MIT librarian: Tech workplaces plastered with Star Trek posters, other geeky stuff is non-inclusive to women

Because this image drives women away from the tech professions:

 

And I suppose the following sort of Star Trek posters – most of which I admit to actually owning copies of, because they’re friggen awesome,  fight me – must be like wolfsbane to the snowflakiest of the SJW set:

Bah. Listen: if you are in the tech industry and this sort of thing offends you or disturbs you or in any way has a “negative impact on your likelihood of pursuing tech work,” consider that TECH WORK ISN’T FOR YOU.

And if you need confirmation that the subject of the post is a little on the screwy side, take a look at her blog posting, which has such nuggets of wisdom as:

Or at least, lots of the visible manifestations of culture are local. There is research that shows that workplaces that are plastered with stereotypically “tech or nerd guy” cultural images – think Star Trek – have negative impact on women’s likelihood of pursuing tech work and of staying in tech work in general or in that particular work environment. Replace the Star Trek posters with travel posters, don’t name your projects or your printers or your domains after only male figures from Greek mythology, and just generally avoid geek references and inside nerd jokes.  Those kinds of things reinforces the stereotypes about who does tech; and that stereotype is the male nerd stereotype.

Translation: Nerds: stop liking nerd stuff and being proud of your nerd-dom. Identity politics and group pride is fine, just not for you.

I also want to urge you all to pay attention to the kinds of informal socializing you do at work and in those liminal spaces that are work/social – if all the guys go to lunch together and not the women; then maybe stop doing that. And if the guys go to lunch and talk about women, then really, really, really stop doing that.

Translation: Men: stop expressing interest in women. You know, the thing that has kept the species alive.

If there’s a core group of guys who go out for beers after work just because you’re all friends, that’s kind of OK; but if you also talk about work and make decisions then it is definitely not OK.

Translation: Men: consider not having other men as friends, that’s at best “kind of OK.” But for the love of The Divine Goddess, do *not* have any interest in your career outside of work hours. I mean, come on. That’s just sense.

And then right at the bottom of her post:

Comments are currently closed.

Imagine that.

But there’s also this:

Another thing individuals can do to improve the culture and make tech more inclusive and welcoming is to be an active bystander and ally. If you see something, say something. If other men are talking over women, jump in and say “Hold on dude, I really want to hear what Cathy was saying.”

Note how she *doesn’t* suggest that Cathy needs to learn to assert herself. Assertiveness is a key to not only being heard, but to being *accepted* and *understood.* Trying to suppress discussion down to the level of the quietest, meekest member is a good way to utterly trash group morale and enthusiasm.

But I think that just might be the point.