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Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

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Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in the UK, I've eaten most of those but not in taco's 2) I quite like a tongue sandwich. 3) Tripe is not my cup of tea but I've had it 4) Fried pork blood, we have a thing here called black pudding (it's congealed blood soaked in oats, then fried, it's damn good and apparenly good for you). 6) Lots of times, don't see it much now, my nan lived on it 7) Used in stocks 10) Pork Scratchings are huge here also damn g…

Right, I forgot most European cuisines do make use of the whole animal. I stand corrected. I kind of dislike blood (you have to eat it quickly, or the flavor deteriorates in your very plate before you notice), but otherwise everything that runs, swims or flies is game ;)

I have eaten most of those but I was tempted to pretend I haven't.

My point was a major simplification of how American assimilation happens or I think ideally it should happen. Cultural heritage is important and mixing cultures together is the best version of America in my opinion.

I'm saying that American culture is a tapestry of it's subcultures and it's subcultures are sourced far and wide. The idea isn't to go with direct and hard assimilation the way people talk about French assimilation as was mentioned at other points in this thread where immigrants adopt French mannerisms but that American immigrants adopt some American mannerisms while bringing their own that other Americans adopt. I used really simple and identifiable culture parts like food.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#422
post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> America is undisputedly the best country at assimililating immigrants. I'll dispute it. - Foreign-born US citizens: 14% - Foreign-born Australian citizens: 28% (without British, 21%) Despite all the accusations of racism that Australia gets, we have a far higher proportion of foreign-born citizens than any other western democracy. The country seems to be doing fine. edit: US is 14%. UK is 12% (as I originally had i…

Foreign-born immigrants are recent immigrants. If you change your time frame the results might be different.

If you're born in a country, you're not an immigrant. These people are sometimes called "second-generation immigrants", but they're not actually immigrants themselves. Australia has plenty of those as well (like any postwar new-world Anglo country does)

Still, I'm interested to see how you'd fiddle with the timeframe to make the results functionally different. Show me how you see it being different.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on my experience interviewing a handful of developer candidates graduating from Howard, not being prepared is the best way I can describe the impression they left. It felt like they only had a smattering of CS courses, none of which pushed them very hard. In other words, they should fix their curriculum.

Is this really a problem specifically with Howard, or more a problem with CS curriculum in general? I ask this leaving the likes of CMU, Stanford, MIT, out of the equation - I'm thinking more about the "non-elite" CS programs, of which there are many, many more. I am mentoring a CS student at another university and have had some challenges bringing this student along because the fundamentals are just not being taught…

> Is this really a problem specifically with Howard, or more a problem with CS curriculum in general? I ask this leaving the likes of CMU, Stanford, MIT, out of the equation - I'm thinking more about the "non-elite" CS programs, of which there are many, many more.

You shouldn't leave the elite programs out of the equation. I've helped to interview a good handful of people who went to elite institutions and had done difficult, important work, but couldn't answer our interview questions correctly. We don't even use hard interview questions, just three that expect you to know some tricks-of-the-trade for systems programming and basic processor architecture.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#424
post #9

> One senior, Sarah Jones, ... “There are not a lot of people of color in the Valley—and that, by itself, makes it kind of unwelcoming." This statement may be true if "people of color" means African American. Otherwise, it is just not the fact. I do think, through my personal experience, the Valley is probably the most diverse place that I have been. I've seen people all over the wrold here: Asian, Latino, European,…

> I do think, through my personal experience, the Valley is probably the most diverse place that I have been. Yikes. You need to get out more, visit more places in America.

Like? The Midwest and South (minus urban areas i.e.cities which are few and far between) there aren't many diverse places.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#425
post #195
post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you know they're mediocre coders? The article makes zero mention of any coding ability, aside from the fact that some of them were having a hard time locking down offers from places like Google and Facebook. Your biases are applying traits to these kids, all of whom you've never met or had any kind of conversation with. This entire post is the biggest affirmation of "twice the work" if I've ever seen it.

> This entire post is the biggest affirmation of "twice the work" if I've ever seen it. I don't get the reference, could someone explain?

The notion that minority individuals have to work twice as hard to get the same recognition as the equivalent majority individual.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haven't you heard that racism = power + prejudice, so black people by definition can't be racist because they don't have power? (This is not an opinion that I agree with, but a lot of people actually think that way).

It has to do with the concept of "structural" racism, as opposed to plain bigotry, which can be done by anyone. Structural racist aspects are related to society/institutions, which is shaped by the majority. While I understand the critique, I disagree with the academic terminology, and think insisting on it leads to misinformed intepretations of others' arguments, like saying "black people by definition can't be raci…

If that's what they meant though, then affirmative action (universities are clearly an institution) would be racist. So would minority business initiatives organized by the government.

I don't think they consider those things racist though, so that can't be their definition.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I do think, through my personal experience, the Valley is probably the most diverse place that I have been. Yikes. You need to get out more, visit more places in America.

Like? The Midwest and South (minus urban areas i.e.cities which are few and far between) there aren't many diverse places.

I think you're asking for regions in the US, not cities, where you can meet lots of people, so as to demonstrate diversity.

Well, there are plenty of black people in the deep South. There are plenty of latino ranchers in the Southwest. There are some pockets of even non-English speaking folks in Louisiana and the Chesapeake.

But that's not diversity, that's just a different homogeneity. Although I can certainly attest to the fact that, going to school in New Orleans, life does feel a bit different being in the minority locally.

Cities, particularly coastal cities, have been melting pots, world-wide, for a long time. Since long before Columbus landed in the Americas.

If, by diversity, you want to meet a lot of people from different walks of life, you pretty much have to go to cities.

Now, is San Francisco the ultimate sink to which sources of diversity converge? Probably not. But I've been in every hemisphere and most major US cities, and San Francisco is pretty solid. You just have to get outside the bubble a little.

You want insane levels of homogeneity? Try Tokyo.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#428
post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what is a "high-end" black name?

The richest black Americans are named: Oprah, Michael, Tiger, Sean, Robert, Mariah, Earvin, Jay, Bill, Sheila, Tyler, Shaquille, Dr, Master, Berry, Russell, Quintin, Beyonce, Prince. The richest Americans are named: Bill, Warren, Larry, Jeff, Charles, David, Mark, Michael, Jim, Larry, Sergey (immigrant, didn't change name), Alice (inherited), S. Robson (inherited) Christy (inherited), Sheldon, George, Phil, Forrest,…

By Dr. do you mean Andre and by Master do you mean Percy?

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#429
post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Anecdotal example: In Brazil, you don't see people claiming they are Irish when their families have lived in the US for generations. That is actually the key to Americas success. The total separation of ethnicity and national identity. It allows an immigrant to keep their ethnic identity and merely add an American one. It's also helps when a white 5th generation american thinks they are Irish and American. They'll b…

I disagree completely, I think that type of attitude leads to the notion of "Real" Americans. Keeping the ethnic identity is the opposite of the melting pot. In Brazil, you're just Brazilian, regardless of color.

100% of the Brazilians I have met (I'm in the US) are middle class and above.

Also, as if by magic, 100% of them appear white (or mostly white), despite non-whites making up a large fraction of Brazil's population.

It's absurd to act like everything is great for racial minorities in Brazil.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#430
post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, every day I feel like I'm told that I have to do something to help other people. There's always a cause. And you know, I'm not against that. I realize people have it rough. But there is this weird perception that Asian men have this amazing privilege in Western society and that we don't endure any racism or discrimination despite the fact that we still do. They range from how we're depicted in the media, to…

This is an absolutely serious question. Can you elaborate on some of the racism you as an Asian male have experienced? Honestly, outside of certain examples of the "good minority" I've seen very little racism towards Asians in any context so I'm interested to hear what is you may have experienced.

i seriously can't even believe you're asking this. i'll start with a real easy one for you.

how about being called a chink while walking down the street?

how about needing to be not just significantly better than the overall population, but specifically better than other asians at literally everything to even be considered for an elite school or job?

how about a 'comedian' openly saying everyone of your race has a small dick, and hearing mocking chingchong fake language, right on the stage at a comedy club, like you're not sitting right there? oh, and of course everyone laughing their ass off.

how many asian males have you seen on american tv? how many of the depictions even remotely positive, or even just neutral? and is this number something you can count to with the fingers on a single hand?

do you not think that the systematic, deliberate exclusion of an entire race of males from basically ALL media is not at least a little bit strange? do you think this is done on accident? it's not.

this one is at least getting better - asian men get to exist in the same reality as asian women now. i think even white people were beginning to feel uncomfortable that only asian females exist in the reality portrayed on screen.

you've seen very little racism toward asians because you're not asian and you probably can't even identify it when it happens because you think it's normal.

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