This is starting to get into the “only one joke” territory.
I assume that this stereotype is based on some volume of observation, but it’s been dragged and beaten into the ground, and honestly, as someone with decades of professional and enthusiast experience with FOSS, this stereotype just doesn’t even strike a chord with me.
In summary, this whole meme is overcooked.
I think it comes from the other direction. Like, the trans and femboy communities are small, but a high portion of them are in tech jobs and FOSS. So this is a stereotype about trans women and femboys all being into Arch, rather than all Arch users being trans women or femboys.
Still overused, but I can see why since the 3 most active communities I see on Lemmy are Linux users, trans people, and Trekkies.
I think you’re right about that being the origins of the joke, but the joke is distinctly trying to infer the reverse. Funny in context, but out of context, it’s just an obnoxious over-association leaking out of a community.
It’s as stupid and culturally braindead as the old 2000s jokes where the entire punchline is the gay guy is flamboyant. haha gay rainbows! Ver funny!
yawn
What does a gay horse eat?
Snaps fingers
HHHHHHAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!
People here are apparently either foss neckbeards or transfems/femboys, and they are all valid.
I tolerate no disrespect for Arch users. The Thinkpad is of course not optional. Their Wiki saved me so often, they are forever my hero.
Thank god I don’t use Arch (Debian BTW)
I’m glad trans people and non binary people feel comfortable in Linux spaces. Everyone should feel accepted in what is ultimately about computer software. At the same time, I find it a little confusing just how much content seems to find 1:1 equivalence between trans/enby movements and using not-windows.
I really want trans people to feel comfortable here, but I also feel like the frequent repetition of content like this post sort of commoditizes transness. Am I not a valid trans person if I prefer Macs? Am I not a valid Linux user if I’m happy with my AGAB? Again, really happy trans/enby people are happy here, but when we start saying group 1 equals by definition group 2, people from both groups get left out.
It’s an eye roller for me. Feels like a really played out joke at this point but this is the internet where there’s apparently no such thing as a dead horse
Horses went extinct same time shame did.
I think it’s a lemmy thing. The folks here are typically the folks in smaller more progressive communities. You dont even see it THAT much on Reddit.
You are waaaay overthinking this.
It’s a crossover meme from trans/gender-nonconforming spaces. We have ways of finding humor in what is often an frightening and deadly serious situation (being trans in this world).
One of the in-jokes we have that I saw quite a bit on reddit, is that especially trans women and femboys “are all programmers or IT people” and being technical minded, use Linux. (I’m a trans woman who uses Fedora… Hi)
I think there is also the political and economic association that comes with FOSS – it’s a sort of disruption of the norm in capitalism, which is to have proprietary secrets as a store of value. FOSS challenges the notion that the fruits of labor should be privitized. In that sense it’s a radical movement, always has been, even if it has been adopted by the world at large.
Trans folk are as a rule, politically left-leaning, it seems these days we must be to exist, and so FOSS like Linux naturally appeals to the community.
Obviously there are going to be many non-technical trans people, and tech trans people alike who use proprietary OSes; and conversely most Linux users aren’t trans or GNC. The meme isn’t meant to be taken literally or to change anyone’s beliefs or actions.
I think that you hit a key note here: it’s a crossover meme from other spaces. They’re not Linux memes. I do get the joke, and why you make it, and I understand the concept of intersectional solidarity, and that it’s a good thing.
I also think that when people who have been marginalized for a long time find spaces that accept them, tend to treat any space that accepts them as a space made “for” them and their issues, when really Linux has nothing to do with what’s in my pants or yours or anyones. Linux isn’t a men’s thing, or a women’s thing, or about gender at all.
I (don’t) appreciate the fact that instead of empathizing and trying to address my concerns, you’re telling me I’m overthinking it, and explaining it to me like I wouldn’t understand the concepts of let’s see, the meme itself, capitalism, socialism, and FOSS software.
It’s a joke, yeah, I get it, but jokes are supposed to be funny and instead this one is using harmful language about trans people and FOSS software. Stop. And don’t act like anyone who doesn’t agree with you just doesn’t get it.
That’s not accurate, there are other skirt and shirt options, for example a croptop with arm warmers, and dolphin shorts are both acceptable options, the thinkpad can be skipped for a device that has no business running arch such as an ancient mac pro or a dual socket xeon server from a quarter million years ago
Gotta say I’ve never really understood this meme.
Arch users = femboys
I get what the meme is. It does not align with my personal experiences.
yet
That’s not okay. What if somebody told you that you’d eventually revert to cisgendered? That’d be very hurtful and rude. Telling this person their sexuality identity will change because you think it should is wrong
Damn. I upvoted both of you. I just want to have fun but I also take everything super serious as well. This shit’s hard!!
Ok ok trans and femboys sure. But what does this say about thinkpad users?
Still hetero, that pc has a clit
