Don't joke about Dongles

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Wow.

Woman claims to hear sexist jokes at a conference. Snaps photo of the alleged parties making the jokes, posts it on Twitter. Guy gets fired as a result. Woman also ends up losing her job as a result of posting and backlash.

I don't know if anyone should have been fired here, but wow. Certainly a reminder of watching what you say in a public setting and the use of social media.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/joke-dongles-conference-led-two-130019308.html

 

[Vombatus]

I almost made a joke about dingleberries yesterday, and now this dongle thread appears!

Coincidence? Heck no, must be a \conspiracytheory crossthread.

I am getting tired of feeling I should exhibit more restraint out of fear of losing my job. I mean, being PC is one thing, but to feel like your freedom of expression requires self-restraint seems a bit un-American to me.

Or maybe it's like living under a 1984 kind of society. Hell, it's not just big brother watching us - it is everyone with their camera phones and social media.

IT'S THE FREQUENCIES, KENNETH!

Argghhhh!

 

[LongTimeListener]

Forking and dongles are two words that definitely would have gotten me fired.

 

[Versatile]

What was the joke? I don't get it. I don't see anything inappropriate in that photo.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Good thing Gina Trapani is on the case. She looked up from her gift bag long enough to care.

 

[Ace]

If you don't want people making crude jokes, don't name your programming language "Python," and don't call those little things you plug into computers "dongles."

End the temptation, dammit!

 

[Vombatus]

What was the joke? I don't get it. I don't see anything inappropriate in that photo.

Vers, that's the damn problem - doesn't matter what you think. Diversity Training teaches you that only the opinion of the victim matters, regardless of intent, etc.

You are safest acting like a robot, coming to work, and not creating any problems.

Management prefers it that way. You know, not making managers have to manage.

 

[Ace]

What was the joke? I don't get it. I don't see anything inappropriate in that photo.

Vers, that's the damn problem - doesn't matter what you think. Diversity Training teaches you that only the opinion of the victim matters, regardless of intent, etc.

You are safest acting like a robot, coming to work, and not creating any problems.

Management prefers it that way. You know, not making managers have to manage.

But if you act like a robot, you still have to be careful asking coworkers for a lube job.

 

[Versatile]

No, I mean, can someone please actually explain to me what the **** happened?

I wasn't being facetious.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

No, I mean, can someone please actually explain to me what the **** happened?

I wasn't being facetious.

They were at some sort of event. The two guys were making "dongle" **** jokes. The woman sitting in front of them got offended. Instead of asking them to shut up, she took their picture and posted it on Twitter with a message that said "These men are making sexist jokes RIGHT BEHIND ME!"

One of the men was fired because of it. There was then a backlash, and she was fired for being an asshole.

 

[Riptide]

She's taking a beating from commenters on her blog post.

 

[LongTimeListener]

She's taking a beating from commenters on her blog post.

They're really forking her good.

 

[Riptide]

She's taking a beating from commenters on her blog post.

They're really forking her good.

Of course, most of them are guys.
But she did escalate this to the extreme.

 

[Riptide]

Also, what the **** is a "developer evangelist"?

 

[JayFarrar]

we make dongle jokes at our office all the time.

if that's the line, I've jumped back and forth over it.

 

[KJIM]

There's a lot that bothers me about this, but mostly that there was no proof that the guys made the jokes in the first place. For all we know, she made it up. Or got the wrong guys. (I skimmed the story and didn't see anything about the men acknowledging they'd made the jokes.)

Snapping people's pictures and making public accusations without proof? Strikes me as being libelous. Or slanderous -- which is the Internet?

Also, I don't want random conference-goers to snap my photo and slap it up on their blogospheres. If she is posting that on a company site/Twitter/whatever, she should be getting a photo release form.

 

[Versatile]

No, I mean, can someone please actually explain to me what the **** happened?

I wasn't being facetious.

They were at some sort of event. The two guys were making "dongle" **** jokes. The woman sitting in front of them got offended. Instead of asking them to shut up, she took their picture and posted it on Twitter with a message that said "These men are making sexist jokes RIGHT BEHIND ME!"

One of the men was fired because of it. There was then a backlash, and she was fired for being an asshole.

I don't understand how the photo proves the jokes were being made or why it's wrong to make jokes about penises. Were they harassing her in any way? Were the jokes directed at her?

Sounds like she's just a *****catty *****.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

No, I mean, can someone please actually explain to me what the **** happened?

I wasn't being facetious.

They were at some sort of event. The two guys were making "dongle" **** jokes. The woman sitting in front of them got offended. Instead of asking them to shut up, she took their picture and posted it on Twitter with a message that said "These men are making sexist jokes RIGHT BEHIND ME!"

One of the men was fired because of it. There was then a backlash, and she was fired for being an asshole.

I don't understand how the photo proves the jokes were being made or why it's wrong to make jokes about penises. Were they harassing her in any way? Were the jokes directed at her?

Sounds like she's just a *****catty *****.

It doesn't prove anything. She was just trying to publicly shame them for making nerdy off-color that she could overhear.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Half of the article was less understandable than the adults talking on Peanuts, most of all the attempts to explain the terms. And neither should have been fired

 

[TrooperBari]

No, I mean, can someone please actually explain to me what the **** happened?

I wasn't being facetious.

You can read her account of the events:
http://butyoureagirl.com/14015/forking-and-dongle-jokes-dont-belong-at-tech-conferences/