Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
railsgirlssummerofcode.org
Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
1–10 of 75 posts
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#2Do I need to explain what's wrong with this idea? Imagine that I started a program called "Rails boys summer of code".
The alternative is obvious -- have qualified girls apply to an appropriately named rails summer of code, and if they're rejected based on their gender, take the responsible parties to court. This is how gender equality comes into being -- not by creating a set-aside program conspicuous only for its overt sexism.
The underlying message of this program is that as programmers, girls are different than boys. This is both false and absurd -- mathematics, logic and computer science have no gender.
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#3Yep, that's the way. Fight sexism with more sexism! Go girls!
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#4Do I need to explain what's wrong with this idea? Imagine that I started a program called "Rails boys summer of code". The alternative is obvious -- have qualified girls apply to an appropriately named rails summer of code, and if they're rejected based on their gender, take the responsible parties to court. This is how gender equality comes into being -- not by creating a set-aside program conspicuous only for its o…
I wish there were more people like you in the world.
Fighting sexism with more sexism is not the answer.
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#5Honestly if the foundation's goal is to support women trying to break into the programming community without imposing any external ideology (particularly not any virulent postmodernism), I likely wouldn't have any qualms with donating.
I'm not really familiar with what they actually do, however, and whether they have any notable efficacy.
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#6Do I need to explain what's wrong with this idea? Imagine that I started a program called "Rails boys summer of code". The alternative is obvious -- have qualified girls apply to an appropriately named rails summer of code, and if they're rejected based on their gender, take the responsible parties to court. This is how gender equality comes into being -- not by creating a set-aside program conspicuous only for its o…
I didn't have access to a (personal) computer till a few years before starting college.
I'm currently using a 3 year old machine, granted it's still pretty fast for my needs, but if I saw a program that was only for girls, and there weren't any alternative for boys (at the age group this is targeted at) I would have been quite disappointed.
I don't bear any ill-will towards this program, but I feel that kids are mostly prejudice free, and this makes them see some form of gender discrimination.
What is next, you'll ask for funding for programs targeted at girls that are only hispanic or indian or black?
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#7As an Asian person who undergoes a ton of implicit and occasionally explicit racial discrimination (I have often been called out repeatedly for belonging to a specific nationality, and been the butt of numerous jokes regarding it), it is somewhat disheartening to see people who are higher than you on the social totem pole (e.g. highly-educated white females) often being the beneficiaries of programs such as these on the basis of their gender. It is absolutely true that they too probably have been discriminated against in the technology field, but in the overall social arena, they are in a much better position than, say, Asian men.
As a result, in an average tech workplace (which is a combination of technical and social factors), I think Asian people are at just as much, if not more at a disadvantage than women.
I don't want to feel animosity, or even ambivalence towards such programs, but given the reason above, it is a bit difficult for me not to. Any thoughts/solutions that the HN crowd might have about this? By nature, I'm not particularly inclined towards $SOCIETAL_GROUP-specific programs, but if that is the solution people think is useful, I'd be willing to advocate for it in the future, and focus towards soliciting donations, etc. for that instead.
[edit: Downvoters, I'm asking for opinions or solutions. Why not offer one in addition to your downvote?]
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#8Sounds like it was great last year, so it's absolutely worth it. Such events are definitely needed.
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#9Do I need to explain what's wrong with this idea? Imagine that I started a program called "Rails boys summer of code". The alternative is obvious -- have qualified girls apply to an appropriately named rails summer of code, and if they're rejected based on their gender, take the responsible parties to court. This is how gender equality comes into being -- not by creating a set-aside program conspicuous only for its o…
I got my little sister - almost 15 - to apply for this program. It's important for me that she has a very safe and welcoming environment to get excited about coding - since this will be her introduction to it. I feel like having 15-16 year old boys in the program would be very distracting and counterproductive for her.
This is from experience. I'm a woman who codes, and I mostly go to the women who code meetups because I can learn in a safe space that I personally enjoy.
The first time I went to a normal Rails meetup - with majority guys - there were two guys having a pissing contest about whether ERB is better than HAML, and then another guy was apologizing to me for the two guys being "so technical".
In meetups where there are only women, we get to actually learn and support each other, and it's great. I want the same environment for my sister to learn in.
Re: Help fund Rails Girls Summer of Code 2014
#10It would help if there was some explicit explanation of why they think this is necessary.
Are women being discriminated against when the apply to the more general Summer Of Code events, or are they choosing not to apply because they are (or are worried about being) harassed or ostracized when they go to those events?
And if either of these are issues, it seems far healthier in the long term to address those problems rather than starting a girls first event.