Comments on: On Friendship Bracelets and Ninja Turtles: Wikipedia’s Gender Gap

By: Joey Kulseth

Joey Kulseth — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:14:38 +0000

Can I simply say what a reduction to seek out somebody who truly is aware of what theyre speaking about on the internet. You positively know the right way to carry a problem to gentle and make it important. More people must read this and perceive this side of the story. I cant consider youre not more common since you definitely have the gift.

By: Travis Casavant

Travis Casavant — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 06:14:15 +0000

You made some good points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found most guys will approve with your website.

By: Katharine

Katharine — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:56:27 +0000

I see Walenty doesn’t know basic statistics nor the fact that correlation does not imply causation. There is actually at least one study out of Saudi Arabia where if one altered the environment to be more nurturing to girls, they actually outperformed boys in math. In addition, you ignore millennia of oppression against women and the sexist environment that’s permeated the world for centuries and you also ignore the numerous women who have earned Nobel Prizes. Your own countrywoman, Maria Sklodowska Curie, had TWO.

In conclusion: F*ck off, you stupid Polack.

By: Larissa

Larissa — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:33:13 +0000

So, I have to agree with the people who have commented on the “boy” interests vs. “girl” interests. Speaking for myself, only, I might have a degree in English, but I studied Chemistry for many years. I can program a computer. I can build websites from the ground up in HTML. I happen to like some “girly” things like knitting, cross-stitch, etc., but I read hard-core science fiction and GM Shadowrun (see role-playing in Wikipedia) and have done so for MANY years – I’m a gamer, too… My daughter always gets the “boy toy” at McDonald’s and I’ve ALWAYS thought it was stupid that they claim that – those toys are more interesting because they _d0_ something. In my life, and the lives of most of the women I know, this particularly stereotypical view really only has the purpose of being irksome, tiresome and, at worst, downright insulting. I happen to agree with Alyson – most of the females I’ve known and met over the years (and yes, I am significantly older than the average male Wikipedia poster) who fit the stereotype of “missing” information have less than no interest in anything like editing Wikipedia – they’re too busy memorizing designers and determining which shade of lip gloss goes with their shoes… Remember, please, this is strictly from my personal interactions and is NOT intended to be taken as any form of generalization – I have met many intelligent women who are concerned with looks and presentation, but they don’t tend to think that it’s a topic for serious consideration with the public as a whole – only their closest friends…

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:39:23 +0000

Walenty, when women are denied education, as they have been over the centuries, you will only see only male minds prosper. Right now I can tell you that young women are excelling in the classroom and far exceeding their male peers, which is causing a lot of people worry and of course, teachers are blamed for not paying enough attention to males, whereas they used to be uniquely nurtured while women were pretty much ignored (I can remember being told that I would never marry if I followed my interest in marine biology, men don’t like smart women).
When society (via TV, magazines, music and so on) stops stereotyping people into roles that supposedly make them more eligible and attractive, things might change more. Believe me the teenage mind is excessively prone to being influenced by “pop” culture and even smart people can buy that guff when they are under the influence of hormones.

By: Idlewilde

Idlewilde — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:19:12 +0000

There’s more to say about ninja turtles (which I watch) than friendship bracelets (which I don’t wear.) There’s no comparison. It’s not even the same subject. Maybe compare a girl’s show to a boy’s show, but bracelets and television are not the same category. I’m not editing wikipedia because I’m writing my stories which I hope to publish, and studying in college. I’m not afraid of stating my opinions-that’s a load of B.S.

By: Patrick Morgan

Patrick Morgan — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:25:41 +0000

Hi Marie,
Thanks for catching the amphibian error–that mistake unfortunately squeaked through the editing chain, and I’m sorry for that. (And really–what an embarrassing mistake to make!)

I’ve corrected the article, thanks to you, and I hope you’ll forgive the oversight.

–Patrick Morgan, DISCOVER Web Intern

By: Alyson

Alyson — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:22:21 +0000

Oh, and where I do agree with Walenty is that quotas are ridiculous in areas where a group is not being locked out.

Unless there is some evidence of systematic harassment and deletion of female authored pages, the system should be left as it is. Wikipedia is a volunteer project, and if “women” as a group are unhappy with the state of it, they can just volunteer in greater numbers and change it.

I personally do not need more nuance and sensitivity in my Wikipedia, nor do I need more “female” topics.

By: Cristin

Cristin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:22:03 +0000

I don’t do a lot of editing of Wikipedia, but those few articles I have edited tend to be about science, computers, science fiction, and occasionally history. I’m sorry I don’t fit their gender stereotypes about what types of topics I’m supposed to care enough about to bother editing.

By: Alyson

Alyson — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:01:45 +0000

Maybe the real gender issue here is not that more men edit Wikipedia, but that there is an assumption that women who might be inclined to edit Wikipedia pages give a rats ass about friendship bracelets.

I dont care about fashion,or purses, or shoes. I hate shopping, and only go when I have to, and I love video games, science, philosophy, and ran track and did Judo. Maybe, just maybe, the problem is that not all women, and not really bright women in particular, care about some of the stupid things that are stereotypically “female.”

Maybe, a lot of that is learned behavior, and not innate, and the kind of women who learn to care about friendship bracelets dont learn to care about editing Wikipedia pages.

And to Walenty. There ARE more male geniuses. There are also more male idiots. Whats your point? Those facts say nothing about individuals. Besides, last time I checked, you didnt need to be a genius by any definition to edit or create a Wikipedia page, or even to be President of the United States. Is this thread just a platform to bolster your limp and flagging self esteem?

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:41:52 +0000

I must admit that I couldn’t bring myself to read the entire article. What kind of science blogger doesn’t know that turtles are reptiles, not amphibians?

By: Sieben Stern

Sieben Stern — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:34:49 +0000

I normally don’t reply to posts, but Walenty got under my skin.

What he said, if said about any minority, would land him in the hot seat. We don’t say that blacks aren’t CEO’s because they aren’t as smart as whites, that they lack IQ and drive. No, there are more factors, like education, poverty, and cronyism in the boardroom.

More men are ‘geniuses’ because the education system has, up until recently, always favored males. It’s difficult to flourish when your teacher treats you differently based on your gender or race – it’s like a self fulfilling prophecy – they think you aren’t good enough and so don’t bother – therefore you fail.

Even in art and painting, there were amazing female artists during the expressionist era, that to spite being equal to their male counterparts, once married, had to stop painting because that’s what society demanded.

As for IQ being the measure of a genius – it’s just a number. It’s what you do with the smarts that counts.

PS. The blue pill is viagra – and women don’t take that ^^

By: Walenty Lisek

Walenty Lisek — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:11:34 +0000

This is so silly and so sad to see an endorsement from the Discover blog promoting feminist lies. Nature is not egalitarian and talents are not equally distributed, fewer women contribute because fewer women will have the urge or the ability to do so. At the high end of the IQ scale, men have disproportional representation because more men have the biological underpinnings for genius. In other words, Larry Summers had the objective facts on his side.

By bringing diversity, the feminist project will necessarily bring those with lower IQ’s and less talent into the decision making process and thus Wikipedia, or whoever else swallows the blue pill of feminism, will perform worse than they they otherwise would. Feminism enforces idiocracy through both social pressure and under law with the point of a gun.

There is a natural aristocracy of talent among humans no matter how much the Church of Liberalism wishes it weren’t so.

By: Mandy Moon

Mandy Moon — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:08:44 +0000

Seems silly to compare the Wikipedia articles for friendship bracelets and TMNT. How much can one possibly say about friendship bracelets? “They’re tedious and boring to make, camp counselors have you weave them when they can’t think of anything else to do, and oh- you can make chevron patterns.” The end.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, on the other hand, was a large and successful franchise, with multiple TV series and movies, toys, etc. Of course there’s a lot more to write about them than friendship bracelets. The disparity there isn’t because one is a “girl toy” and the other is a “boy toy”.

By: Katharine

Katharine — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:49:18 +0000

Want to know why I’m not editing Wikipedia?

I’m busy doing science.