs to be completely and totally eradicated if we are to have a decent society.

What is this, the Puritan Revolution? If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you don't like "geek culture", don't join in. It is as absurd as a man trying to join a sorority and then bitching that the women are gossiping too much about guys.

Feminazis and their apologists have held men hostage for far too long; say the wrong thing and they'll sick their attack dog Gloria Allred (or another liberal shyster) on you to steal your money using the violence of the state. You can't even have a friendly conversation anymore in a lot of places, lest it be deliberately mis-interpreted or taken out of context by some attention seeking misandrist with an agenda.

 

[ShamisOMally]

Just you wait, in 10 years time somebodies going to get fired from a job cause they were talking with a co-worker and went "Man, did you check out the Blitz? Damn she's got such a tight COF!" and some femnazi takes it out of context.

Can somebody please stop pushing the fucking rewind button on society? We already went through this in the fucking 90's where every cartoon had to have such a diverse multi-race and multicultural cast it was almost like you were watching a color muted episode of My Little Pony.

I don't see building renters in Harlem in new york being forced to "Offer a diverse multicultural neighborhood by offering renting discounts and incentives for white people to live there". Why? Cause again, PC fucking bullshit, its "Racist" to demand white people live in an area, but not racist for black people to live in an area.

Political correctness is getting the fuck out of hand again and it upsets me. We can't do things unless we converse with a group of higher up individuals who will never, ever fucking agree with each other on what constitutes what.

Want to wear a green shirt on St. Patrick's day? Oh, no sorry, can't do that, Jim over in shipping had his dad die to a drunk driver on St. Patrick's day so we aren't wearing green so we don't upset him.

Want to paint your car black? Sorry, Maurice finds it upsetting because a giant black dog jumped out at her as a child and now she dislikes the color.

Want to design your videogame with a female character? Sorry, she has to be completely and utterly neutral and devoid of any and all individual character, she can be smart but not too smart, sexy but not too sexy, tall but not too tall, athletic but not too athletic, confident but now so confident she comes off demanding or bitchy, strong but not too strong she comes off brutish who solves things with her fists and without thinking etc etc.


Want to design your videogame with a male character? Sorry, he has to be completely and utterly neutral and devoid of any and all individual character, he can be smart but not too smart, sexy but not too sexy, tall but not too tall, athletic but not too athletic, confident but now so confident he comes off demanding or bitchy, strong but not too strong he comes off brutish who solves things with his fists and without thinking etc etc.

I remember a hearing a joke as a kid, you know political correctiveness has a society in its grasp when everyone at all times is offended at everyone else, angry at everyone else, upset at everyone else, and then, only then, is everything balanced.

 

[Serpent]

Your wish has been granted. One, they fired her because she did this public shaming crap rather than talk to these people like an actual human being. Two, She dragged her company into the mess claiming that her company had her back.

That's good.

I hope she doesn't get welfare, though, from what this thread already pointed out, there seems to be many other people who deserve it more.

 

[Dark Shade]

This is what happens when Internet Tough Guys (or in this case, Gals) get caught in the open, 'real life' area instead of behind the monitor. You can say all kinds of witty stuff on Twitter and skirt the edge of offending someone online, or even purposefully troll IRC channels or forums, but do it in real life and real consequences happens.

That said, there's a reason IT is a 'good ole boy club', because 1. it started that way and 2. women like this are what keep it this way

 

[Deleted member 222586]

In this day and age there is no way to have a normal conversation without incurring in anything that couldn't be understood in any possible manner. This is how language works: when speaking, unless you use words that only have one possible interpretation (which isn't impossible unless you speak lawyery... and still), the way you speak them is what will give them their true meaning.... which is why it's kinda hard to write on a forum properly, because you need to be specific about what others might think of it, in order to avoid stupid confrontations (note: when in doubt, use smilies ).

The problem we have is that there are people looking for reasons to be upset, all the fucking time. It doesn't matter if you are talking about an unrelated subject... some people not only are nosy enough to get into your business... but they will go as far as to take whatever you said and grab it out of context. THAT IS THE PROBLEM. Too fucking sensitive people.

This case is a clear as a day, to me: a trigger-happy person heard something, and misinterpreted it. Right? Not only that... she posted WHAT SHE UNDERSTOOD (not what she heard). Right? Nope, she also POSTED THE PICTURE OF THE ALLEGED AGRESOR. Where is the due justice? How the fuck people like that exists? People should be held accountable for what they say but, for fucks sake, make sure that what you hear is what they mean... it's not like they were writing it on a blog or forum, and it's not like she gave them the opportunity to clarify.

To me, things like this shouldn't be a problem. If I'm in a restaurant and somebody got offended at what I said (provided it was something that could be interpreted... If I'm looking at a table consistent of afro-american women, and smile and say "let's bone the blackies..." sure, I should get hanged)... she should call me off, so that, AT LEAST, I get the chance to clarify myself in the (most possible) chance that I meant something different.

Conclusion: people should leave their fucking trigger-happiness at home. While in public places, unless what you hear is 100% clear as a day... either approach such people and ask for clarification, or mind your fucking own business.

---

About the companies handling: they did what they had to do. Companies don't look at right nor wrong... they look at liabilites and potential PR problems. You just can't allow yourself to have a worker be ALLEGEDLY accused of something terrible and have his photo posted on the internet, specially in the USA where it seems to me you have to speak lawyery all the time not to get people offended for nothing.

 

[Qinsp]

It's funny. Music, TV, and Movies are getting more offensive and vulgar while at the same time we are getting less tolerant of the same crap when it comes out of somebodies mouth.

 

[Ducman69]

It's funny. Music, TV, and Movies are getting more offensive and vulgar while at the same time we are getting less tolerant of the same crap when it comes out of somebodies mouth.

Not really IMO.

Movies are created in direct response to public demand. The average person is in fact not easily offended and enjoys the risque or vulgar or whatever you want to call it entertainment.

It is a minority in power that abuse the court system and create a culture of fear in the work place, where a raised race/gender flag can get you fired overnight even after a decade of success at the business because of the fear of lawsuits. This fear is exploited by a few for their benefit, but its certainly not a case that the average Joe/Jane would have even given the merely overheard joke even a second thought.

 

[Nytegard]

Not really IMO.

Movies are created in direct response to public demand. The average person is in fact not easily offended and enjoys the risque or vulgar or whatever you want to call it entertainment.

It is a minority in power that abuse the court system and create a culture of fear in the work place, where a raised race/gender flag can get you fired overnight even after a decade of success at the business because of the fear of lawsuits. This fear is exploited by a few for their benefit, but its certainly not a case that the average Joe/Jane would have even given the merely overheard joke even a second thought.

Well, movies, music, MTV, etc., are constantly being harassed by people like her. We just tend to overlook it and call those people crazies unless it's extremely blatant.

People like her are what you call professional victims. This itself is a form of bullying. Zarathustra[H] made a statement above that the guys should be made extreme examples of, because it will lead to a decent society. Well, removing people like her from the workplace would also lead to a more decent society.

 

[Tudz]

I remember a hearing a joke as a kid, you know political correctiveness has a society in its grasp when everyone at all times is offended at everyone else, angry at everyone else, upset at everyone else, and then, only then, is everything balanced.

I don't think there's anything wrong with people being offended by things. Unless we have a homogeneous society, people are going to be raised differently in different cultures and with different values. People are going to be offended. Someone with a religious background with a sheltered life might be offended by taking a lighthearted view of sexuality, someone raised in a strictly non-religious background could be offended by damn near anything a religious person says about their beliefs.

There's no problem with being offended, the question is what you do with being offended. Do you walk away, do you turn around and say something or give an unapproving look, do you complain to them or do you do none of above and instead parade your offense on a public forum in a way that damages lives.

What makes me feel Adria is a douchebag far more than it simply being a lapse in judgment is that according to the guy, she turned around and SMILED at him while taking the photo. It was a smile of "I'm going to fuck you over for my personal gain" and now she's paid for it. Good riddance. People like that have no place in Zarathustra's decent society

 

[Retsam]

I don't think there's anything wrong with people being offended by things. Unless we have a homogeneous society, people are going to be raised differently in different cultures and with different values. People are going to be offended. Someone with a religious background with a sheltered life might be offended by taking a lighthearted view of sexuality, someone raised in a strictly non-religious background could be offended by damn near anything a religious person says about their beliefs.

There's no problem with being offended, the question is what you do with being offended. Do you walk away, do you turn around and say something or give an unapproving look, do you complain to them or do you do none of above and instead parade your offense on a public forum in a way that damages lives.

What makes me feel Adria is a douchebag far more than it simply being a lapse in judgment is that according to the guy, she turned around and SMILED at him while taking the photo. It was a smile of "I'm going to fuck you over for my personal gain" and now she's paid for it. Good riddance. People like that have no place in Zarathustra's decent society

Yeah, I agree. She let he emotions outweigh logic and professionalism. This world is a big place, its inevitable that you have to socialize people people who dont agree with your views on life. There are right and wrong ways to deal with things, she chose the wrong way. Im glad she was fired too or I would have been pissed that a company allows that sort of thing to happen. Theres no need to make issues like this public.

 

[Jagger100]

A system to make guys guilty for thinking like guys.

Hardly anyone lives to this standard. They just cherry pick where and when they let loose. And some guys are not good at cherry picking those times and they are the ones who get punished. Imho, its not a bad standard to aspire to, but deviating occasionally should be ignored.

Some guys welcome a system like that in that workplace because they don't have anything else to offer except following the rules to the letter. Women are just as inconsiderate or offensive as men or worse. They're just far better on average with the cherry picking the moments too be that way and don't use the 'bad words' list in their approach because it helps 'deniablity'.

And its ironic that they way people want to treat the guys that get caught like the way girls treat each other in every teen angst movie I've been forced to watch. The re-occurring theme in almost all of them for chicks is the public shaming and permanent damage to their status in society for straying from the 'golden path'. The infatuation with that concept must mean there's something to it and that's the way teenage girls are assholes to each other.

 

[NoNRG]

Next step: Apparently some lawyers want to make some hay. They claim Adria has a case for wrongful termination...

The company that fired a female tech developer who tweeted about comments she overheard at a Santa Clara conference said in a blog post that "publicly shaming" the men was inappropriate and she had to be terminated for alienating the developer community.

But that firing could be hard to defend in court, say labor law attorneys.

"It's a tough one," said Rob Pattison, a San Francisco attorney who represents employers for the Jackson Lewis law firm. "The law is strong in protecting people who make complaints of harassment, or who participate in an investigation about complaints of harassment."

http://www.mercurynews.com/business...ch-developer-twitter-pycon?source=most_viewed

 

[Dark Shade]

Zarathustra[H] made a statement above that the guys should be made extreme examples of, because it will lead to a decent society. Well, removing people like her from the workplace would also lead to a more decent society.

Nothing personal against the guy, as I don't know him personally, but all of his posts on topics of gender relations are generally full of misandry and shaming of the male gender. Take with teeny tiny grains of salt.

 

[NoNRG]

I want to add a *rolleyes* to my post above.

Also, do we even have the guys' side of the story here? Were the comments even directed at Adria? This is all absurd to me.

 

[Ducman69]

And it is EXACTLY this that is wrong with America. Its precisely why people like Adria get this God complex, and the reason that the other employee was fired for a mere mild overheard joke to a friend.

Hopefully enough people will get mad and insist that enough is enough and tell these lawyers and card waivers to go take a hike and allow management to actually worry about a workers proficiency and work ethic and the like and not some two second remark that was overheard while they were waiting for a speaker to prepare at a conference.

 

[c3141hf]

Next step: Apparently some lawyers want to make some hay. They claim Adria has a case for wrongful termination...



http://www.mercurynews.com/business...ch-developer-twitter-pycon?source=most_viewed

I called it. The liberal shysters are already circling like vultures, waiting to use state-imposed violence to steal money from the company that fired her.

 

[Tudz]

I want to add a *rolleyes* to my post above.

Also, do we even have the guys' side of the story here? Were the comments even directed at Adria? This is all absurd to me.

If Adria gets awarded anything for wrongful termination, the system has failed dismally. She was fired because she was unprofessional, not because she complained about harassment.

This was the statement the guy made after all it had happened:

I really did not mean to offend anyone and I really do regret the comment and how it made Adria feel. She had every right to report me to staff, and I defend her position. However, there is another side to this story. While I did make a big dongle joke about a fictional piece hardware that identified as male, no sexual jokes were made about forking. My friends and I had decided forking someone’s repo is a new form of flattery (the highest form being implementation) and we were excited about one of the presenters projects; a friend said “I would fork that guys repo” The sexual context was applied by Adria, and not us.

My second comment is this, Adria has an audience and is a successful person of the media. Just check out her web page linked in her twitter account, her hard work and social activism speaks for itself. With that great power and reach comes responsibility. As a result of the picture she took I was let go from my job today. Which sucks because I have 3 kids and I really liked that job.

She gave me no warning, she smiled while she snapped the pic and sealed my fate. Let this serve as a message to everyone, our actions and words, big or small, can have a serious impact.

 

[Tudz]

Also, if a dongle joke is considered sexual harassment...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5mLjKI968g

It's basically saying "things I don't want to hear are harassment, even if not directed at me or even in the general direction of me or even remotely or about me or in any way suppressing my freedoms".

 

[Tudz]

*...or even remotely about me...

Damned lack of an edit.

 

[AceGoober]

My dongle has a first name. It's F-I-R-E-D.

 

[Kaitian]

I want to add a *rolleyes* to my post above.

Also, do we even have the guys' side of the story here? Were the comments even directed at Adria? This is all absurd to me.

Yes, the guy that got fired reported his side of the event. Adria had no fucking clue what either terms meant anyways.

 

[Topweasel]

Some one needs to send her a link to that old sexual harassment spoof video and say THIS is inappropriate behaviour. not some god damn dongle joke.

Are you talking about the Tom Brady one? That's not that old. Well maybe in internet years it is.

 

[Vorret]

I couldn't disagree more with this line of thought.

She shouldn't have to turn around and ASK to be in a non-offensive professional work environment. It should be a basic universal expectation. I don't condone her "public shaming" bit, but I'd support her every bit of the way had she instead done the trade-show equivalent of "going to HR."

There is no place for talk like that in a professional setting (or really anywhere) and coming out to bat for that douchebag, you really look like you are defending the "good old boys" gentleman status quo.

I'm all for making an extreme example of anyone who even dares approach the grey zone of workplace sexual conduct, with the hope that maybe future generations will be influenced and find it unacceptable.

If we are all lucky, in the next couple of generations there will be absolutely zero tolerance for "boys being boys" type bullshit.

While you are right, there is no direct equivalence, and this is very very minor in comparison, it is "boys being boys" thinking like this that leads to the kind of coverups and bullshit that happened in Steubenville. It needs to be completely and totally eradicated if we are to have a decent society.

I'm a bit late to the party but, are you a troll? You can't possibly be serious.
But just to entertain myself, are you VERY ANGRY that she got fired?

I bet you're angry.

 

[Kaitian]

I'm a bit late to the party but, are you a troll? You can't possibly be serious.
But just to entertain myself, are you VERY ANGRY that she got fired?

I bet you're angry.

He's suggesting we need to be robots in our daily lives because we cannot NEVER EVER BE FUCKING FUNNY AT ALL.

 

[ravx25]

What's worse is lawyers are stepping up now saying Adria has a chance to sue SendGrid based on her termination. This country is just pathetic sometimes. I really do not understand why, if I start a business, I can't just fire you just because I want to. It's my business. Why must I be told who I can hire, why and why I cannot just let them go? Oh I forgot, it's because we are slowly turning into a socialist state.

 

[Kaitian]

What's worse is lawyers are stepping up now saying Adria has a chance to sue SendGrid based on her termination. This country is just pathetic sometimes. I really do not understand why, if I start a business, I can't just fire you just because I want to. It's my business. Why must I be told who I can hire, why and why I cannot just let them go? Oh I forgot, it's because we are slowly turning into a socialist state.

There are over 1 million lawyers in the United States. There are always some that sees there's a case. I'm sure most of them are saying "NOPE, we'd get slaughtered in court." while the rest will resort to shady tactics in order to win. My law professor said he was on a civil action case where he was the plaintiff and there were 18 different defendants with 18 different set of lawyer. There was 1 set that was just lying their ass off all the time and the 17 defendants couldn't believe it. They pretty much obliterated the lying lawyer themselves. The whole deal is that the 18 defendants have to figure out among themselves who bears the most responsibility. The plaintiff doesn't have to do shit because all he has to do is win his side in court in a civil action case. Once the judge rules in favor of them, the lawyers on the defendant's side must split responsibility or one can bear the responsibility alone. If they can't agree, the judge will do it for them and the defendant's do not want the judge deciding.

 

[Deleted member 136890]

I bet if Thug McNasty rapper sang a song about big dongles and being forked this biotch would be singing a different tune. Hell this biotch would cream herself and shaking dat booty to McNasty.

 

[RanceJustice]

As one who is very socially liberal, this is bloody disgusting. Everything posted about her (mostly, simply repeating her own comments) proves she's simply the worst sort of person. Cases like this dilute what it means to be actually harassed or in a hostile working environment.

 

[Quicksilver_]

Can somebody please stop pushing the fucking rewind button on society? We already went through this in the fucking 90's where every cartoon had to have such a diverse multi-race and multicultural cast it was almost like you were watching a color muted episode of My Little Pony.

Captain Planet was one cartoon. And The Simpsons is still one of the most politically incorrect cartoons in existence.

 

[Topweasel]

Captain Planet was one cartoon. And The Simpsons is still one of the most politically incorrect cartoons in existence.

I still get a kick out of an Indian friend of mine mocking his father in an Apu voice whenever he would stop by his work. He would even throw in a "thank you come again" at the end every once in a while.

Captain Planet lasted like 2 seasons on Saturday morning. Simpson's while every ethnic stereotype is played up to it fullest is like 25 years old now. Shows that the sensitive douches with sticks up their asses are probably the minority in the US. We just need to find a way to stop greasing the squeaky wheel, it's a lot cause, lets worry about maintaining the working ones.