i was just reading this article in the online version of NY Times about the lack of females in Comp Sci, and I took a look at the messages posted in a forum about this article. and I quote, "I have studied my girls, wives and girlfriends and found what it boiled down to: girls do not like computers because the machines are not life-connected AND computers cannot be as readily manipulated by a smile and a caprice as humans can." What a stupid effing jackarse. How stereotypical can you be? grrrrr..... and then the first two lines of the article were, "Anyone who has ever tried to pry a girl offline knows that girls like computers. They just don't understand how they work" Are you kidding me? So i guess that all men understand how computers work, what a freakin joke. So here's my response that I posted in the forum.

Currently I am a senior at a public high school. Being the only girl in both of my computer science classes (Java Programming and AP Computer Science), this article grabbed my attention. I must admit that I do not enjoy being the only female in my class at times, but I would not drop the class beause of it. As we have witnessed throughout history, females take a longer time to become involved in new professions, and I think if given the time, females will be drawn to computer science. It is not something we should try to force, it should just happen on its own. Its not that we "don't understand them," I just don't think women have had the same opportunity as men to become involved in the field. And to say that women do not like computers because they "cannot be as readily manipulated by a smile and a caprice as humans can" is a lie, and I find that insulting. This is a good example of the stereotype that females have to overcome everyday, and why it has been more difficult for us to get involved in the field compared to men.

Grrr.... this stuff makes me so pissed off