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I recognize the tendency that you are referring to. But in this case, it seems to me that race is more of a correlation than a causation. Yes, urban poverty is

I recognize the tendency that you are referring to. But in this case, it seems to me that race is more of a correlation than a causation. Yes, urban poverty is very entwined with blackness but, unlike things such as police brutality or criminal sentencing, it's not clear that a white person in the same position wouldn't be victimized in the same way. I don't object to the inclusion of "Black" in the headline, but it did strike me as odd in the same way that an article I recently saw elsewhere did. The headline was something like "This female chemist... yada yada". The article itself was about her work and didn't particularly mention her gender or any of the inequities she may have encountered. It seemed odd not to just call her a chemist, since you wouldn't specify a 'male chemist' unless there was a reason. In the greater cultural context it's clear why this extra information was included and it's interesting to think about what's implicitly being communicated. But since superfluously mentioning race or gender would be quite unacceptable in so many other contexts it's a little surprising to see it included in the headline.

brazzledazzle 11y ago
I think in the context of institutional racism (what some snidely call the "academic definition" of racism) it's not as striking to see it in the headline. The issue of race in our country is much more complex than individuals and their interactions with each other. Both are important, but the assumption seems to be by the people doing the objecting that the only one of consequence is personal/individual racism between people. As far as the chemist goes, I think that despite the polite societal norm to refrain from mentioning it when it's irrelevant (which shouldn't go anywhere in my opinion) in the context of a news story we should mention it more. There's a serious issue with getting women into STEM fields and surfacing it even if it's irrelevant might deter the perception by young women and girls that they should avoid those fields. But that's my ignorant opinion without any studies to back it or anything. I could be entirely wrong.
- pavedwalden 11y ago
  I don't know if you'll see this (does HN have a reply-notification feature?) but I really appreciated your response and (I presume, since I was at -1 when the thread settled down) the upvote that sent my comment back to "0 points" This comment thread was really discouraging and it meant a lot to me that you were willing to just talk about a small point we have different perspectives on.
  - brazzledazzle 11y ago
    No built-in notification unfortunately but I do check for them once a day or so. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually helps decrease vitriolic slap fights since we aren't instantly notified a la reddit. But yes, that was me that brought you back. I hate seeing calm discourse get downvoted simply because of disagreement. I actually like that I don't have that ability. Kind of refreshing. I'd like to think the karma requirement would help deter abusive voting but I see enough of it that I'm not so sure it's as effective as it could be. Better than nothing though, I suppose. But anyway, you're welcome. It's kind of funny but I felt the same way about the comments and your reply was really encouraging.

brazzledazzle 11y ago

I think in the context of institutional racism (what some snidely call the "academic definition" of racism) it's not as striking to see it in the headline. The issue of race in our country is much more complex than individuals and their interactions with each other. Both are important, but the assumption seems to be by the people doing the objecting that the only one of consequence is personal/individual racism between people. As far as the chemist goes, I think that despite the polite societal norm to refrain from mentioning it when it's irrelevant (which shouldn't go anywhere in my opinion) in the context of a news story we should mention it more. There's a serious issue with getting women into STEM fields and surfacing it even if it's irrelevant might deter the perception by young women and girls that they should avoid those fields. But that's my ignorant opinion without any studies to back it or anything. I could be entirely wrong.

pavedwalden 11y ago
I don't know if you'll see this (does HN have a reply-notification feature?) but I really appreciated your response and (I presume, since I was at -1 when the thread settled down) the upvote that sent my comment back to "0 points" This comment thread was really discouraging and it meant a lot to me that you were willing to just talk about a small point we have different perspectives on.
- brazzledazzle 11y ago
  No built-in notification unfortunately but I do check for them once a day or so. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually helps decrease vitriolic slap fights since we aren't instantly notified a la reddit. But yes, that was me that brought you back. I hate seeing calm discourse get downvoted simply because of disagreement. I actually like that I don't have that ability. Kind of refreshing. I'd like to think the karma requirement would help deter abusive voting but I see enough of it that I'm not so sure it's as effective as it could be. Better than nothing though, I suppose. But anyway, you're welcome. It's kind of funny but I felt the same way about the comments and your reply was really encouraging.