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Yes. It's striking to me how easily we're casually racist and sexist against white men. Not a good habit to start.

by muninn_ 10y ago

onion2k 10y ago
At no point has anyone ever suggested white male developers will find it harder to get jobs because of their colour or gender. Refusing to employ a white male developer because they worked at Uber is not racist or sexist. It's "Uberist", but that's no different to being "Googleist" or "IBMist". Hiring managers are allowed to think people who worked in those cultures might have learnt things that make them a bad hire. To be honest, that's the hiring manager's job. I've said this on HN before - if you work for Uber and you're worried about it becoming toxic to your future career, speak up when you see the sort of behaviour other companies think make you a risky hire. You're perfectly placed to stop the problem. Speak up wherever you work. This problem isn't limited to Uber.
- muninn_ 10y ago
  You're right, but when people include "white bro dudes" and the like, that's casual racism/sexism.
- monksy 10y ago
  spudlyo's comment suggested that there should be a bias due to those attributes.
Frondo 10y ago
It is not surprising to me, because of how privilege works. The people who look like the group that has all the power (white dudes) never really get confronted with real-world consequences for not looking like that... except for internet message boards, where, I guess, the painful consequence is being told they have privilege and should be more aware of what life is like for everyone else. But hey, if the price you pay for being a white dude is... being told on message forums that white dudes have the least difficult time navigating economic structures of modern life, but that's it, that's still a pretty sweet deal for white dudes. Of course, they'd rather not hear it at all. No one gives up power without a fight.
- muninn_ 10y ago
  You're asking me to experience something I can't experience and have empathy for that experience. I do have empathy. That's all I can have. Using the fact that I can't experience something as a justification to be racist and sexist is disgusting, though. Just because a group of people are "in power" doesn't excuse racism or sexism. If I move to Japan am I allowed to be casually racist towards Japanese people since they are in power and the majority there? Not to mention that I can't help my skin color, or gender. I didn't choose these things, nor do I have any individual say in the institutional racism that has persisted in the United States over the last few hundred years. I can keep being myself, and not being racist or sexist, and call out anybody who is being racist and sexist as being wrong, but that's it. Regardless, that doesn't excuse being racist/sexist toward white men. Over time demographics are going to change. Eventually, the United States will be more multi-ethnic than perhaps any country in history. When this happens, casual racism from times like these can lead to actual racism and bigotry later. You can't tolerate it anywhere, or it will grow like a virus and infect the minds of people for generations.

Yes. It's striking to me how easily we're casually racist and sexist against white men. Not a good habit to start.

by muninn_ 10y ago

Yes. It's striking to me how easily we're casually racist and sexist against white men. Not a good habit to start.

At no point has anyone ever suggested white male developers will find it harder to get jobs because of their colour or gender. Refusing to employ a white male developer because they worked at Uber is not racist or sexist. It's "Uberist", but that's no different to being "Googleist" or "IBMist". Hiring managers are allowed to think people who worked in those cultures might have learnt things that make them a bad hire. To be honest, that's the hiring manager's job. I've said this on HN before - if you work for Uber and you're worried about it becoming toxic to your future career, speak up when you see the sort of behaviour other companies think make you a risky hire. You're perfectly placed to stop the problem. Speak up wherever you work. This problem isn't limited to Uber.

muninn_ 10y ago
You're right, but when people include "white bro dudes" and the like, that's casual racism/sexism.
monksy 10y ago
spudlyo's comment suggested that there should be a bias due to those attributes.

Frondo 10y ago

It is not surprising to me, because of how privilege works. The people who look like the group that has all the power (white dudes) never really get confronted with real-world consequences for not looking like that... except for internet message boards, where, I guess, the painful consequence is being told they have privilege and should be more aware of what life is like for everyone else. But hey, if the price you pay for being a white dude is... being told on message forums that white dudes have the least difficult time navigating economic structures of modern life, but that's it, that's still a pretty sweet deal for white dudes. Of course, they'd rather not hear it at all. No one gives up power without a fight.

muninn_ 10y ago
You're asking me to experience something I can't experience and have empathy for that experience. I do have empathy. That's all I can have. Using the fact that I can't experience something as a justification to be racist and sexist is disgusting, though. Just because a group of people are "in power" doesn't excuse racism or sexism. If I move to Japan am I allowed to be casually racist towards Japanese people since they are in power and the majority there? Not to mention that I can't help my skin color, or gender. I didn't choose these things, nor do I have any individual say in the institutional racism that has persisted in the United States over the last few hundred years. I can keep being myself, and not being racist or sexist, and call out anybody who is being racist and sexist as being wrong, but that's it. Regardless, that doesn't excuse being racist/sexist toward white men. Over time demographics are going to change. Eventually, the United States will be more multi-ethnic than perhaps any country in history. When this happens, casual racism from times like these can lead to actual racism and bigotry later. You can't tolerate it anywhere, or it will grow like a virus and infect the minds of people for generations.