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SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

reuters.com

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Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#41

Post by RcouF1uZ4gsC »

baxtr wrote: post #27
Thorentis wrote: post #2

Limiting initiatives like this based on skin color, implies that the reason for them needing help is their skin color. What about white people that come from low-socioeconomic backgrounds? Broken families? Didn't finish high-school? Abused as a child/teenager? Single parent family? Aren't these the real reasons why people are disadvantaged? People of all colors come from these backgrounds. I'm sick of the hypocrisy o…

With these questions is often a matter of scale. Let's take a minority person and a non-minority person applying for the same apartment. The landlord doesn't care about their background. He just thinks the non-minority person is less likeable and gives the apt to the minority person. Fine. However, if you this 100x or 1000x, the minority people will most probably lose out because of racism.

Is the landlord a metaphor for Harvard who also finds certain demographics “less likable” and doesn’t admit them despite higher scores and grades?

Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#42

Post by hnhg »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #35
hnhg wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Say there was a disease that predominantly affected a given race. Would you then object to a health system producing a tailored response to that group based on group characteristics? e.g. https://www.gaucherdisease.org/blog/5-common-ashkenazi-genet...

These diseases are based on genetic differences, and the tailored treatments are based on genetic differences. Are you really implying that there are genetic differences between the races that cause differences? I find that pretty racist.

That's my point. To talk about differences isn't racist. It's how they are used to keep power structures in place that is. Your definition is IMO not helpful in any way. If racism were so simple to define then as people we wouldn't have had any problems eradicating it, would we?

Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#45

Post by RcouF1uZ4gsC »

m-ee wrote: post #15
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #6

> SoftBank also runs the $100 billion Vision Fund, which is headed by Rajeev Misra and invests amounts larger than the entire new fund in startups around the world. Neither Rajeev Misra nor Masayoshi Son sound like “white” names. I find it fascinating how Asians in general are excluded from the term “people of color”.

The article never claimed Softbank leadership was white nor that Asian's are not people of color

> SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) is launching a $100 million fund to invest in “companies led by founders and entrepreneurs of colour”,

> Named the “Opportunity Growth Fund” and focused on African Americans and Latinos in the U.S. it is, SoftBank says, the largest fund of its kind.

Kind of implied there.

Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#46

Post by malandrew »

timavr wrote: post #9
Thorentis wrote: post #2

Limiting initiatives like this based on skin color, implies that the reason for them needing help is their skin color. What about white people that come from low-socioeconomic backgrounds? Broken families? Didn't finish high-school? Abused as a child/teenager? Single parent family? Aren't these the real reasons why people are disadvantaged? People of all colors come from these backgrounds. I'm sick of the hypocrisy o…

I personally hate these initiatives because they don't deal with problem at the core. They should have policies that address every fund they manage, not some 100m, which is peanuts for them. I really like how YC does it. Yes, there are problems with YC, but their main program is really good at taking people from different economic/social/racial backgrounds. Have tonnes of friends from disadvantaged backgrounds and de…

Not only do they not deal with the problem at the core, these types of well meaning but misguided ideas often end up perpetuating the very problem they are meant to address.

So much of the policies from the left on race are examples of the shirky principle in action:

https://kk.org/thetechnium/the-shirky-prin/

“Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.” — Clay Shirky

This is a great article from Shelby Steele, an African-American senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institute on the issue:

http://archive.is/EXl8N#selection-1951.267-1955.491

Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#47

Post by rbg246 »

Thorentis wrote: post #18
sillysaurusx wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a valid stance. But reflect on why it matters to you. So what if someone is giving special opportunities to someone based on their skin color, or their gender? There are plenty of special opportunities to go around for all of us. I think you'll get a lot of flak for this sentiment. But I used to feel the same way as you. What helped me change my mind was to realize that no one is taking away opportunities from…

> So what if someone is giving special opportunities to someone based on their skin color, or their gender? Because if it is done for white people, or to men, it would be heavily criticised for being racist/sexist. I am purely advocating for consistency, and for tackling the real problems (education, socio-economic, familial, etc.). I am sick of the corporate hypocrisy during COVID (we really care about you!), and we…

But its a known and well studied fact that people of color are discriminated against in all areas of life, what this means that white people experience special advantage in all areas of life - so all the other startup funds are for white people (especially men) ahead of people of color.

Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#48

Post by flyinglizard »

neximo64 wrote: post #29

I hope the venture fails. It's just racism under another name.

It will serve its purpose, which was never really about skin color (e.g. VCs are already very active in India whose inhabitants have a dark complexion).

Supporting BLM seems like a net positive for companies, there’s no marketing downside. It’s perceived as The Right Thing. I’m sure more companies will follow.

Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#49

Post by blackoil »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #6

> SoftBank also runs the $100 billion Vision Fund, which is headed by Rajeev Misra and invests amounts larger than the entire new fund in startups around the world. Neither Rajeev Misra nor Masayoshi Son sound like “white” names. I find it fascinating how Asians in general are excluded from the term “people of color”.

Asians do not have a historical baggage in USA. Do they face similar racism/bias in general (ignore temporary surge like now by Corona)?

Re: SoftBank launches $100m minorities startup fund

#50

Post by malandrew »

apendleton wrote: post #21
Thorentis wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I can see, this doesn't exist in the tech world (any more). Most Fortune 500 companies go out of their way to hire minorities, even if they are less qualified. Colleges do the same. Minorities are not disadvantaged purely for their skin color in the tech world. They are disadvantaged because of their worse financial/education situation. And my point is that these traits that effect people in tech are not li…

> As far as I can see, this doesn't exist in the tech world (any more) Bluntly: there's probably a lot that you can't see.

That's a vague and unsubstantiated statement. Can you provide examples and evidence of things you think the OP does not see.
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