Live data from Hacker News

The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

daily.jstor.org

21–30 of 165 posts

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#21
post #17

I don't understand why one would point out a person's race (unless it's relevant to the situaiton), but since the title did... I cannot fanthom how anyone could call this person "black". If anything, his complexion is similar to what US people call "hispanic" (although to me that's just southern European, not a distinct race).

Black in this context is a race, which is an extremely broad spectrum of ethnicities and nationalities of various skin tones.

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#22
post #5

Annnd they used the whitest photo of him they could find.

You might be surprised, but in the American context numerous people considered "black" for political reasons clearly have microscopic amounts of black admixture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._K._Butterfield https://twitter.com/mayorvincegray https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Jealous

Well race isn't the color, but the genetic makeup. My wife is "technically" Cherokee Indian because her great grandmother was a full blooded "Sally Anne Lamb" Cherokee. As such, she would be entitled to scholarships for Native Americans and whatnot for school. Whether she chooses to or not doesn't make it any more her right.

The "They're not black enough" argument was the same racist bs they used against Obama. Can we please collectively give it a rest please?

- Your neighborhood pasty white American tech friend

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#23

I don't get the title. Does it matter what color the man was? In an article about TBL I also don't expect a title beginning with 'The white man whom ....'

Yes, it matters. The gender and racial identities of underrepresented populations is relevant to a whole host of readers, including researchers, educators, social scientists, etc.

Relevant: http://www.vox.com/identities/2017/2/7/14503144/white-histor...

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#24
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might be surprised, but in the American context numerous people considered "black" for political reasons clearly have microscopic amounts of black admixture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._K._Butterfield https://twitter.com/mayorvincegray https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Jealous

> You might be surprised, but in the American context numerous people considered "black" for political reasons clearly have microscopic amounts of black admixture. E.g. Mr. Obama, who is actually half-white but considered black by American blacks and whites alike.

I knew a colleague who had a relative who knew Obama before he became a politician. Back then, Barack was far more embracing of himself as a mixed-race individual. He made a choice later on to be identified as a black man.

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#25
post #17

I don't understand why one would point out a person's race (unless it's relevant to the situaiton), but since the title did... I cannot fanthom how anyone could call this person "black". If anything, his complexion is similar to what US people call "hispanic" (although to me that's just southern European, not a distinct race).

It is Black History Month in the US, as the very first paragraph of the article says.

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#26
post #17

I don't understand why one would point out a person's race (unless it's relevant to the situaiton), but since the title did... I cannot fanthom how anyone could call this person "black". If anything, his complexion is similar to what US people call "hispanic" (although to me that's just southern European, not a distinct race).

The article is for Black History Month, a...holiday? here in the US which I think is now called "African American History Month". So does a guy from Barbados working in Canada not count now? I'm not good at that kind of math

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#27
post #17

I don't understand why one would point out a person's race (unless it's relevant to the situaiton), but since the title did... I cannot fanthom how anyone could call this person "black". If anything, his complexion is similar to what US people call "hispanic" (although to me that's just southern European, not a distinct race).

1:) It's black history month, and he's black and part of history.

2:) That lighting makes his complexion look much lighter.

3:) If they say he's black, i'll take their word for it, skin colour varies significantly.

Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine

#29
post #20

I don't get the title. Does it matter what color the man was? In an article about TBL I also don't expect a title beginning with 'The white man whom ....'

Why so sexist? Does it matter that it was a man? "The sentient being who invented the first search engine" would have more appropriate.

why so sentientist?
Post reply on HN