Kara Swisher hosted a podcast about gender bias in Silicon Valley.
I like Kara. We’ve spoken a couple of times. I send her emails. (She receives thousands.) Ever polite, while Kara doesn’t respond to them, when we speak (infrequently) Kara politely encourages me to continue emailing her.
This is only disheartening because women want to talk about income disparity….when I discovered (okay; stumbled over) the sexy, high-tech solution to aid them in saving their own life after a relationship goes south; and women wind up as victims of assault, up to and including attempted murder.
(Reporters prefer referring to relationship assaults by the completely tame, “domestic violence.”)
Because Kara’s smart and all about snazzy high-tech, my thought was she would be interested. Kara, in fact, may very well be interested – but so many emails to get to, first.
However, it turns out those demonstrating an interest in protecting the rights of women — to perhaps live long enough to demand equal pay; includes very few women. Ironically, this makes women, the problem.
It’s also the secret to men remaining in power.
Women acting instead of talking, is rare. Men depend on this.
Men depend on the willingness of women to gather, brainstorm, hold conferences, work on showing data attractively, etc. Men depend on this because it keeps men in unfettered power. As plans go, it’s been a huge success. Why change?
Ironically, the basic safety of women, (check our murder rate) is ignored. Including by the U.S. Supreme Court. Consider this 2005, New York Times headline.
“Justices Rule Police Do Not Have a Constitutional Duty to Protect Someone”
Translation? Due to the “discretion” of police, and judges, women continue paying taxes for police and court services which are often, refused.
Money Money Money
Returning to the podcast, no one was surprised to discover what’s true in all America is likewise true in Silicon Valley. Or Hollywood. Or academia. Or – the list is endless.
Lack of income equality due to gender bias, including sexual assault, remains a big problem in Silicon Valley. The women launched; Elephant in Silicon Valley so women could add their stories anonymously. My premise is anonymity hurts the injured. Something Bill Cosby’s victims well know is true.
The podcast itself, available here was standard.
The women were cheerful. The women were excited, well-meaning and very much wanted a continuing dialogue…to build even more statistical data, presumably to take to the men to force them to change. They spoke of strategizing for seat positioning in a room to force the men to look at them.
It was depressing. Maybe because my roots were with Bella. Just like these women.
Not being invited, I chimed in on Twitter due to being more than slightly exasperated with the problem of:
Women who are Still willing to wait for men in power to do the right thing.
Heads up Ladies: Men are not interested.
As the below Twitter exchange mentions, those participating in the podcast made me suspect some of these well-meaning women, simply aren’t paying attention.
In 2016, it makes little sense to me that women are still talking about “dialogue” to get men to change, after Gawker profiled how fast Silicon Valley CEO’s gathered to protect Gurbaksh Chahal after he was charged with 45 felony counts of beating his girlfriend, striking her over 100 times, (caught on camera), first profiled in 2014.
Gurbalsk Chahal’s guilty plea – followed by Chahal calling his ex girlfriend a whore.
[Spoiler Alert: Chahal got probation.]
Salaries aside, ladies; heads up: Nicey nicey is what’s getting women killed. Consider this: Some women don’t get to live long enough to demand equal pay.
But returning to income disparity; what say we take a page from the big girls who got things done?
Just like Twitter’s #CoreChallenge, the podcast mentioned women being asked to do what they considered “less than” administrative functions. A problem Bella Abzug solved 68 years ago.
Circa 2016 – Wear a art deco pin that states, “If you’re getting coffee, make mine with sugar”
Were I at the table – my suggestion would have been a return to what works:
Stop Asking: Act.
Begin with politics. How, in 2016, with a woman running for President, does California, the most populated state in the nation; not feature equality for Women as part of it’s slate?
Received below email asking what I thought what Californians were interested in. Amazingly, neither safety for women or salary equality, made the cut.
So my response was California Democrats were out of their minds by not making the safety of women a platform priority.
How could such a thing happen?
Turns out, just like the women behind Emily’s List, once again, women are a huge part of the problem. Emily’s List is famous for funding so-called “liberal” or “progressive” agendas. Emily’s List continues to leap-frog over the basic safety of women, in favor of medical decisions. Cart before horse. Again.
Agendas that don’t include equal rights for women to live safely, are agendas women need to raise their voices to — by not dipping into their purse. BAM!
So ladies, vote with your feet. Get noisy. On the flip side; refuse to fund, volunteer for any candidate who doesn’t make safety and pay equality for women, their priority.
Also, turn up the heat on women in tech (or film) or – fill-in-the-blank; who are not stepping up. Consider beginning with Katie Jacobs Stanton, who, as a leader at Twitter, protected her Twitter account, after blowing an opportunity to instantly set one man straight, while he was in the act of targeting women. (as a female Twitter stockholder, my complaint is personal and business.)
Click here for my column featuring Katie Jacobs Stanton’s refusal to address misogyny when she was onstage, during an event where a comedian was live trolling women in the audience. Katie did nothing. Ask Katie why her solution was to “protect” her Twitter account. Ask Katie what she’s done (if anything) since, to end Twitter’s massive problem with women.
2. I would encourage women to take a page from Bella Abzug’s book and other women who refused to wait.
3. Closer to home, also suggest women take a gander at Kern County – where the Kern County Board of Supervisors is aware Kern County Police are attacking women then buying their silence.
(Separately, closeted media misogyny….why are newspapers from England, not America, covering the number of police officers who are routinely raping women?)
And last, dear ladies: Remember the words of Bella.
To thine own self – be courageous
Media and the courts 
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