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I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

imallika.com

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Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#71

Post by mrapogee »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #63

On the one hand, I agree. And on the other hand, I wonder how helpful it is to be writing this and posting it to HN instead of writing about some engineering subject and posting that instead. I think we need more women in tech talking about tech and less women in tech talking about the problems with being women in tech and only getting attention of the wrong kind -- for being women in tech. I mean, it's kind of recur…

If a fisherman who fishes with his hands wishes to catch more fish, he must go a day without eating to make a net.

Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#72

Post by [deleted] »

mrapogee wrote: post #71
DoreenMichele wrote: post #63

On the one hand, I agree. And on the other hand, I wonder how helpful it is to be writing this and posting it to HN instead of writing about some engineering subject and posting that instead. I think we need more women in tech talking about tech and less women in tech talking about the problems with being women in tech and only getting attention of the wrong kind -- for being women in tech. I mean, it's kind of recur…

If a fisherman who fishes with his hands wishes to catch more fish, he must go a day without eating to make a net.

[deleted]

Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#73

Post by mirimir »

gkya wrote: post #69
mirimir wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I was puzzled at first, reading the article. Because I don't think of India as a paragon of sexual equality. But then, I realized that the author is probably upper-class.

Well this does not simply boil down to economics, too. In Turkey for example (where I'm from), we have a very complex gradient of secular and religious cultures, where the economical situation of the individuals or of the families are only a small determinant in what part of such a gradient they are. Especially in this day and age where local cultures are becoming but a simple debile component of a more global archi-…

Yes, thanks. I didn't mean to imply economic wealth. Because she notes that money isn't an important goal. I'm too ignorant about South India to know what her background might be. Maybe something like academic? Or intellectual?

Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#74

Post by dang »

jameskegel wrote: post #35
hackinthebochs wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The gender gap is purely cultural, and we should be learning from what those cultures are doing that's different than us. The countries with low gender gap in science/tech are also the countries that measure low on general measures of gender equality. It turns out there isn't anything to learn from these cases. In regions with low gender equality and weak social safety nets, technology is seen as the means to econom…

Instead of hinting at something, why not just tell us how you really feel? Is it because it's a conclusion that is generally not accepted when put in plain terms?

The HN guidelines ask you not to take HN threads further into ideological flamewar, so please don't.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#75

Post by dang »

edmccard wrote: post #10

>It's substantive and grounded in personal experience. Yes, but it's the personal experience of someone who has never "had to defend their choice of or fight an uphill battle while selecting engineering as a career choice". Which makes it seem like more of an "argument by outlier" than the expression of some deep universal insight-- yes, maybe Mallika doesn't appreciate someone listening to her talk as "being support…

This comment originated as a reply to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15948126, but that subthread is penalized for being off topic. It doesn't seem fair for your comment to suffer that fate, so I've done something I don't think I ever did before, which is detach it from its parent and mark it on-topic. Sorry for the digression but your reply lacks context otherwise.

Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#76

Post by mirimir »

yawaramin wrote: post #36
wst_ wrote: post #30

Quoting article: > I come from a country and a back ground where intelligence and the ability to work extremely hard is valued highly, with beauty, money and popularity ranked far, far below. Growing up as a South Indian in Mumbai, neither me, not anyone I know or grew up with, has ever had to defend their choice of or fight an uphill battle while selecting engineering as a career choice, regardless of their sex. I c…

Maybe the picture you're getting is not from South Indian people? There's a different mentality and situation in the south. The southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have the highest literacy rates in India, with Kerala especially having the highest literacy rate for women. Mallika's perceptions about the cultural importance of education are almost certainly correct especially if she is from the south.

Ah, Kerala!

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/living-examples...

And now I'm vaguely remembering a section of Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle, where Jack Shaftoe gets help from a so-called "pirate queen". In Kerala, I think.

Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#77

Post by telesilla »

dominotw wrote: post #43

Its nice that author ended up going to engineering school via massive social and economic inertia afforded only to a tiny sliver of indian population. But there are lot more women who need the helping hand and encouragement provided by those groups. So perhaps a little empathy towards those programs and what they are trying to achieve, even if it causes minor distress?

I agree. She's a minority and the compassionate thing to do is say, hey don't bug me about it but feel free to use me as a role model so in X years we'll have 50% women in the role of your speciality and we can move on. I wouldn't force anyone to be a public figure but to disengage completely is denying there is an imbalance. Also, I bet as an Indian woman she's not going to deny there is a massive need for general improvement in health in safety? Maybe she's really lucky but I just read [1] this morning and was reminded that I, as a woman, don't feel safe alone in certain contexts in India. I can afford a private car and security but that certainly doesn't stop me wanting safety for everyone. What's she saying read to me like, "I'm from a supportive family and wealthy enough background to have made it, leave me alone in my bubble where everyone around me has everything we need"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/09/11...

Re: I don’t want to be the pink elephant in the room

#79

Post by carapace »

beaner wrote: post #7

"All one should care about is - is this excellent or is it not? Is this right or is this wrong?" I generally agree with this article. But you can't be a white male and speak this way in silicon valley without being shamed and being labeled a Trump supporter. Especially if your company has militant diversity advocates.

Um, your user name though.
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