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From: phipps@fortune.UUCP (Clay Phipps)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.news.group
Subject: Net.Battle_Of_The_Sexes / Re: MEN in net.women.only !? Egads! - (nf)
Message-ID: <2328@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Jan-84 01:23:12 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.2328
Posted: Fri Jan 27 01:23:12 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Jan-84 07:46:33 EST
References: <733@inmet.UUCP>
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 33

I've only been really aware of the net for a few months,
but I have noticed an asymmetry:
There's a "net.women", but no "net.men".
Was there once one that died a death of inactivity ?

It seems to me that "net.women" ought to be renamed
"net.battle_of_the_sexes". Is it possible that the "net.women" name 
was a deliberate disguise, analogous to "net.motss", 
so as to keep some people's employers from shutting it down
(the idea being that a newsgroup with "sex" in the name was out, but
that few employers would dare deny activist women a newsgroup of their own) ?

With "net.women" bearing a new name mora accurately reflecting its subjects,
the name "net.women" would be available to assume the role
I suspect it was intended for.  Is it also possible that "net.women.only"
was created as a refuge for women who had to flee from "net.women" 
after it was overrun by men (I assume that there are more men than women 
on the net, reflecting the proportions in technical fields in general) ?.  

To allow equal justice, "net.men" could then be created and used for voicing 
male-only concerns like those suggested elsewhere.
Naturally, an occasional perusal by women on the network has to be expected.
By the way (in case flame throwers are at the ready), 
I, too, was once curious about "net.women.only",
but when I saw the first header: "Menstrual question", I decided that I 
didn't belong there, hit the big "N", and have left it alone ever since.

-- Clay Phipps

-- 
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