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If it were a blind proposal, you wouldn't know it was from "yet another white male". Individual speakers draw crowds, yes. But conferences are also a way for p
by danharaj 11y ago
If it were a blind proposal, you wouldn't know it was from "yet another white male".
Individual speakers draw crowds, yes. But conferences are also a way for people to share their ideas and establish their names in the first place. A conference that optimizes for crowd draw is enforcing a preexisting hierarchy to the detriment of the community.
A solution is to use the keynote address and invited speakers to draw crowds, while taking blind proposals for most of the actual content.
"What is the goal of X?" is a good question to ask in any social endeavor.
- Domenic_S 11y agoWhoops, edited. > A solution is to use the keynote address and invited speakers to draw crowds Ok, but nothing's solved, just pushed up a level.
- metasean 11y agoIt gives women, along with other frequently disadvantaged groups, such as minorities, the obese, seniors, and physically challenged persons, a more equitable chance to be heard in the first place. It means that the speakers who are chosen have met a minimum professional relevance level. This is a good short term win. Will it mean those people have equitable chances to do keynotes today - no more so than the current systems. Will it mean they have a chance to build a professional reputation that may result in invitations to do keynotes tomorrow - yes. This is a good long term win.