Anyone ever heard of Rebecca Watson?

Every so often I scan through the PZ Myers Phyrangula blog, and earlier today I came across this this entry asking readers to send Rebecca Watson a note of support: Rebecca Watson is founder of Skepchick, a blog promoting science and reason by women, and a regular member of the weekly panel on The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast.So why does Rebecca Watson need a note of support? I began reading the comments and had no hint of the answer until message 20. It mentioned "elevator guy," and then I immediately knew what it was.I've only seen one video of Rebecca Watson, and I came across it by accident. It's one of her weekly video blogs, and at one point she describes being propositioned late at night on an elevator while returning to her room after a late night of partying during a conference (maybe DragonCon, maybe The Amazing Meeting, I don't know). She doesn't come across well, here's a link, scroll forward to 4:30: Rebecca Watson and the Elevator Incident.In this video she rakes a guy over the coals for saying to her on the elevator, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I find you very interesting and I would like to talk more. Would you like to come to my hotel room for coffee."That was back in June, and I didn't think any more about it until I saw PZ Myer's blog. Apparently the comments have blown up in Rebecca Watson's face. I wasn't following this, of course, so I can only guess that in responding to the criticism that Watson only dug herself deeper and deeper. Apparently even Richard Dawkins chimed in at one point (Page not found | ScienceBlogs). Wikipedia has a section describing the Elevator Incident, and it has this to say: So that's all the information I have.It always seemed to me that Rebecca Watson had a tough skin, so I'm surprised she's being perceived as needing notes of support. Anyone been following this and know what's going on?--Percy

Oh, gee, let me think. You're maybe referring to the month from hell? Of course on the plus side it forced me to make the site secure. Sometime later Lulzsec tried to break in but failed, so they moved on to other less interesting sites like Nintendo and Sony, so I have you to thank for that. Whether elevator guy was right or wrong, how did this blow up instead of blow over?--Percy

Thanks for all the information - that was great! Good question. I'm not sure I can put it into words, but I recall as I watched the video (which was immediately after it was posted and before I was aware of any controversy) being taken aback and thinking, "Well, isn't *she* full of assumptions."Did anyone else see the elevator guy video before the controversy? I have a feeling that reading about the controversy before viewing the video may be a spoiler that affects the way you perceive the comments.So about my controversial title: I Am Elevator Guy. It goes like this. I am an incredibly shy and naive guy who when he sees a girl who looks to him like the most beautiful and wonderful girl in the world who he may never see again if he doesn't speak up now can work up his courage and speak (hasn't happened since the winter of 1982, by the way). If I've worked up the courage to talk you can be pretty sure the girl is already on a pedestal. Who knows what awful conversation opener I might come up with, but come up with one I will. Rebecca's assumption that elevator guy's invitation was automatically low and crass put me off.But I'm still surprised that it blew up the way it did. The comment was mostly innocuous and I honestly haven't thought about that video until reading PZ Myers blog today.--Percy

Uh, there was a smiley at the end of that sentence. We're even now, I misinterpreted your comment about why my rating isn't pegged at 10.--Percy

Interesting. You and Crash I think have the opposite problem from guys like me who are skinny and nerdy looking. You guys cause fear, we cause amusement or aren't even noticed.But even though I had a negative reaction to Rebecca Watson's description of the elevator incident, it wasn't guys like me trashing her on the Internet. I can't make sense out of that.--Percy

Oh, okay. I had a diffferent impression because of what you said in your Message 365 in the Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes thread: It wasn't qualified, so I assumed it was a long term condition.--Percy

Didn't RW just get married in 2009?And in the elevator incident video the backdrop is full of unpacked boxes, and she says she just moved.And Wikipedia said she has separated from her husband and is seeking a divorce.So when she made that video she was just recently separated.Geez, talk about piling on someone when they're down!--Percy

I'm actually kind of sick of the perpetually offended. If Rebecca's perception is that she is often beset by misbehaving men, to an extent far out of proportion to the actual number of misbehaving men, then she might want to consider looking within herself.But the perpetually offended don't tend to do that.--Percy

Gee, more misogyny! Why am I not surprised.Welfare programs providing monetary incentives to families with absent fathers were ill-conceived and a social disaster, but these programs no longer exist. Your chart is from 1992, well before they were eliminated by the Clinton administration. Since the early 1990's teen crime rates have fallen dramatically. This is common knowledge, it's been going on for years, and Googling about I had no trouble finding a news article about it from earlier this year: --Percy

I may have lost track of where you're coming from, but I don't understand why a defense against Kofh2u's arguments needs partying to be wholesome and innocent. Or were you just trying to be clear about yourself personally?Anyway, what form would the argument against the politics of victimhood take coming from someone who *was* (to use Kofh2u's term) a harlot? If we remove the argument from being about anyone who actually exists like yourself or Rebecca Watson and make it merely hypothetical, then what rights to complain about being hit on in an elevator does someone have who, to make the example a little extreme, sleeps around, smokes grass and has in the past used cocaine. In other words, does lifestyle affect what rights one has? Put another way in somewhat archaic terms, what right does someone who is definitely not a lady have to be treated like a lady?Or to flip the question, what does it say about men who ask women behaving somewhat flamboyantly or seductively up to their rooms for nightcaps but women behaving demurely out for coffee?--Percy