I didn't think this was necessary, and I agree with the one guy with the apparently unpopular opinion. But, participation doesn't lie, and there's quite a few ladies posting up a storm, so I guess the demand and need is higher than I imagined.
I personally hope this is only a short term reality. I can name a dozen female nsers who are some of my absolute favorite posters and further are some of my favorite people. I don't want this to create a schism between men and women in the sport and I am hesitant to embrace anything like this because like it or not it creates division. I just hope as more women here feel confident in posting there, that they bring that self assuredness and confidence to posting EVERYWHERE. I just want the longterm overarching goal to be "foster a culture where no one's perspective is devalued because they're a woman in a male dominated space".
It is depressing and kind of gross that women don't feel good about participating on NS. To me, that's a real problem, and I know that this is less an NS problem and more a world problem (how women are perceived and treated). Can't we as a community take responsibility for the culture here?
I know this is a global site and the population is diffused in such a way where it is functionally impossible to eradicate any and all hostility towards women, but fuckin' A! Influential, outspoken members set the bar here constantly in every way imaginable. If the right people actually give a fuck and speak up and have the ladies back it'll become the cultural norm. I'm not saying we need to patronize the ladies and indulge everything they say (people say dumb things, women included), but if you see a shitty post directed at a woman simply because she's a woman, don't quote and reply "lol", say something.
I'm glad that the rad as fuck ripping women of NS who have been turned off by personal experience with ass holes here now feel safe and comfortable to use NS in the way that I apparently have just taken for granted. But, it is a loss for the community at large if lady gabber "owns" the ladies' energy. If the end result is that we "lose" the ladies to LG, well it stands to reason that things could actually get worse.
I guess I'm just asking that you ladies don't abandon us, and I hope your newfound or rediscovered enthusiasm for contributing extends far beyond lady gabber, because we need that.
My gal has been on NS for at least 5 years and we met here. She is really pumped on LG which was actually shocking to me. Then I thought about the countless occasions when she would spend 20 minutes minutes on a thoughtful reply in some thread to have her well punctuated, logical post dismissed out of hand by some dipshit living in his parent's house because her name is pink. For me, I tell her that it doesn't fucking matter because sensible people are reading her post and evaluating the content alone. But, then I think how I feel when I invest energy into a post and it is trashed out of hand....it feels a bit shitty. When I think about how it would feel or how I'd perceive NS if it happened saily? Fuck. That socks and no wonder very few women bother to post.
That's on us. Let's do better. Why can't NS be on the vanguard of that movement? I'm telling you right now that I'm going to do better.
