It's not the first amendment thing I posted it for - but for the part where he points out that... "THEY'RE JUST WORDS."
Yes, words have meaning, and that meaning can change the world, but if someone making dick jokes causes you to get hyper-uncomfortable, maybe you have some personal sensitivity issues to work through before you start worrying about the level of professionalism at a conference that you obviously don't want to be at.
In short: "Yes Virginia, the world has dick jokes in it."
Someone wants to spread untrue rumors about you? Get over it! It's just a bunch of words! Sticks and stones, man!
Someone wants to making constant sexual advances towards you? Get over it! It's just a bunch of words! Sticks and stones, man!
Someone wants to make constant threats of violence against you? Get over it! It's just a bunch of words! Sticks and stones, man!
The basic logic that you're using is that the perception is in the eye of the beholder. If the beholder perceives something as bad, then they just need to change their perception.
From the perspective of the individual struggling to deal with the world, it may make sense to apply this logic to try and change perceptions to better deal with the world. From the perspective of the world as a whole, it makes less sense.
For example, a rape victim may wish to find some way to view the rape in a less negative light in order to move on with their lives. Does this mean that rape isn't bad, but just an issue with how the victim perceives it?
I don't think dick jokes are unprofessional. I think the fundamental divide here is not "likes dick jokes"/"is made uncomfortable by dick jokes" but instead "simply doesn't attend conferences they don't like"/"blogs about how unprofessional conferences they don't like are".
Seriously, if you don't like the way a conference is run, vote with dollars and go somewhere else. The rest of us who don't give a shit about things that don't matter will be there instead.
Blaming someone who is offended by your words is really a selfish way to look at the world. Again, this isn't about freedom of speech, it's about professionalism at a conference.
Yes, words have meaning, and that meaning can change the world, but if someone making dick jokes causes you to get hyper-uncomfortable, maybe you have some personal sensitivity issues to work through before you start worrying about the level of professionalism at a conference that you obviously don't want to be at.
In short: "Yes Virginia, the world has dick jokes in it."