831–840 of 882 posts
It is hardly unique to men - there are plenty of rich bitches in female dominated indsutries.
As for women being sexually harassed - that would stop immediately if they all shunned the rich guys.
But, that's never going to happen, is it?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Did you read the linked article? People believe there's a gender problem in tech because there is a gender problem in tech. These stories are pervasive . I'd encourage you to ask a woman who's been in the industry and while of they've ever been treated unfairly. Women are almost exactly half of the workforce in the US, but hold only 25% of the jobs in computing. So that would imply the industry is worse than average.…
I guess I don't know what "major industries" people are talking about. For example, earlier in the thread Hollywood and finance are mentioned -- but these are definitely industries with a long history of law suits in this area. With regards to "...ask a woman..." and "...the fact that other industries may also have a gender problem..." -- neither of these remarks have anything to do with what I said. I have some doub…
Why is it important to know how tech ranks against other industries anyway? How is that actionable information? Is the point to be able to claim "it's not our problem"? I don't think that's a useful line of thought. Even if tech were above average (and, again, it isn't) that doesn't in any way excuse the behavior in the NYT article.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Everyone keeps mistaking my meaning. I'm not trying to excuse the behavior or say that it's okay. I've repeatedly condemned it. But we need to decide what we want as a result of bringing this kind of behavior out into the open. Do we want to punish and ostracize the guilty or do we want to minimize the occurrence of this behavior going forward? If it's the former, then by all means get out your pitchforks and we can…
>> But because those instances exist and these men have likely witnessed them personally, even if they're rare, they create the possibility in the minds of these men Btw, this does not compute. Those instances are "rare" but those men have "likely" witnessed them? When something is rare, most are unlikely to witness it.
These guys see hundreds of pitches. There's hundreds of VCs in the valley. Something can be rare--less than one in a hundred and still be likely. Rare for a single instance can be likely and expected across a large number of instances.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> How do we get out of this dead end? It's a chicken and egg problem. The biggest systemic factor is the absurd gender ratio, but if the consequences of that are self-reinforcing then the status quo remains. Many people have the instinct to turn to anti-harassment policies and enforcement, but that's like trying to fight cancer with aspirin. It might help a little bit but it's no cure no matter how much you use, and…
The biggest systemic factor is the absurd gender ratio I grew up in Columbus, GA in the highly racist America Deep South. Blacks and whites each constitute roughly 49% of the population of Columbus, GA. This has failed to turn it into some kind of racial paradise. Also, from what I gather, black slaves on plantations often outnumbered the white owners and their family members. I don't think gender ratio has a thing t…
Race and sex are different. There is no biological imperative to couple off with someone of a different race, such that an imbalanced ratio creates aggressive competitive pressure over a limited supply of partners.
> I don't think gender ratio has a thing to do with it. Using that metric as justification for the problem amounts to excusing it.
It's completely fair to blame individuals for their misbehavior, but when you see misbehavior at scale, there is some systemic problem.
If admitting that the problem is bigger than just one person has the effect of excusing that person, that doesn't make it any less true.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I guess I don't know what "major industries" people are talking about. For example, earlier in the thread Hollywood and finance are mentioned -- but these are definitely industries with a long history of law suits in this area. With regards to "...ask a woman..." and "...the fact that other industries may also have a gender problem..." -- neither of these remarks have anything to do with what I said. I have some doub…
The simple math I cited is not enough? You agree that women make up less than half the tech workforce even though they're half of working adults, right? Why is it important to know how tech ranks against other industries anyway? How is that actionable information? Is the point to be able to claim "it's not our problem"? I don't think that's a useful line of thought. Even if tech were above average (and, again, it isn…
If you don't think a comparison to other industries is important, why did you bring it up to begin with?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Are you suggesting that bias should exists against Y chromosomes? No. The men admitted guilt in this case and the women did supply evidence. This makes his assertion a politically motivated non sequitur.
This makes his assertion a politically motivated non sequitur. Only if you incorrectly assume a particular intention on my part. However, if you take what I said at face value, it's simply a valid observation. I think it's one of the most important and fundamental observations to be made: that of the power dynamic. Feminism has much to say about such power dynamics. I think your bias is clearly showing.
Taken in context it is an attempt to deny the imbalance of power that exists and which civil rights / feminism seek to dismantle.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the point that the parent commenter is missing, and you're not illustrating, is that women are very frequently propositioned in the workplace. To stcredzero, he's innocuously asking a woman colleague of equal rank, who he has rapport with, out to a movie. He sees it as an opportunity to develop a relationship that could lead to a happy marriage. He doesn't get that many opportunities due to various reasons, s…
>" The workplace should be focused on work, not another place where a woman has to be on guard. " I don't think there is consensus on that view. Work wouldn't be my first choice for finding a suitable partner. But that doesn't mean that individuals that spend a lot of time together in a non-social context are magically excluded from behaving in a certain way for the sole benefit of female comfort. There is a clear di…
I will help you with your reading comprehension:
> People do form romantic relationships from working relationships. This should be approached with the utmost of care, because the workplace isn't the appropriate place.
Since you strawman-ized my argument, I'll do the same to yours:
"When people tell me I can't hit on women at work, that's infantilizing them."
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The biggest systemic factor is the absurd gender ratio I grew up in Columbus, GA in the highly racist America Deep South. Blacks and whites each constitute roughly 49% of the population of Columbus, GA. This has failed to turn it into some kind of racial paradise. Also, from what I gather, black slaves on plantations often outnumbered the white owners and their family members. I don't think gender ratio has a thing t…
> I grew up in Columbus, GA in the highly racist America Deep South. Blacks and whites each constitute roughly 49% of the population of Columbus, GA. This has failed to turn it into some kind of racial paradise. Also, from what I gather, black slaves on plantations often outnumbered the white owners and their family members. Race and sex are different. There is no biological imperative to couple off with someone of a…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I grew up in Columbus, GA in the highly racist America Deep South. Blacks and whites each constitute roughly 49% of the population of Columbus, GA. This has failed to turn it into some kind of racial paradise. Also, from what I gather, black slaves on plantations often outnumbered the white owners and their family members. Race and sex are different. There is no biological imperative to couple off with someone of a…
Saying that gender imbalance in the industry is not really the problem in no way denies there is some systemic problem. I agree there is a systemic problem. But I believe gender imbalance is a symptom, not a cause.