Microsoft Apologizes for Big Boobs

[cobra_ky]

Jesus Christ, sometimes I don't know why I even bother with this site anymore.

Two whole pages of people whining about feminism and how overblown this story is.

0 actual feminists taking exception.

Well, let me be the first then. Yes, it's sexist. Yes, it reinforces a negative perception of the software development industry. Yes, Microsoft is doing the right thing by apologizing and patching it out.

Story over, situation resolved, let's move on.

Sexist
adj.

discriminatory on the basis of sex

I don't mean to start some sort of flame war or semantic back-and-forth, but how exactly is the phrase "big boobs" in itself discriminatory? Sure, it's stupid and immature, but calling it sexist would require several large inferences and leaps of logic.

A phrase in itself can't be discriminatory if it doesn't state or infer any sort of opinion. The phrase "Feminist Whore" is sexist because it implies a hatred and malice towards feminists. The phrase "Big Boobs" implies......boobs? That they're big? What?

It's like the difference between saying the n work (which connotatively recollects several centuries of hardship and oppression for African Americans) and saying "black guy". (which means there's a guy... who's black.) Could someone say the phrase black guy to make some sort of racist remark? Sure. Does that mean the phrase in itself is bad? Nope.

Immature and stupid? Yes. Made by some sexist? Possibly. Sexist in itself? No.

You're comparing "big boobs" to phrases that describe actual human beings. More importantly, you're completely ignoring the context that it was used in.

There was no obvious reason whatsoever to use that value, other than the programmer writing it found it amusing. "0xBI6B00B5" constituted a joke. the "humor" ostensibly derives from the fact that it's an inappropriate phrase. Why is it inappropriate? Because breasts are a sexually objectified portion of female anatomy. Sexual objectification of women is sexist.

 

[rioki]

I am totally sexist now: 2976579765

 

[cobra_ky]

You're comparing "big boobs" to phrases that describe actual human beings. More importantly, you're completely ignoring the context that it was used in.

There was no obvious reason whatsoever to use that value, other than the programmer writing it found it amusing. "0xBI6B00B5" constituted a joke. the "humor" ostensibly derives from the fact that it's an inappropriate phrase. Why is it inappropriate? Because breasts are a sexually objectified portion of female anatomy. Sexual objectification of women is sexist.

You're kinda sabotaging your point because you're providing reason for people to get in a huff over this.

i haven't provided a reason for anyone to get in a huff. The only huff here has been a kneejerk reaction to "feminism" in a story that involves exactly 0 women and didn't even get a remotely feminist response until i showed up two pages in.

before you accuse me of sabotaging my point, maybe you should tell me exactly what you think my point is.

The phrase big boobs is no more sexist than the phrase big dicks... Or bum, or any juvenile profanity for that matter.

It's asinine and juvenile... not sexist.

If the code had of been

0xB16D1C45

not a single fuck would be given. Eyes would roll and there'd be many a

moments.

But no piss, shit and vomit storm.

The reaction to the line of code is what is sexist.

ok, assuming '4' is a reasonable stand-in for 'k'...

...It's still horribly inappropriate and unprofessional and Microsoft should (and no doubt would) have handled it in exactly the same way, by publicly apologizing and patching it out.

 

[Coolshark]

Paolo, Matthew

Harden the fuck up.

Slow news day

What you did there now,

I saw it, you know.

But that's not Haiku.

 

[Keepitclean]

Paolo, Matthew

Harden the fuck up.

Slow news day

What you did there now,

I saw it, you know.

But that's not Haiku.

Hahaha, I didn't even notice actually.
Now that you've pointed it out I'll make one just for you.

There we go, check page 1

 

[cobra_ky]

You're comparing "big boobs" to phrases that describe actual human beings. More importantly, you're completely ignoring the context that it was used in.

There was no obvious reason whatsoever to use that value, other than the programmer writing it found it amusing. "0xBI6B00B5" constituted a joke. the "humor" ostensibly derives from the fact that it's an inappropriate phrase. Why is it inappropriate? Because breasts are a sexually objectified portion of female anatomy. Sexual objectification of women is sexist.

You're kinda sabotaging your point because you're providing reason for people to get in a huff over this.

i haven't provided a reason for anyone to get in a huff. The only huff here has been a kneejerk reaction to "feminism" in a story that involves exactly 0 women and didn't even get a remotely feminist response until i showed up two pages in.

before you accuse me of sabotaging my point, maybe you should tell me exactly what you think my point is.

You're saying it's silly for people to be getting annoyed over this because no feminists are saying it's actually sexist.

And then you're saying it's sexist.... which it isn't.

Yes. I decided if people were going to rail against feminist straw men anyway, we should at least have an actual feminist to straw man. one of many services I provide.

The phrase big boobs is no more sexist than the phrase big dicks... Or bum, or any juvenile profanity for that matter.

It's asinine and juvenile... not sexist.

If the code had of been

0xB16D1C45

not a single fuck would be given. Eyes would roll and there'd be many a

moments.

But no piss, shit and vomit storm.

The reaction to the line of code is what is sexist.

ok, assuming '4' is a reasonable stand-in for 'k'...

...It's still horribly inappropriate and unprofessional and Microsoft should (and no doubt would) have handled it in exactly the same way, by publicly apologizing and patching it out.

It may be inappropriate but that's not the point. How is Big boobs sexist but big dicks not?

Neither of them are sexist, they're just juvenile shit.

Absolutely nothing to be getting in a huff about because they're not somewhere 99.999999999999% of Microsofts customer base could even find them. Let alone notice and take umbrage with.

It's entirely the point. Microsoft handled this exactly the same way they've handled other <a href=http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/microsoft-apologizes-using-japan-disaster-mar>embarrassing <a href=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Apologizes-for-Inappropriate-Language-in-Presentation-Song-274798.shtml>missteps in the past: offer an apology and try to fix it.

The only difference here is that everyone decided that clearly this was the work of hypersensitive feminazis, and that Microsoft's perfectly reasonable standard corporate response was WAY out of proportion and oh no the world just isn't safe for men to make tit jokes anymore. Please.

I don't actually care whether or not you think the joke is sexist. We can agree to disagree on that. What I take exception to is people taking this embarrassing but not particularly significant event and holding it up as evidence of feminist persecution.

 

[bigfatcarp93]

This is the dumbest thread ever... of all time. You're all arguing about something that isn't even element. And I'm helping... goddammit.

 

[cobra_ky]

You're all arguing about something that isn't even element.

I'm sorry, are we boron you?

 

[pppppppppppppppppp]

You're comparing "big boobs" to phrases that describe actual human beings. More importantly, you're completely ignoring the context that it was used in.

There was no obvious reason whatsoever to use that value, other than the programmer writing it found it amusing. "0xBI6B00B5" constituted a joke. the "humor" ostensibly derives from the fact that it's an inappropriate phrase. Why is it inappropriate? Because breasts are a sexually objectified portion of female anatomy. Sexual objectification of women is sexist.

Well, of course it was put there as a joke, but I'm sure any sort of phrase embedded in hexadecimal would garner some laughs. Hell, I always got a kick out of spelling out "hello" on an upside down calculator to classmates, but it's not like saying hello is inappropriate. The joke was probably way more "Isn't it funny how I can spell out dumb stuff in the middle of coding?" than "Aren't female body parts funny? Let's laugh at them"

Second of all, how is the mere mentioning of breasts constitute sexual objectification? Say I was describing someone I just met, what would I be allowed to say? Could I say they had curly hair? Short arms? A large torso? Thin lips? If it were a man, could I say he had nice pecs and a killer six pack? Could I say a female had big breasts? If you said yes to everything but the last one, I don't understand your logic.

Just because some men sexually objectify boobs doesn't make them off limits for mentioning, that's ridiculous. Hell, men can be objectified too, but no one would care if they put "big cocks" in the code or something. I think you're inferring far too much from just a two word phrase describing a body part.

 

[cobra_ky]

You're saying it's silly for people to be getting annoyed over this because no feminists are saying it's actually sexist.

And then you're saying it's sexist.... which it isn't.

Yes. I decided if people were going to rail against feminist straw men anyway, we should at least have an actual feminist to straw man. one of many services I provide.[/quote]


Soooooo.....

You're intentionally sabotaging your point?[/quote]

Don't get me wrong, i still think it's silly for people to get annoyed over this even if feminists ARE saying it.

It's silly to get annoyed over this, period. Microsoft did exactly what any reasonable company would have done in this situation, with any joke that could be offensive for any reason. That's my point.

I'm not bothered about Microsoft taking it down. I'm bothered about peoples reaction to it. Namely that Linux guy.

It's just forced. Screams of 'Im worldly, I think women are totally subjugated. Look how open minded I am'

The reaction to this should have been nothing more than, 'lul... coders.'

It's not sexist in any way. And I'm sorry, but anyone who says it is......

Go on. Finish the thought. What were you going to say about me?

Sorry, but if you think the solution to this is "lul...coders" then you have no idea how the software industry works.

i'll just borrow this quote from this blog post here: http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/microsoft-code-contains-phrase-big-boobs-yes-really

Everyone, of course, is entitled to their own opinion as to whether this particular "joke" was offensive, and, if so, whether it's worthy of criticism. Offensiveness is largely in the eye of the beholder.

What you're not entitled to is your own opinion as to the state of today's workplace laws, rules and general expectations, both those of employers and most employees. These matters have settled into the realm of fact, not opinion (as a Boston radio personality is fond of saying). You cannot use sexist phrases like "big boobs" even in obscure corners of the workplace; even in obscure corners of software code. You can't do it without risking being called out, at the very least, if not officially censured ... or worse. You can't do it without also exposing your employer to risk. You can't do it without offending people. And you can't do it without making yourself look like, at best ... oh, let's go there, a boob.

You just can't do it.

Again, this isn't an opinion; it's a factual characterization of the 2012 state of affairs as they exist in this country. And, moreover, this didn't just happen; this state of affairs has been a bedrock fact for years now. That some still chafe at it, that some find it stifling, prudish, politically correct -- and wish it were not so - these, too, are facts, as we're reminded every time one of these workplace flaps pops up like a summertime thunderstorm.

The chafers are going to chafe - that much is their right -- but their kicking and fussing at the likes of Garrett amount to just so much noise, nothing more, because there's no meaningful debate about these issues anymore. The debate ended a long time ago.

Now there remains only a need for the holdouts - like Mr. Big Boobs -- to change their behavior.

Care to argue otherwise? OK, find me a single corporate legal counsel, a single human resources professional, or a single high-level executive - man or woman - who will attach their name and reputation to the view that it's OK for a software developer to slip "big boobs" into code that carries their company's name.

Well, of course it was put there as a joke, but I'm sure any sort of phrase embedded in hexadecimal would garner some laughs. Hell, I always got a kick out of spelling out "hello" on an upside down calculator to classmates, but it's not like saying hello is inappropriate. The joke was probably way more "Isn't it funny how I can spell out dumb stuff in the middle of coding?" than "Aren't female body parts funny? Let's laugh at them"

Ok then. why not use 0xDEADBEEF or 0xC0DEF00D or 0xBA5EBA11 or any of the myriad other phrases which common sense tells you are less likely to be considered offensive. (apparently the source code originally also contained 0x0B00B1E5, so you can't argue the programmer was picking words out of a hat.)

I'm ignoring the rest of your post because i never said anything about the "mere mention" of the phrase. I'm talking about the specific usage of it in this specific instance, and the fact that it absolutely IS off-limits in professional software development. [see quote above]

 

[pppppppppppppppppp]

Ok then. why not use 0xDEADBEEF or 0xC0DEF00D or 0xBA5EBA11 or any of the myriad other phrases which common sense tells you are less likely to be considered offensive. (apparently the source code originally also contained 0x0B00B1E5, so you can't argue the programmer was picking words out of a hat.)

I'm ignoring the rest of your post because i never said anything about the "mere mention" of the phrase. I'm talking about the specific usage of it in this specific instance, and the fact that it absolutely IS off-limits in professional software development. [see quote above]

Actually, I could totally see the same programmer putting something like "poop", "cock", "wiener", "boner", "asshole", "sphincter", or anything equally juvenile, provided he could find a way to write it in hexadecimal. And I'm fairly confident that no one would have such a serious problem with any of those words.

And why is the context of the usage so important? There practically is no context, other than "hurr durr I'm funny for saying boobs in the middle of code". That's basically the programming equivalent of teenagers scribbling obscenities on a bathroom wall: stupid and thoughtless, but not holding any sort of agenda one way or another.

You can argue what he did was stupid, immature, thoughtless, unprofessional, tasteless, or unwarranted, but I've yet to see any sort of argument to support calling it discriminatory and thus sexist.

 

[cobra_ky]

Ok then. why not use 0xDEADBEEF or 0xC0DEF00D or 0xBA5EBA11 or any of the myriad other phrases which common sense tells you are less likely to be considered offensive. (apparently the source code originally also contained 0x0B00B1E5, so you can't argue the programmer was picking words out of a hat.)

I'm ignoring the rest of your post because i never said anything about the "mere mention" of the phrase. I'm talking about the specific usage of it in this specific instance, and the fact that it absolutely IS off-limits in professional software development. [see quote above]

Actually, I could totally see the same programmer putting something like "poop", "cock", "wiener", "boner", "asshole", "sphincter", or anything equally juvenile, provided he could find a way to write it in hexadecimal. And I'm fairly confident that no one would have such a serious problem with any of those words.

It's not silly to get annoyed over the fact that if it'd been 0xB16D1C45 or something to that nature, not a single fuck would have been given.

It would literally have been a 'Oh, coders' moment.

And I'm telling you both that you're wrong, that just as many fucks would have been given and the response would have been the exactly the same. the only difference is that maybe people wouldn't have been so quick to blame "feminists" for taking away their god-given right to crack dick jokes at work.

Read that quote again, take out the word "sexist" if you like, and replace "boobs" with "dicks". It's every bit as applicable.

The phrase is juvenile, and someone could probably make an argument for it causing offense... but sexist?

Are we literally just going to start using that word wherever we please now? Has it completely lost all meaning?

i'll just borrow this quote from this blog post here: http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/microsoft-code-contains-phrase-big-boobs-yes-really

As I've said, I'm not bothered about action being taken against it for being inappropriate or juvenile. I only take issue with it being classed as sexism.... because it isn't sexism.

We can't just throw that word at whatever we feel like and see what sticks.

You'd have a point there if i was trying to argue that the phrase "Alaskan Salmon" was sexist. I've already explained why I think it's sexist and i'm certainly not alone in thinking that way. You're welcome to disagree, but please don't pretend i'm pulling this out of my ass. It's insulting.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

...It's still horribly inappropriate and unprofessional and Microsoft should (and no doubt would) have handled it in exactly the same way, by publicly apologizing and patching it out.

Dude I'm pretty sure that just smacking the coder upside the head and calling him a dickhead would be sufficent to deal with this.

 

[D-Class 198482]

TITS!!!!

Bosoms, melons, milk factories, busts, funbags, knockers, ballistics, boobies, jugs, nipples, jubblies, STONKING GREAT TITS!
I'll be called out as sexist at some point and then people will realize thats a Zero Punctuation line and they would generally be calling Yahtzee sexist which would be BAAAD
Captcha: The dude abides
That he does, captcha. That he does.

 

[Scow2]

At the people making any kind of fuss over this... LIFE is a great big joke. Nobody's getting out alive, and might as well have fun where you can. Want to know what's really poisoning things? The demand that everyone needs to be completely professional and well-behaved at all times. That people are losing or being denied jobs because they also enjoy taking time off to be irresponsible on weekends in a responsible place.

And on the whole feminism thing... As much as I'd love equality between the sexes, we're never going to have that as long as women continue to blow up at everything and everyone that has the POTENTIAL to be considered a 'slight' against them. Of course, there are plenty of women that aren't psychotically fragile. Those aren't a problem. There are plenty of people who have it worse, and don't have the priveledge of having a four-letter-word to throw around and have the world pretty much handed to them to fall back on, or ability to take everything from a man they swore to live forever with (A deal he made just as sincerely) on what amounts to a whim. (Seriously... of the siginificant numbers of divorce cases I've had to deal with, the only one where the woman didn't get full custody and at least 60% of the financial assets from the 'union' was the one where the woman frequently sexually abused her own children. Even the woman that became a cheating, abusive drunkard got pretty much everything from the guy she married.) Also... can we please get a cure for PMS? Men don't have the luxury of having a "I'm biologically compelled to be a psychopath once a month" card to excuse socially destructive behavior.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

You know 0xB16B00B5 actually spells out 'ox big boobs' whatever that means.They're so big they're as big as an ox maybe?

OT: Fucking seriously? They actually felt the need to apologise for that? Who the flying ferret fantastical fuck[footnote]Thanks Daystar[/footnote] gives a shit?

I was more thinking ox like at the end of a letter so to me it reads hug and kiss big boobs.

 

[Scow2]

...It's still horribly inappropriate and unprofessional and Microsoft should (and no doubt would) have handled it in exactly the same way, by publicly apologizing and patching it out.

Dude I'm pretty sure that just smacking the coder upside the head and calling him a dickhead would be sufficent to deal with this.

You can't call him a 'dickhead'. That would be sexist!

No it wouldn't be. Sexism can only be applied to women

 

[kasperbbs]

T1T5, be offended! And to make things fair - PEN15. Not sure if people are overly sensitive or just whoring for attention.

 

[cobra_ky]

...It's still horribly inappropriate and unprofessional and Microsoft should (and no doubt would) have handled it in exactly the same way, by publicly apologizing and patching it out.

Dude I'm pretty sure that just smacking the coder upside the head and calling him a dickhead would be sufficent to deal with this.

um well i'm sure the person responsible will be disciplined, assuming they even still work there. but the important thing here is making sure your customers are happy, and that means a public statement.

If you think 'big boobs' is sexist then you have to agree that 'big dicks' is sexist too. Or you're being a hypocrite.

And I don't think you would say 'big dicks' is sexist... because it isn't.

It's juvenile. There's a difference.

It's because of shit like this that the word 'sexism' has become a joke to many people. It's been over used and has begun to lose all impact.

Well i mean, boob and dick jokes both fall under the category of stereotypical male humor. But I really don't feel like explaining the differences between male and female sexuality and why these kinds of "jokes" tend to be a lot more amusing and titillating for men than they are for women, and why women might find gross expressions of male sexuality to be offensive.

 

[mysecondlife]

Well, at least its not angry mothers demanding schools to remove dictionaries from library because it has the word 'oral sex' in it.