The Sheila Variations

I just tried the Gender Genie thing twice. First, I used text from an email note to a friend, written in a very personal tone. Second, I cut and pasted text from a memo to my boss about a difficult meeting (surely plenty of girly stuff there, despite my doubtless fruitless efforts to sound less girly . . )

Both times, the Gender Genie thought I am male. Actually, the maleness to femaleness ratio was much higher in the memo than in the letter, even though the memo was about RELATIONSHIPS and BEHAVIOR, the most girly things there are.

I think that these gender algorithms are crap, based on outdated assumptions about how women talk. Yes, in conversation in some circumstances, women and men speak differently, and SOME women talk in a certain stereotypical way.

I think things like Gender Genie look for those stereotypical characteristics all the time, even in written communication . . . and that's a ridiculously flawed approach.

It's junk science and, so far as anyone is gulled by it, it reinforces stupid stereotypes that more accurate observations would refute.

Masculinely yours,
Nancy

You know what might be fun? To write an entry in here that I THINK would be judged as "female" by the Gender Genie. See if I can beat them at their own game.

You're not a male. You're an assertive, opinionated Irish woman. Gender Genie makes no allowance for "intangibles" like that.

Just like it makes no allowance for Dennis Kucinich. This speech he gave came up "overwhelmingly female."

don't feel bad. I always come up female with gender genie.

It's not the absence or lack of anything, Red. It's the presence of balls, and I mean that in the best possible way.

I'm enjoying this. :-)

Actually the Gender Genie was a pilot random collection device put out by the Dept of Defense's DARPA Information Awareness Office (IAO). It was part of a vast computerized terrorist discovery system that could collect sample writings from unknowns and subject them to advanced algorythms which could determine through syntax, vocabulary, phrasing, etc. the geographical and/or cultural orgins of the unknown. It also collected IP addresses that could be used through the DCMA to discover the identities of posters without the usual judicial review (much like the RIAA is doing today). Whether or not it answered that you are man or a woman was random and not based on any input.

those high-tech spying tools to be used to on U.S. soil

HA! That's both funny and awful. Yep, anything and everything on the web can be a front for something else. Now, about that red-headed "woman" . . . .

"Nancy2784"

Funny how, to a woman, having "balls" is a compliment.

Hmmm.

Freud, perhaps, was right. DAMN HIM!

No, just kidding.

I had a psych prof in college who would only talk about Freud standing on his desk. He started every sentence with Freud dictates...

Jim:

wow. that is quite an image. I love it.

It says I'm a dude, too. *looking downward* Nope!

Worthless crap.

As far as having "balls" goes...I read somewhere that women *do* have balls - they're also called ovaries, and they just don't dangle like the ones men have...

andrew sullivan links to a couple articles explaining what the test is looking for and how it works.

Thispsych prof was a very short very Italian fellow who wore glasses and always wore a blue suit, white shirt, and tie. He was really a great guy, we all adored him. When he climbed up to speak of Freud he would hunch up his shoulders while grabbing one elbow and his chin with his other hand. His words would be a forced utterance in deferance to his position and the required curriculum. He actually gave a clear message that was contradictory to the words he was required to deliver.

I liked college, I'm sorry I left...

Sheeesssshhh.! Did I say adore? I don't say adore under any circumstances!!!

Jim - you most definitely did say "adore". But don't worry - I won't hold it against you.

Wonder what the Gender Genie would have to say about that??