From: ablumke [[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 1999 11:46 PM
To: The Dojo
Subject: Re: The Women's Invitational

The Women's Invitational...

A lot of principles have been invoked to justify pros and cons about this 
topic. I don't think that's the right way to go.

The point of view of the individual is the only one that actually 
matters, since it's the only one that exists. Principles are 
constructions of the mind, meant to guide for sure, but sometimes they 
can mislead.

So the question we should ask ourselves is not if a Women's Invitational 
would be in line with a gender equity principle, if it would promote or 
degrade women, or if it would unfairly favor a small group of people. The 
question we should ask ourselves is: what impact would a Women's 
Invitational have for which persons? Would this impact be positive or 
negative?

Here's a list of the persons which would be affected by such an event...

1) The invitees. Such an event, generating fun, friendship and certainly 
also renewed love for the game would obviously be a creation of positive 
experience for them. A cool moment in the life of 16 people (and believe 
me, they will *not* feel degraded!). Impact: +++

2) The WotC employees who will have to organize the event. Of course, 
such an event will require work. However, organizing a Women's 
Invitational should fall under the Nice Work category, the kind of work 
(like R&D's creating cards) which employees will volunteer doing, and 
which wouldn't look bad in a curriculum. Impact: +

3) Internet connected Magic players. Matches to read about, new (or 
known) personalities unveiled, favorites to root for... It would be one 
of the more interesting stuff to read about. Impact: +, at worst 
indifference.

4) Female Magic players. Such an event should make them more aware of 
Magic. They will become aware they have a choice: play with everyone or 
in a league of their own. Or both. Most will realize that more choice is 
always better than less choice. Impact: ++

5) Female Magic players who thought they'd be invited but weren't. Of 
course they would be disappointed, but would they blame it on the 
Invitational itself rather than on the people who did the choosing? And 
anyway, for them life would just go on as usual. Still, unhappiness can 
seldom be defined as positive. Impact: -

6) People who invoked a principle for being in favor or against the 
Women's Invitational. They will see their errings, read Zen and the Art 
of Motorcycle Maintenance and enter a Buddist monastery. Impact: +++

I hope I didn't forget anybody who'd be involved. Anyway, it seems to me 
the + outweigh the - .

Finally, I'll put my foot into my own logic and invoke a principle of my 
own in favor of the Women's Invitational. I'd like to point out that the 
male/female differenciation is just a categorization like the 
American/European differentiation is one. Europeans can play in the 
European Championships as well as in the World Championships. Why 
shouldn't women be able to play in Women Championships as well as in 
Worlds? It is not a question of gender equity, but of market 
fragmentation (and since there are all these national ranking lists, 
maybe there should be a woman's ranking list too).

See you at the Buddist Monastery... :)

Alexander Blumke