5 ms·

Hand-holding minorities label them even more as a group that needs to be helped. They should be encouraged to be successful in the "same" environment as others

by robot 11y ago

Hand-holding minorities label them even more as a group that needs to be helped. They should be encouraged to be successful in the "same" environment as others and treated the same. The moment you do something "for" them is the moment you label them as that group that needs hand-holding even more. I don't think they need special treatment this way. It is done by good intention, but it does not need saying, you're black, let me help you. I would just do it without naming it.

BigCatStuff 11y ago
I get what you're saying; that the VC industry should "just do it" rather than make a splash by announcing a program. However, if someone is in one of these minority groups, and has tried to raise funding in a very white, male dominated VC industry, I'd guess that when pitching, sometimes either the rapport was off or they felt that the other side didn't wholly understand you. I'm not saying that it's intentional on the VC end, because it's human nature to go with who or what you understand and feel comfortable with. By announcing a program like this, it may encourage minorities to seek advice, when they otherwise might not have.
mwseibel 11y ago
To be clear - these are office hours - YC is still the same program for all who participate in it. Regardless of their background.
tptacek 11y ago
The people doing that labeling are (a) not the minorities themselves, and (b) cheerfully oblivious to the fact that college recruiting programs at elite schools with 4-7% African American or Latino populations is itself a targeted outreach program that helps the overrepresented majority. There's something especially galling about the repeated concern that targeted outreach to minorities will somehow label its beneficiaries as "inferior", since one expects that most of the time it's exactly the people raising that concern who are rushing to get the ink in their label printers refilled. It's like saying "this makes African Americans inferior, but you don't get to hold that sentiment against me because I couched it as a concern". At least have the spine to make the meanness plain.
bakhy 11y ago
so, affirmative action should not be done, and structural racism should not be combated, just so that we do not offend the pride of the discriminated by labelling, or? this is ridiculous. by this logic we might have to ignore racism completely. e.g. if you say that cops in the US are more prone to killing unarmed black suspects, you're also pointing out that black people need help. i guess we should not do that either :D
- dylanjermiah 11y ago
  Have you actually seen the history of Affirmative Action? I'd suggest you read 'Affirmative Action around the world' by Thomas Sowell. There's a plethora of sources and facts packed onto every page, very enlightening.
  - Mz 11y ago
    I take it the nutshell version is that Affirmative Action is a failure (according to this book at least)? (I mean, that is what your phrasing seems to imply.)
    - dylanjermiah 11y ago
      I'd suggest you read the book, it's only 200 pages and I can't summarise it in one sentence. It's sad that someone down voted me for suggesting a book which has voluminous facts and history. Human progress is building on what we have learnt before, if we can't learn from history I don't know how we will make progress.
      - Mz 11y ago
        I did not downvote you. I asked a question. There are only so many hours in the day. So, unfortunately, I cannot read every single thing I wish I could read. It would be nice if you actually answered my question instead of recommending "read this book" for the third time. I heard you the first two times. Peace. Edit: and have an upvote as a token of good faith.
djtriptych 11y ago
Have you ever asked a black person what they think about that?

by robot 11y ago

BigCatStuff 11y ago

I get what you're saying; that the VC industry should "just do it" rather than make a splash by announcing a program. However, if someone is in one of these minority groups, and has tried to raise funding in a very white, male dominated VC industry, I'd guess that when pitching, sometimes either the rapport was off or they felt that the other side didn't wholly understand you. I'm not saying that it's intentional on the VC end, because it's human nature to go with who or what you understand and feel comfortable with. By announcing a program like this, it may encourage minorities to seek advice, when they otherwise might not have.

mwseibel 11y ago

To be clear - these are office hours - YC is still the same program for all who participate in it. Regardless of their background.

tptacek 11y ago

The people doing that labeling are (a) not the minorities themselves, and (b) cheerfully oblivious to the fact that college recruiting programs at elite schools with 4-7% African American or Latino populations is itself a targeted outreach program that helps the overrepresented majority. There's something especially galling about the repeated concern that targeted outreach to minorities will somehow label its beneficiaries as "inferior", since one expects that most of the time it's exactly the people raising that concern who are rushing to get the ink in their label printers refilled. It's like saying "this makes African Americans inferior, but you don't get to hold that sentiment against me because I couched it as a concern". At least have the spine to make the meanness plain.

bakhy 11y ago

so, affirmative action should not be done, and structural racism should not be combated, just so that we do not offend the pride of the discriminated by labelling, or? this is ridiculous. by this logic we might have to ignore racism completely. e.g. if you say that cops in the US are more prone to killing unarmed black suspects, you're also pointing out that black people need help. i guess we should not do that either :D

dylanjermiah 11y ago
Have you actually seen the history of Affirmative Action? I'd suggest you read 'Affirmative Action around the world' by Thomas Sowell. There's a plethora of sources and facts packed onto every page, very enlightening.
- Mz 11y ago
  I take it the nutshell version is that Affirmative Action is a failure (according to this book at least)? (I mean, that is what your phrasing seems to imply.)
  - dylanjermiah 11y ago
    I'd suggest you read the book, it's only 200 pages and I can't summarise it in one sentence. It's sad that someone down voted me for suggesting a book which has voluminous facts and history. Human progress is building on what we have learnt before, if we can't learn from history I don't know how we will make progress.
    - Mz 11y ago
      I did not downvote you. I asked a question. There are only so many hours in the day. So, unfortunately, I cannot read every single thing I wish I could read. It would be nice if you actually answered my question instead of recommending "read this book" for the third time. I heard you the first two times. Peace. Edit: and have an upvote as a token of good faith.

djtriptych 11y ago

Have you ever asked a black person what they think about that?