That&#x27;s one of the creepy, energy-intensive things about being in a group that has historically experienced stereotyping. You wonder, Did I get that because I am a .... or because he&#x27;s just that way? It&#x27;s hard to discard the thought, and it takes up processing power while running in the background of your brain. You might argue it&#x27;s best to just get good at meditation and non-attachment and not even think about it, and that&#x27;s true to a large extent, but sometimes those signals indicate a real problem person who you&#x27;d be better off steering around.<p>I suppose you can flip this around, too: a few guys commenting seem rather angry that their helpful well-meaning attention to women staring into the distance at hackerspaces is not appreciated, and they might consider that the women in question have their own issues and it&#x27;s not necessarily the guy&#x27;s problem. So, you see a woman who you assume needs help and it turns out you&#x27;re wrong -- she&#x27;s just thinking, or she&#x27;s happy being stuck because that <i>is</i> part of the fun -- then you say, &quot;Ok, see you around!&quot;, stop talking, and leave her to it. It&#x27;s not your problem that she doesn&#x27;t want your help. Don&#x27;t take it personally.