"We're just blowing off steam. You have no sense of humor."
Actually, I have a very good sense of humor. And there's nothing wrong with blowing off steam. Making a "dumb blonde" joke is one thing; believing that all blonde women are dumb - and treating them that way - is quite another. The former makes you a cad (at best), and the latter a misogynist (at worst). If you really believe that the people you work with are stupid, it may be time to consider another job...or another line of work.

"People treat us like crap! You're imposing a double-standard."
Most people chose to give all sorts of reasons justifying a bad attitude, and this reason - "people treat us poorly" - was the most common. Of course, my question wasn't "Is a bad attitude justified?" It was: "Is a bad attitude damaging the IT profession?"

Remember the Golden Rule. Or, better yet, remember what Mom used to say: "If all your friends posted a controversial article on slashdot, would you post a controversial article on slashdot?" Point is, if you really believe this is a valid excuse - that rude IT people are just victims of their environments - then nothing I can say will convince you that this is a lame argument.

Consider this, though: Most of the favorable e-mails I received in response to this article were from managers, directors, and CIOs - senior people with a lot of experience and a lot of authority. So while some readers may believe that a culture of contentiousness makes everything OK, your bosses most certainly do not.

"We work really, really hard for too little pay and too little appreciation."
So does everyone else. Cry me a river.

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