bitter-girl :: musings

DID YOU KNOW your LinkedIn profile helps you control your public image when people search for you? Setting your profile as public means your LinkedIn profile will come up when people enter your name in leading search engines. Take control of your image!

When I read that in an email footer today I immediately started hearing “Public Image” by PiL in my head. (Because, of course, I am kinda lame like that).

Speaking of lame… from my dear boyfriend’s new blog, a post I wish I hadn’t had to read. No… not like that. More like “this is content that should not have to exist,” all about sexual harassment at Comic-Con. Originally posted here, there’s all kinds of delightful behavior to report, such as:

Overheard at San Diego Comic-Con while I was having lunch on the balcony of the Convention Center on Sunday July 27: a bunch of guys looking at the digital photos on the camera of another, while he narrated: “These were the Ghostbusters girls. That one, I grabbed her ass, ’cause I wanted to see what her reaction was.” This was only one example of several instances of harassment, stalking or assault that I saw at San Diego this time.

Y’know, the “comic book guys live in their mom’s basement” trope is an old one, but I’m starting to think there’s a grain of truth there, seeing how it is THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT AND WE ARE STILL DEALING WITH MAN-CHILDREN WHO CANNOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED IN PUBLIC.

One of the comments on the above-quoted post really, really pissed me off:

My godbrother … informed me that the volunteer security at some smaller con in California kept getting complaints about harrassment and even violent attacks from female con-goers. So many complaints, in fact that these (volunteer, mind you) security guys put up a sign at their booth that said “Pics or it didn’t happen.” My godbrother did not understand why that horrified me so much.

Yes, because when you’re being harassed, intimidated or groped, the first thing you do is whip out the camera and document it. Sure. If you’re in the mood to get het up, read this, too.

I live with an extraordinary, awesome, talented Comic Book Guy. I spend many hours a week talking to his best friend, another kickass CBG. I read comics. I dig most of the people we see and talk to at the comic book store every week. Until we ended up not going, I was actually looking forward to going to San Diego for the ‘Con, and not just because I wanted to track down Joss Whedon and ask politely if I could measure him for the sweater I have been designing for him. (Hey, Tamas draws, I knit. It works). But damn, if this doesn’t make me angry. Way to fulfill the stereotype, guys.

I proposed to Tamas that we hire some really hot “booth babe” types to walk around NY Comic Con handing out cans of mace and “Touch me and the testicles get it” t-shirts. That’d be awesome. I just wish it wasn’t actually needed.