Ask a Female Engineer: Thoughts on the Google Memo

Do you really think that is the case?

> The place to take action is in early schooling to get more women interested in tech or give them more opportunities to get involved not in hiring more of them from already smaller job seekers pool.

Yes, this is what many of Google's diversity programs are intended to do.

He then follows with "Google's left bias has created a politically correct monoculture".

So the difference is between these two statements:

a. I believe X, and

b. You are all leftists. Leftists believe Y. Y is wrong. The answer is actually X.

So, despite my thought that it was utterly moronic for someone at Google to write out his beliefs in such a way that he would certainly get fired, unless he plans to go into politics, I'd like to respond to something one of the female interviewees stated in this interview:

"I also think that society should have room for the discussion of ideas that are not in step with what is considered acceptable at a given time. There is, of course, a difference between an unfounded opinion and the pursuit of scientific truth, but logically, we should not avoid pursuing a scientific truth for fear that the answer will not be aligned with currently accepted dogmas."

While these statements are incredibly close to my own, I call bullshit.

The pursuit of "scientific truth" in such a way to not be aligned with accepted dogmas is equivalent to having unfounded opinions in the sense that "scientific truth" itself is a lie, and has been so since the first "truth" was found to be "false".

Beliefs attributed to scientific work are beliefs, and modern science evolved from philosophers who established "truths" based on speculation.

To add to that, even what's been established is suspect, even if it were true once. Our minds believe things to be true from past experience that may not align with recorded history. People made mistakes when recording history. Therefore, according to "scientific truth" (which itself may be unwise!), we cannot assume everything we believe to be true to be true.

How then could the pursuit of a truth that could easily become a lie later any different than unfounded opinion or accepting dogma?

I'm considering a Paleo Diet now; that's full circle from our beginning.

what I realized is that I am older, more world wary and far more cynical about anyone looking out for me than your average young millennial.

I think the dividing line is in that cynicism. I have never felt like anyone looked out for me.

"How do I prove myself to people one way or another?"

I have stopped trying to prove myself. I do what I think is right and am very wary of external validation that is not based on engineering data. Asking how you prove yourself seems very foreign. You always risk being wrong. You always risk being cast out.

If young social activists were less strident about how society stacks the deck for all white people- even the ones who have been abused, who had a shitty childhood, who have had bad relationships, who are suffering from depression or chemical abuse or other problems, then I think we'd stop running into this very boring and predictable conflict.

Everyone is suffering on some level. Stop talking about white men like we've never experienced pain.

I do think the memo was foundationally stupid. Compassion is needed on all sides.