Feminists Attack Wikipedia

Accuracy in Academia ^ | February 21, 2014 | Deborah Lambert

[Academiadotorg]

Feminist groups at several universities recently took part in an effort called “Edit Wikipedia Day,” to address what they perceive as the sexist flaws in the website, according to a post by Leslie Eastman.

In describing the issue, Sarah Stierch, a Wikipedia contributor and researcher for the Wikimedia Foundation, told Daily Dot that the site is “aesthetically very masculine in its design,” adding that “the average Wikipedia editor is a well-educated white male. Well-educated white males have been writing history and the story of the world since ancient times.”

To improve this situation, the annual ‘Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon’ inspired feminists around the country to spend an entire day changing and rewriting the online encyclopedia to make it less masculine, according to Campus Reform.

The event is a follow-up to last year’s similar edit-a-thon, when feminist sympathizers were called upon to edit “feminist thought” into Wikipedia articles.

“It’s not like my life passion to make Wikipedia feminist, but it’s been really surprising, there’s this whole underground world that I wasn’t aware of – people who are dedicated to editing Wikipedia,” said Krystal South, an event organizer, in a statement to B**** Magazine. “The beauty of Wikipedia is it’s a public institution, people have the ability to go change it.”

[Academiadotorg]

you should tweet that and make it your facebook status update.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Ah, someone finally hot upon the unstated irony of this complaint! Regardless of the validity of the charge, to say that the website does not credit women enough, or uses “he” instead of “she” or some “gender neutral” equivalent would be one thing. To accuse it of “looking masculine” implies a duality that feminism claims is only a “social construct.”

If the sexes are the same, then neither rigidly aligned blocks of austere fonts nor flowers, pink text and cute kittens can be labeled as reflecting any sort of statement about gender preferences in aesthetics. If Ellen Degeneres chooses to appear in a short cropped hair style always wearing skater shoes, jeans, and collared shirts, is she “dressing masculine?” or is this imposing “gender stereotypes?”

It's clear those complaining about Wikipedia need to go back and finish their post graduate studies.

[mikeus_maximus]

So the emasculation of America continues....

[Academiadotorg]

my oldest daughter—16—does that.

[RansomOttawa]

the site is “aesthetically very masculine in its design,”

Computer displays are shaped like rectangles and have straight lines and right angles. Therefore, windows and Web pages tend to be shaped like rectangles and have straight lines and right angles.

When they invent a display shaped like boobs, I'm sure Web design will necessarily follow.