[kefka]

So, how do you challenge this shame attack?

Do you shame them back? Like, "EXCUSE ME, I WILL NOT SLEEP WITH YOU"

Do you ignore them?

Perhaps, do you challenge them in court with a slander/libel charge?

What is the appropriate response in dealing with people (well, mainly feminists) who do these attacks?

[lotharbot]

The appropriate response to the mens' jokes is what the PyCon officials did when contacted -- they spoke privately to both of the men who had been joking, the men explained their actions and that they understood how the jokes might have been perceived, and agreed that they'd put a lid on it. That's as far as it should have gone.

The appropriate response to Adria Richards' overreaction and subsequent public-shaming (which violates PyCon's code of conduct) -- and her continued insistence that she did the right thing -- is to remove her from the situation. Until she can own up to the fact that she escalated too far, she shouldn't be a "developer evangelist" at tech conferences, and the rest of us shouldn't trust her judgment when it comes to appropriate public behavior. (I don't think she should be unemployed, just that she shouldn't be working in a public-facing position.)

[kefka]

And, I heartily agree. I can imagine the 2 guys cracking jokes, meaning no offense. Just happens, that in this country, violence and gruesome details are acceptable, but sexual innuendo are evil. Thank puritanical beginnings for this country, I guess.

The appropriate response is, "Hey guys, your sex jokes are disrupting peoples' concentration. Can you quiet them please?" And if they don't, ask them to leave. We're all mature here, or should be.

But that all goes to naught when the hivemind on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and the like take hold. It doesn't matter if it's false. Doesn't matter if it's been photoshopped. All that matters is someone poked a stick in the hornet's nest, and the sting means you lose your job, your income, your name, and your way of life.

[etjossem]

I can't downvote, but I know when a comment deserves it.

[kefka]

So, instead of modding on the cuff, tell me an appropriate response to an accusation of this manner.

There's something to be said to not post things on Social Media. Unfortunately for the 2 guys at PyCon, even that would not have helped them, as it was posted on someone else's social media account. So, how does one challenge a he-said/she-said in the time of Youtube/Twitter judgements?

[rblatz]

You comment deserves a down vote. Apparently you believe in mob rule, and that the first person to publicly state something is correct. There are bullies on both sides of every issue, and recognizing that is the first step towards progress.