Infuriating.

[Isabelle Warwicke]

I ran across this blog as I was doing my regular rounds of the net:

(warning! graphic images and language included. NSFW)

http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/ (http://headrush.typepad.com/)

In March 2007, Kathy Sierra abruptly cancelled her appearance at the O'Reilly ETech Conference in San Diego, after receiving threatening and sexually graphic messages that made her afraid to leave her house. In a blog post at Creating Passionate Users, she stated that the harassment started with some blog comments posted four weeks earlier. Then she came across some other comments and photographs which indicated to her a pattern of intimidation. The issue triggered a discussion on the need for a bloggers' code of conduct and some bloggers, including Robert Scoble (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Scoble), temporarily suspended their blogs in a show of support to Kathy Sierra.

I must comment now: Death threats and threats of sexual violence are not protected speech or at least they shouldn't be even if the ACLU has anything to say about it. It makes me feel sorrow and anger all at the same time. It's hateful. I know that fear only works if you let it, but this is simply unacceptable in our modern society. A woman should not have to endure this or silence herself as a result.

[Ysobelle]

Holy CRAP! What does this woman do that people would even think of saying such things about her? I'm not implying in any way she brought it on herself, I just mean I can't understand why anyone would get so vile over a computer systems expert!

And the ACLU doesn't protect things like this. No one should.

[Isabelle Warwicke]

There was some blurb about a youTube clip that she had posted, but the clip wasn't posted until after the harassment had started.

I'm not sure what anyone does to receive this kind of hatred and verbal violence in their life.

[Buxom Wench]

There is no reason for ANYONE to have to go through what this woman did, no matter what.

[Ysobelle]

It seems so random! Which I'm guessing is part of the scariness.

I'm very, very glad she's speaking out loudly about is. She's absolutely right in her post about what's happening. Hate speech like this should never, never be tolerated, both for what it says and the attitudes it comes from. I hope they find this guy.

[Ysobelle]

There is no reason for ANYONE to have to go through what this woman did, no matter what.

No, no-- I'm not trying to say there is. I just don't get what it is about her that would cause someone to latch on so violently and terrifyingly. Is she a public figure? I mean, I've never heard of her, and I just can't understand what it could be about her area of expertise that would cause such an insane reaction.

Have you ever heard of the blogs for people who hate Rachel Ray? I don't get that, either. She's a foodie, and she has a TV show. That, at least, I can almost see: she's on TV every day, where people can see her to pick apart her mannerisms and such. But this woman...it just seems so random. Which, I guess, is part of why it's so terrifying.

[Buxom Wench]

No, no-- I'm not trying to say there is. I just don't get what it is about her that would cause someone to latch on so violently and terrifyingly. Is she a public figure? I mean, I've never heard of her, and I just can't understand what it could be about her area of expertise that would cause such an insane reaction.....
I wasn't saying that to anything specific.
I was making that as a general statement.
Wether someone is famous or just a John/Jane Doe, no one should be subjected to such abuse.
How anyone can do this to another human beong just boggles the mind.

[Isabelle Warwicke]

Kathy Sierra is a programming instructor specializing in Java, a master trainer for SunMicrosystems and game developer who created the Head First series of books on computer programming. Currently she authors the Creating Passionate Users blog.

From what I have read about her, she is an innovative leader in her field and has won a few awards for her books.

[Katyara]

She seems like a very intresting person. I was drawn to her descriptions of various tech employees and can look around my center and lable a few off the top of my head. Professional women in the computer field have a bullseye that gets bigger the more we know. I have had this on me for awhile myself. While I have never had anything as bad happen, I feel her pain. There are some males out there that hate the female at the computers. My own systems were personally targeted many times. there were many times when we had DOS attempts on my system, and when my (now) ex boyfriend confronted them, they would say things to the effect "We don't have a problem with you man, you're alright, that bitch of yours needs to get off and do her job... " you can imagine the rest. :roll: She's absolutley right, this is why there's not alot of females in the tech world. She's also sharing information encouraging user to become more knowledgable, that's another big no no to these types of people.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I have seen this myself and lamost jaded to it when I shouldn't be. I feel for her and would love to try and talk to her to say there are others out there, but it's happened to me so many times I just loose my suprise. They stalk, you ignore. And that's exactly what we , as female computer users, are told to do.. ignore.

[Ysobelle]

Holy wow. That's just terrifying, Katyara. I had no idea.

But if it's shit like, "I want to slit your throat and...." well, yeah-- that shouldn't be ignored. They should find the guy and lock him up for a while. (And that wasn't my first suggestion, either.)

[Rhia]

I have her blog as one of my feeds for usability - she has some interesting things to say and brings up a lot of good topics for discussion, but I cannot for any reason imagine what would have prompted this.

Makes me wonder if I should make my tech-blog down myself....

*sigh*

I hate people sometimes...

[MoonWench]

Sadly enough I think this may be a typical thing for many women in fields dominated by men. They feel threatened by women.

I work in construction an I have this problem myself. I knew when I started in this field my being a woman could be a problem for some of my co-workers. I just did not realize how bad until the sexual/threatening comments started appearing in the privies and in notes on my car. I also had a boss who told me he would break me because bitches did not belong in construction. I sucked it up, because of black listing, until he tried to get me killed.

From then on I knew I always have to watch your back.

[Ysobelle]

PLEASE tell me you took that asshole down. Reported him or turned him in to the police or SOMEthing.

[Lady Laurel]

I saw it alot when I was in IT. I was one of the few women surrounded by men who thought they were superior. It is just another place that women had to "prove themselves" which was totally rediculous, we all had the same degrees and education but they resent women knowing more or as much as they do.

[Ysobelle]

I mentioned this story to a mle friend of mine last night, and the first thing he said, as he shook his head in disgust at these asses, was, "She's a woman in a man's world. They're threatened."

I'm obscurely comforted by the fact that it never even occurred to me, at first, that that would be why she'd be attacked.