A & B should either confront the guy or leave. Writing blog posts is not how this ends, unfortunately.
Racism in Tech
21–30 of 190 posts
Re: Racism in Tech
#22This story is shocking and I hate to nit-pick here but > Just to remind all of us that racism is alive and well in the US and in tech. [...] The customer site is a government owned military installation. This doesn't make it any "better", actually much worse, but this is not "in tech". What I find both shocking and curious about racism is that it is a much more widespread problem throughout the world, not only limite…
I think there's probably an evolutionary origin - genes that compel their owners to look out for others with the same genes over those who are unlikely to share genes were likely to be more successful overall in our more violent past. Now selection favors those who are able to work well with others of all races, so perhaps it's fading.
Why do you think selection favors "those who are able to work well with others of all races"?
Re: Racism in Tech
#23Racism exists everywhere. In fact, prejudice of all kinds does. And probably always will.
I worked a company where the employees felt it was okay to make racist or sexist jokes with the person in the room, so long as the person didn't appear to mind. It made me terribly uncomfortable, but short of going to management, nothing I said or did mattered. (I didn't make an ass of myself, though. If the person isn't going to stand up for themselves, with me already standing, I'm not going to risk my job for them.)
Maybe those people didn't really mind. I know I don't mind when my ancestry is made fun of, so long as it's along typical stereotype lines. (Pointed attacks on my particular ancestors or family are another matter.)
I think we, as a species, have a long way to go in regards to dealing with each other. We have somehow never learned to treat each other with basic respect.
Re: Racism in Tech
#24For those looking for a more nuanced understanding of this than the eternal American fight about whether "X is/is not racist", go take some of the tests at Harvard's Project Implicit:
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
When I took them, I was pretty confident that I was, as a well-meaning nerd, beyond any sort of racial bias. I was wrong.
Although I am deeply opposed to racism consciously, various bits of racial bias lurked in my wiring. It's sort of like how even a very smart person can have plenty of dumb ideas or dumb reactions, especially on topics they haven't paid attention to. Since I took those tests, I've been much more aware of those biases, which a) lets me minimize the effects, b) helps me undermine them over time, and c) has made me much better able to see the subtle effects of racial bias generally.
Re: Racism in Tech
#25This entire issue is crap. I am a black programmer... I have no college education, came from single family home blah blah womp womp. I have launched 10+ projects for clients this year alone. I have 1 failed contract where I left because it just didn't work out. When I had success it was not because I was black and when I failed it was not because I was black. Both when I have succeeded and when I have failed was neve…
This would make a nice blog post...
Re: Racism in Tech
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where I chose to clearly express my opinion, you chose to be extremely rude and dismissive. Who's really trolling?
My opinion is that a white guy (you: https://twitter.com/#!/mikekeen ) saying that people getting upset about racism are 'backwards' is either mind-boggling insensitive or out and out trolling. Nothing rude about it - that's how I see it. I can accept people saying "luckily, in this day and age, I think it's not so much of a problem" as something up for debate, but to state that those angered by discrimination are "b…
davidw, If you think your last comment was in the spirit of respectful debate then you should go back and re-read it a few times. If you don't want to respect my opinion, that is not my problem.
Racism is irrelevant. Racists are irrelevant. Society doesn't take them seriously. Racists would have zero power over anyone if nobody took their actions or words seriously. Someone doesn't want to give you a job because they are racist? Their loss. Move on. Would you really want to work for someone like that anyway?
Re: Racism in Tech
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where I chose to clearly express my opinion, you chose to be extremely rude and dismissive. Who's really trolling?
My opinion is that a white guy (you: https://twitter.com/#!/mikekeen ) saying that people getting upset about racism are 'backwards' is either mind-boggling insensitive or out and out trolling. Nothing rude about it - that's how I see it. I can accept people saying "luckily, in this day and age, I think it's not so much of a problem" as something up for debate, but to state that those angered by discrimination are "b…
What does his being white have to do with anything? I smell racismz
Re: Racism in Tech
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
My opinion is that a white guy (you: https://twitter.com/#!/mikekeen ) saying that people getting upset about racism are 'backwards' is either mind-boggling insensitive or out and out trolling. Nothing rude about it - that's how I see it. I can accept people saying "luckily, in this day and age, I think it's not so much of a problem" as something up for debate, but to state that those angered by discrimination are "b…
davidw, If you think your last comment was in the spirit of respectful debate then you should go back and re-read it a few times. If you don't want to respect my opinion, that is not my problem. Racism is irrelevant. Racists are irrelevant. Society doesn't take them seriously. Racists would have zero power over anyone if nobody took their actions or words seriously. Someone doesn't want to give you a job because they…
I do not believe your comment was worthy of respect, frankly.
If you'd started with your comment above saying that "racism is irrelevant", perhaps I'd have called it a bit naive, but taken no offense. To make the connection between people incensed by discrimination to those who perpetrate it is very, very offensive.
Racism is very much relevant as long as people have power over other people (which is part and parcel of all complex societies), be it political or economic. You can't disregard someone not selling you a house or giving you a job or letting you marry who you wish, or burning a cross on your lawn.
Are things better these days? Certainly! Is racism a non-issue? I don't think so. Are people like Brad Feld, who get angry about discrimination "backwards"? Hell no!
Re: Racism in Tech
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where I chose to clearly express my opinion, you chose to be extremely rude and dismissive. Who's really trolling?
My opinion is that a white guy (you: https://twitter.com/#!/mikekeen ) saying that people getting upset about racism are 'backwards' is either mind-boggling insensitive or out and out trolling. Nothing rude about it - that's how I see it. I can accept people saying "luckily, in this day and age, I think it's not so much of a problem" as something up for debate, but to state that those angered by discrimination are "b…
So his opinion should be dismissed 'cuz he's white? It's a topic where white people aren't allowed to talk about, except if we wish to talk in politically correct platitudes?
I agree with you that racism is still a real problem and that k33n's comment seems somewhat out of touch. However, what you say is tantamount to "shut up because you're white", and that's not cool either.
You actually went to the trouble of looking up his race in order to make your point. Think about that for a second. You looked up his race in order make a judgement about what he wrote. Didn't your irony detectors go off at that point?
Re: Racism in Tech
#30This entire issue is crap. I am a black programmer... I have no college education, came from single family home blah blah womp womp. I have launched 10+ projects for clients this year alone. I have 1 failed contract where I left because it just didn't work out. When I had success it was not because I was black and when I failed it was not because I was black. Both when I have succeeded and when I have failed was neve…
The racism that I've come in contact with (in corporate settings at least) is towards people from India. Not people born here and of Indian descent, but people from India with Indian culture. It would probably be better to call it "culturism" or bias against a culture instead of racism. When you go on a contract and you see 20 employees 50-80% of them being from India and 0% of them in management or even team lead positions, that's an indicator. It's an even bigger indicator when all of said employees have been there for 5-10 years or longer and are willing to manage. The absolute smoking gun is when current the managers bring zero to the table (completely incompetent). These positions in large companies are often obviously filled with friends with no merit, technical know how, or leadership ability. As a side note I'm black as well, and I feel I know these biases when I see them.