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 Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
51–60 of 165 posts
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#52HN is sometimes one of the more progressive wings of the geek community. It's disheartening to see the number of replies expressing dismay at race being an interesting and notable part of this story. Representation is a crucial concept in history and media, and a key element in why conversations about privilege are necessary. Rather than stating that you don't know why it would be relevant to mention the man's race,…
Removing my comments because this thread has sparked unnecessary discourse and reactions that this comment is the cause of.
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#53HN is sometimes one of the more progressive wings of the geek community. It's disheartening to see the number of replies expressing dismay at race being an interesting and notable part of this story. Representation is a crucial concept in history and media, and a key element in why conversations about privilege are necessary. Rather than stating that you don't know why it would be relevant to mention the man's race,…
> It's disheartening to see the number of replies expressing dismay at race being an interesting and notable part of this story.
If only. Far worse is the number of replies saying that he isn't black enough. It's so weird when you get racially policed by white people if you don't conform to a media stereotype, or if you're not dark enough.
How about "of sub-Saharan African descent?"
Also, it shouldn't be confusing that the descendants of northern Europeans and Sub-Saharan Africans look Mediterranean. It really makes a lot of obvious sense.
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#54HN is sometimes one of the more progressive wings of the geek community. It's disheartening to see the number of replies expressing dismay at race being an interesting and notable part of this story. Representation is a crucial concept in history and media, and a key element in why conversations about privilege are necessary. Rather than stating that you don't know why it would be relevant to mention the man's race,…
> It's disheartening to see the number of replies expressing dismay at race being an interesting and notable part of this story. If only. Far worse is the number of replies saying that he isn't black enough. It's so weird when you get racially policed by white people if you don't conform to a media stereotype, or if you're not dark enough. How about "of sub-Saharan African descent?" Also, it shouldn't be confusing th…
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Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#55Why is the race of the man relevant? Seems a bit odd to point it out in the title that he was of presumably african heritage?
If your question is honest, I'll give you an honest answer: When you're a member of a minority that is commonly portrayed in the media as being an 'other' / 'not good enough' / 'not likely to succeed', this kind of identification is heartening. It shows you that people like you can succeed, people like you have succeeded, and people like you matter . I'm going to go ahead and assume you're not a part of a group that…
I find it demeaning to make it a point that someone from a certain race "actually succeeded this time!"
It seems to me that in doing so, one also indirectly makes the point that most people from race X don't succeed.
It's good sentiment at best and racism at worst.
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#56This escalated quickly. But I would actually somewhat side with the commenters saying that it is odd to explicitly mention the race in the article. I get that it is Black History Month in the US and in that context it seems appropriate but I would question whether having a Black History Month is a good idea in the first place.
It is not obvious to me that explicitly pointing out a distinction is the best way to get rid of said distinction, be it black or white, male or female, gay or straight. It is a historical accident that one of the groups in each case was at a disadvantage in the past and that this continuous on to today with the gap narrowing slower than one may want.
So I understand that it seems warranted to give the disadvantaged group special attention to close the gap as fast as possible. But does this necessarily require pointing out the distinction in the way this article or Black History Month does? Sure, any program targeting a specific group can not totally avoid making use of the addressed distinction, but would it not be better to keep this as inconspicuous as possible?
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#57HN is sometimes one of the more progressive wings of the geek community. It's disheartening to see the number of replies expressing dismay at race being an interesting and notable part of this story. Representation is a crucial concept in history and media, and a key element in why conversations about privilege are necessary. Rather than stating that you don't know why it would be relevant to mention the man's race,…
> HN is sometimes one of the more progressive wings of the geek community.
Your statement is belied utterly by almost all of the below replies and it is savagely disheartening.
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#58HN is sometimes one of the more progressive wings of the geek community. It's disheartening to see the number of replies expressing dismay at race being an interesting and notable part of this story. Representation is a crucial concept in history and media, and a key element in why conversations about privilege are necessary. Rather than stating that you don't know why it would be relevant to mention the man's race,…
Removing my comments because this thread has sparked unnecessary discourse and reactions that this comment is the cause of.
Probably much healthier to celebrate diversity than pretend it does not exist.
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#59I 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).
>I don't understand why one would point out a person's race (unless it's relevant to the situaiton). [sic]
The first two sentences of the article says
>At a time when “googling” has become the generic term for conducting an internet search, it can be hard to remember that search had a long history before Google came along. But it’s worth revisiting that past during Black History Month, because the pre-Google era saw one of the most momentous black contributions to the development of the internet: the invention of internet search itself, by Alan Emtage.
Emphasis mine.
Re: The Black Technologist Who Invented the First Internet Search Engine
#60I 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).
> Researchers also offer alternatives to the color-blindness discourse. Reason and Evans call for people to become "racially cognizant", that is they need to acknowledge the role that race plays in their everyday lives. Being racially cognizant also demands a continuous examination and reinterpretation of race and how it affects our lives. It is also important to balance looking at a person as an individual and acknowledging the role their membership to a social group plays in their daily lives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_blindness_(race)_in_the_...
As to how someone could call them black... "it's not the color of your skin, it's the race of your kin"