Black Girls Code launching in Miami • Hacker News Board

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#51

Post by fidotron » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:21 PM UTC

saltyknuckles wrote: post #37

fchollet wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never thought of SV as a monoculture, when it comes to nationality and race (it does suffer from a bad case of groupthink though...) In SV you will find engineers, designers and managers from all over the world --Russia, China, Europe, etc., and when it comes to race you will find very large numbers of highly successful Asians and Indians. Likely more so than in other US industry.

What you just wrote didn't include black or hispanics. So now you have Black Girls Code.

Precisely. It's also struck me that the vast majority of the female engineers seem to work at a tiny handful of companies.

For example, Google is quite diverse, the attendees at I/O were not.

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#52

Post by Karunamon » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:22 PM UTC

sp332 wrote: post #49

Karunamon wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't really address the point at all. Maybe racism is best solved by treating all as equals instead of creating further insular groups? It does seem logically absurd on its face. The first step is to stop snarking at people who dare to ask.

It's not "further insular". It's a group that already exists. Treating people as all equal is fine. Pretending that all people are treated as equal in society is not helpful.

I'd argue that perpetuating the problem of people being treated different in society is even worse.

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#53

Post by jimzvz » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:22 PM UTC

pekk wrote: post #41

shanelja wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you even read the comment? It's not about helping black people or women or Chinese people or men, it's about helping everyone.

Seems to me that it's about complaining when someone else starts groups to help people. Helping people is never wrong.

>Helping people is never wrong.

How could you type that with a straight face?

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#54

Post by bilbo0s » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:23 PM UTC

shanelja wrote: post #36

pekk wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want to start a group for black boys, then do it.

Did you even read the comment? It's not about helping black people or women or Chinese people or men, it's about helping everyone.

Well...

for you it is...

but not for the people behind this group.

I mean they are free to do what THEY feel is important to them.

I, personally, believe they have the wrong approach... but it's how they want to spend their time and money.

If you are looking to donate... obviously there are far better organizations to support that would accomplish just what you are alluding to...

Helping the disadvantaged.

Just not this one.

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#55

Post by DanielStraight » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:24 PM UTC

This is an organization started by a black woman who has learned to code for helping black girls learn to code. Can we just give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she knows more about reaching people with similar experiences than we do?

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#56

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:24 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#57

Post by pekk » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:24 PM UTC

Karunamon wrote: post #47

pekk wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems to me that it's about complaining when someone else starts groups to help people. Helping people is never wrong.

Something something good intentions. "Helping" doesn't automatically mean you're doing it right or are free from criticism or comment.

If Black Girls Code is not actually helping the black girls, then it's not helping.

"You didn't help everybody" is not a valid criticism of an initiative to help some people.

If you have some other people you want helped, then help them yourself rather than shooting down other people's altruism.

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#58

Post by jquery » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:24 PM UTC

rza wrote: post #12

elwell wrote: post #4

I wasn't thinking about race; now I am. I believe minority focused groups, such as this, perpetuate racial discrimination. Can't we all just be one big group of humans? Disagree with my viewpoint? Please comment before you downvote. I'm willing to rethink my views.

You may not be thinking about race, but an outsider looking at the tech industry probably is. Ideally, yes whether everyone is black or white shouldn't really matter, but I'm sure you feel the same way as well when you are in an 'ethnic' neighborhood or gathering. You don't feel the sense of belonging or at the very least, the racial apathy that everyone else feels. By gathering people with the same upbringing togeth…

> an outsider looking at the tech industry probably is

Is that something to be encouraged or discouraged?

> By gathering people with the same upbringing together to work toward a common goal,

People of the same race have the same upbringing? What am I even reading?

> I'm sure you feel the same way as well when you are in an 'ethnic' neighborhood or gathering.

Are we as a society supposed to indulge that feeling? Pampering that feeling creates more racial fracturing than it fixes.

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#59

Post by danellis » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:24 PM UTC

MichaelGG wrote: post #31

elwell wrote: post #4

I wasn't thinking about race; now I am. I believe minority focused groups, such as this, perpetuate racial discrimination. Can't we all just be one big group of humans? Disagree with my viewpoint? Please comment before you downvote. I'm willing to rethink my views.

This thread isn't going to resolve anything on this "issue"; just look up affirmative action. There's the logic you provide, which is solid. The counterargument is that certain groups currently have a major disadvantage and specifically targeting them improves things, despite it excluding on race or other characteristics. In this case, it may be that "black girls" wouldn't feel comfortable or would be significantly o…

If black girls don't feel comfortable learning with people who aren't, how are they going to cope with a job in the currently white-male dominated industry anyway? Sheltering people doesn't seem like good preparation for reality.

Re: Black Girls Code launching in Miami

#60

Post by hjw » Fri, Oct 25, 2013, 8:25 PM UTC

This exchange of opinions is not constructive. Helping people is never wrong. The only objectionable part about this is that it isn't helping everyone, but only a select group.

Helping a select group could build a sense of community, or it could potentially segregate groups of individuals. But it is undeniably beneficial for the individuals that the service is targeting.

If anyone wants to take the initiative to help disadvantaged youth in general I'm sure no one would object.