7 ms·

I don't see how this is bait and switch. I am a programmer and I cant't stand star wars or the vast majority of science fiction. Neither do I enjoy running arou

I don't see how this is bait and switch. I am a programmer and I cant't stand star wars or the vast majority of science fiction. Neither do I enjoy running around with geeky tshirts. You do not have to be nerdy to enjoy working with computers.

gaius 11y ago
I am a programmer and I cant't stand star wars or the vast majority of science fiction Do you expect your colleagues not to mention or discuss these things in your presence?
- the_mitsuhiko 11y ago
  How did you draw that conclusion? First of all I do not work in an environment where I do not connect with my peers, secondly I said that I do not like this culture, not that I have a problem if people do. I just understand if poeple do not like it.
  - gaius 11y ago
    That is the premise of the article.
    - majormajor 11y ago
      Not entirely. What's your response to this part? "I felt out of place among my mostly male colleagues because I hated drinking beer and didn’t like being mocked for reading novels. Not to mention that the men who controlled access to the computer made me listen to a barrage of sexist teasing if I wanted to be given that day’s code to run my program." I'm male. I don't drink beer. I read novels. I don't get mocked for either of them. I don't get sexist teasing. I have seen coworkers do that, though (in more subtle ways)—and that just sucks. It would be a mistake to interpret or portray this article as "afraid of Star Wars posters" as if Star Wars posters are a thing that actively attacks people who are different.
    - the_mitsuhiko 11y ago
      The premise of the article is that if potential students are exposed to "nerd culture" they are less likely to pick compsci than if the person they talk to avoids this environment. Not sure how you draw a conclusion about work.
nmrm2 11y ago
I think the parent was complaining that things which definitely have nothing to do with STEM fields (sci-fi and star wars) were interspersed with things that are germanely related (computer parts and tech magazines). You wouldn't fault an anatomy course for having skeletons in the room or a Physics classroom for having copies of Science laying around, so the parent argues that it's also weird to tell technology educators not to display computer hardware (for instance). FWIW I ultimately agree with you. Computer hardware and pop sci/tech trade rags have nothing at all to do with most of the Computer Science field.
- the_mitsuhiko 11y ago
  I don't think any of the things mentioned need to be in a compscie class. At least on my university neither architecture nor math departments were littered with popculture references, yet compsci was. And math and architects dressed better ;)
- dclowd9901 11y ago
  > things which definitely have nothing to do with STEM fields (sci-fi and star wars) I respectfully disagree wholeheartedly. Many enter these industries because of their love for sci-fi. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Space X or NASA employee who wouldn't attribute at least some of their aspiration to the creations of Carl Sagan or Gene Rodenberry.
  - jleyank 11y ago
    True but incomplete. Some of us got interested in scientific fields because we were interested in science (not science fiction). For me, it was a good teacher at a critical time in HS. Not a role model, as I did not and really do not wish to be a teacher. But somebody who opened a door into something that excited me.
    - dclowd9901 11y ago
      Could you square that circle for me where you are interested in science, but not science fiction? I'm not talking about science fantasy, but fiction rooted in science and the ramifications of scientific development.
astrange 11y ago
I think it's better to call it a specific American subculture than "nerdy". All kinds of people have that level of obsession with other things like fashion, but they have their own communities that respect them for it.

gaius 11y ago

I am a programmer and I cant't stand star wars or the vast majority of science fiction Do you expect your colleagues not to mention or discuss these things in your presence?

the_mitsuhiko 11y ago
How did you draw that conclusion? First of all I do not work in an environment where I do not connect with my peers, secondly I said that I do not like this culture, not that I have a problem if people do. I just understand if poeple do not like it.
- gaius 11y ago
  That is the premise of the article.
  - majormajor 11y ago
    Not entirely. What's your response to this part? "I felt out of place among my mostly male colleagues because I hated drinking beer and didn’t like being mocked for reading novels. Not to mention that the men who controlled access to the computer made me listen to a barrage of sexist teasing if I wanted to be given that day’s code to run my program." I'm male. I don't drink beer. I read novels. I don't get mocked for either of them. I don't get sexist teasing. I have seen coworkers do that, though (in more subtle ways)—and that just sucks. It would be a mistake to interpret or portray this article as "afraid of Star Wars posters" as if Star Wars posters are a thing that actively attacks people who are different.
  - the_mitsuhiko 11y ago
    The premise of the article is that if potential students are exposed to "nerd culture" they are less likely to pick compsci than if the person they talk to avoids this environment. Not sure how you draw a conclusion about work.

nmrm2 11y ago

I think the parent was complaining that things which definitely have nothing to do with STEM fields (sci-fi and star wars) were interspersed with things that are germanely related (computer parts and tech magazines). You wouldn't fault an anatomy course for having skeletons in the room or a Physics classroom for having copies of Science laying around, so the parent argues that it's also weird to tell technology educators not to display computer hardware (for instance). FWIW I ultimately agree with you. Computer hardware and pop sci/tech trade rags have nothing at all to do with most of the Computer Science field.

the_mitsuhiko 11y ago
I don't think any of the things mentioned need to be in a compscie class. At least on my university neither architecture nor math departments were littered with popculture references, yet compsci was. And math and architects dressed better ;)
dclowd9901 11y ago
> things which definitely have nothing to do with STEM fields (sci-fi and star wars) I respectfully disagree wholeheartedly. Many enter these industries because of their love for sci-fi. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Space X or NASA employee who wouldn't attribute at least some of their aspiration to the creations of Carl Sagan or Gene Rodenberry.
- jleyank 11y ago
  True but incomplete. Some of us got interested in scientific fields because we were interested in science (not science fiction). For me, it was a good teacher at a critical time in HS. Not a role model, as I did not and really do not wish to be a teacher. But somebody who opened a door into something that excited me.
  - dclowd9901 11y ago
    Could you square that circle for me where you are interested in science, but not science fiction? I'm not talking about science fantasy, but fiction rooted in science and the ramifications of scientific development.

astrange 11y ago

I think it's better to call it a specific American subculture than "nerdy". All kinds of people have that level of obsession with other things like fashion, but they have their own communities that respect them for it.