Gremlins; WAC talk (1944); Lookit; Melanie's etymology page

[Tivoli Majors]

A total aside:

I found this discussion interesting because it is reminiscent of the data
examined in "This discussion is going too far!" by Herring et al. in Gender
Articulated, Hall and Bucholtz, eds. It is a comparison of the postings of men
and women on two academic list servers (LingList and MLA). I think it is
interesting reading for anyone active on ListServs.

Tivoli Majors

RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:

> In a message dated 6/13/99 6:13:04 PM, flanigan at OAK.CATS.OHIOU.EDU writes:
>
> << At 10:02 PM 6/12/99 -0400, Barry Popik wrote (re. "Melanie"):
> >    However, she does photograph well.
> >
> Would you say the same thing about a man in a (supposedly) scholarly comment?
> >>
>
> I take it that Flanigan is criticizing Popik for putatively sexist talk? I
> think that is somewhat unfair--by characterizing Popik's review as
> "scholarly," Flanigan takes Popik's comment out of context: what he e-mailed
> us is a light-hearted, if VERY negative, commentary written in a casual style
> (in which, among other things, "Melanie" is referred to as a complete
> "twit"). I read Popik's "she does photograph well" as merely a way of
> criticizing "Melanie" for publishing a column that has little to recommend it
> but her attractive face. So, yes, I think I might well "say the same thing
> about a man" in an e-mail that attempts to do what Barry does. Empty-headed
> twitism has no sexual boundaries, and both males and females who hide their
> empty-headedness behind a pretty face deserve to be chided.