I’ve only taken a swing at one woman in my life (I was asleep, and she woke me up at 4am by sneaking into my dorm room), but I’d probably drop the smackdown on Anya Kamenetz. Fortunately, Daniel Gross at Slate does a much better job, with less bloodshed.
(You think I’m overreacting, but stick through to the end of the article.)
(Update: I had no idea there were so many people who read the comments on Daniel Drezner’s blog. I’m glad that you all followed the link over here, and sorry if the brevity of my take disappointed you. I try not to make too many jokes about beating up women, because most people on the internet don’t know when you’re joking.
(So, while I’m not really ready to throw a stapler at Anya K.’s head, I have to admit that it was pretty funny that she technorati’d her way to this page, then offered “her side of the story” through her site.
(Now, despite the fact that Daniel Gross, in his e-mail response to AK’s complaints, goes on to denigrate my career choice (the “crappy trade publication” venue), I still think he’s coming out on top in this argument. Maybe this is due in part to the fact that, in my mid-30s, I’ve worked my way up within this crappy field to a nicely-paying job (one that occasionally leads to calls from Slate writers looking for industry trend information). I’ve had lucky breaks with my finances, but I also never lived outside my means and have yet to carry a balance on a credit card.
(Since my parents are immigrants and didn’t go to college, I don’t have a direct basis of comparison to decide if I had it tougher than they did. I do know that some of the kids who’ve worked in our company (graduating college after 1998) appear to be far more clueless and ‘entitled’ than my college and grad school buddies were.
(Anyway, what I’m saying is that Mr. Gross has a point about the need for patience.)
Get my side of the story:
anyakamenetz.blogspot.com
Oh, you all have given me so much to do during my sick day in bed!
Excellent point in the article about decreased computing costs over time.