US Controversy over canceled sex talk at hacker convention

[Freesia]

Those darn feminists! They are no fun, focusing on women's work initiatives like that.

 

[das_nut]

the kind of person that keeps your fuzzy handcuffs next to a copy of The Pocket Pharmacopeia
screams out - malicious intent.

It screams out "light consensual bondage play" to me.

 

[Pickle Juice]

I guess you've never heard about dressing for success.

I didn't realize that it was okay to base judgements on how people are named or how they dress.

Ok, it's your job to schedule speakers to give talks on the following subjects for the next Security B-Sides hack-con:
Creative Resume Writing: The Pros and Cons of Listing Misdemeanor Hacking Convictions as Job Skills
How to Get Your Mom to Let You Live in Her Basement Rent Free
Hooking Up With geekgurls
Sex +/- drugs: Known Vulns and Exploits

and you have to choose from the following list of applicants who have attached their photos to their resumes:

Anita Lotta Cox, Sex Educator

Brianna Johnstone, haxx0r

Veronica Silverstein, LL.M.

Mrs. Aloysius F. Miller, Housewife

Good luck!

 

[Envy]

I put them all at Brianna.

 

[Spang]

I don't think the sex educator would attach that kind of photo, unless that's what she wears when she gives a lecture (same goes for the housewife). Violet Blue, the sex educator in question, does not.

 

[mlp]

I'm not sure what that talk had to do with (other than titillation) the conference, which is supposed to be a professional conference of some kind.

Well, it's a hacker con, from what I can tell (never been to it). Those can vary in scope and seriousness.

I've been to one where one of the speakers gave a talk on Captain Powers and the Soldiers of the Future (and if you catch that reference, I can tell you're probably above a certain age). Another speaker gave a talk on the Cthulhu mythos. Oh, and the end of the con included a drunken rant. (All of that was quite good, actually.)

It's not uncommon for such cons to have some weird stuff. If it'll interest hackers, they tend to include it. Especially at the smaller cons, where getting speakers is harder.

Here's what an upcoming B-Sides conference (one in Rochester) is calling for in presentations:

Talks we find interesting range from highly technical exploit development discussion, to insane ranting about how the moon men are here to take over the world and ways we can use tin foil and duct tape to save the planet.

Well, if sexual matters are of interest to hackers (other than purely for titillation purposes), I guess one frequently sees seminars on STD's, erectile dysfunction,birth control, menopause, etc., at these conferences?

 

[Envy]

Ok, let us not fool ourselves here.

What are the odds of that the people at a hacker convention are having regular sex?

 

[ledboots]

I don't think the sex educator would attach that kind of photo, unless that's what she wears when she gives a lecture (same goes for the housewife). Violet Blue, the sex educator in question, does not.

But I am sure the hackers have seen her NSFW *at all* site. http://www.tinynibbles.com/

 

[Spang]

But I am sure the hackers have seen her NSFW *at all* site.

That she has a blog for grownups shouldn't matter, unless she's speaking to minors maybe.

 

[Pickle Juice]

I don't think the sex educator would attach that kind of photo, unless that's what she wears when she gives a lecture. Violet Blue, the sex educator in question, does not.

Well the whole post was exaggerated for comic effect. However, for good or bad, how a person chooses to present themselves in a public arena and market their services most certainly is being judged by anyone seeking to avail themselves of said services. Apologies to "Violet Blue" if she had the misfortune to be given that name by her parents, but as a chosen business name it's only a few degrees more subtle than Anita Lotta Cox, for someone who works in the sex industry. I doubt it is the aim of the Ada Initiative to stop people from talking about sex for the purposes of titillation, but there are times and places for public titillation, and trying to legitimize it as sex "education" in this instance is a pretty transparent ploy.

 

[mlp]

there are times and places for public titillation, and trying to legitimize it as sex "education" in this instance is pretty transparent ploy.

This.

 

[Spang]

I doubt it is the aim of the Ada Initiative to stop people from talking about sex for the purposes of titillation, but there are times and places for public titillation, and trying to legitimize it as sex "education" in this instance is a pretty transparent ploy.

That's a valid argument. But I think Ms. Blue is being unfairly mistreated in this thread because of her area of expertise.

 

[Pickle Juice]

I don't call it mistreatment to call a spade a spade. If she wants respect she ought to be honest about her motives, stop trying to make it look like it's something it's clearly not, and stick to more receptive audiences.

 

[Freesia]

I like the name Violet Blue. But i think her talk was irrelevant to the conference, and also kind of a strange topic too.

Why does she not give a talk on how to build up and run a successful blog/website? Or something to do with technology.

Anyone can get up on a stage and say "I had sex drunk and on drugs" so it seems like kind of a strange, redundant, questionable topic.

 

[Spang]

I don't call it mistreatment to call a spade a spade. If she wants respect she ought to be honest about her motives, stop trying to make it look like it's something it's clearly not, and stick to more receptive audiences.

Unless I'm misunderstanding you, in post #23, you seem to suggest that Violet Blue is incapable of being professional, that if she provides a photograph with her resume, it will be similar to Anita Lotta Cox's.

 

[das_nut]

Anyone can get up on a stage and say "I had sex drunk and on drugs" so it seems like kind of a strange, redundant, questionable topic.

Is that what her talk is about?

I presume you'd be against someone like Dan Savage talking to an audience at college (like he does) because any one can get up on stage and say "I've had sex".

Obviously Dan, who runs a sex advice column, is just out to titillate, like anyone who talks about sex on stage. And just look at the name of his advice column - it's "Savage Love". Doesn't that imply violence against women? And he's supported porn being made and viewed through his promotion of various events such as "Hump". He's even written a guide for college kids that has sex and alcohol written to in the title, and he's contributed to such works as "The Best American Sex Writing 2004".

(This post is going to backfire on me when I discover you have no clue who Dan Savage is.)

 

[ledboots]

This talks about some women's experiences at hacker conventions.
http://m.blogher.com/defcon-why-conference-harassment-matters

 

[Pickle Juice]

I don't call it mistreatment to call a spade a spade. If she wants respect she ought to be honest about her motives, stop trying to make it look like it's something it's clearly not, and stick to more receptive audiences.

Unless I'm misunderstanding you, in post #23, you seem to suggest that Violet Blue is incapable of being professional, that if she provides a photograph with her resume, it's similar to Anita Lotta Cox's.

No, post 23 was an attempt to show that people who are selling themselves deliberately choose the image they want to present for the precise purpose of being judged by that appearance and hopefully chosen because the image they create effectively communicates to the prospective buyer that they will be getting what they are looking for. Violet Blue maybe be very professional in her chosen field. She may not be as obvious as the imaginary Anita, but if she isn't a sex worker being hired by a bunch of randy dudes for a thrill, under the guise of "education", I'll eat a bug.

 

[Spang]

She may not be as obvious as the imaginary Anita, but if she isn't a sex worker being hired by a bunch of randy dudes for a thrill, under the guise of "education", I'll eat a bug.

With the lecture being canceled, you and the bug are safe.

 

[Freesia]

Anyone can get up on a stage and say "I had sex drunk and on drugs" so it seems like kind of a strange, redundant, questionable topic.

Is that what her talk is about?

I presume you'd be against someone like Dan Savage talking to an audience at college (like he does) because any one can get up on stage and say "I've had sex".

Obviously Dan, who runs a sex advice column, is just out to titillate, like anyone who talks about sex on stage. And just look at the name of his advice column - it's "Savage Love". Doesn't that imply violence against women? And he's supported porn being made and viewed through his promotion of various events such as "Hump". He's even written a guide for college kids that has sex and alcohol written to in the title, and he's contributed to such works as "The Best American Sex Writing 2004".

(This post is going to backfire on me when I discover you have no clue who Dan Savage is.)

A unisex college audience is a bit different than being a woman at a conference where you are well outnumbered by the men.

The topic is not about the ins and outs of sex, which might have its uses, it is about having sex while intoxicated by all sorts of things, kind of a strange topic for a hacker conference.

Also I am not really a huge Dan Savage fan. I think he has his heart in the right place but his writing style is a bit hardcore for my sensibilities. So I would not go to one of his lectures, at university or otherwise.