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If you want to argue about tax policy, military policy, or any number of other things where conservatives and liberals have legitimate policy disagreements then
by xenadu02 9y ago
If you want to argue about tax policy, military policy, or any number of other things where conservatives and liberals have legitimate policy disagreements then by all means do so. I'm sure Google is a perfectly safe space for such arguments.
You seem to be arguing that we need to create a safe space for conservatives to espouse debunked bio-truth garbage that women or blacks are less suited to being engineers or are somehow inferior. Or that conservatives should have "safe fact-free zone" where they can spout nonsense without having anyone call them on it.
I'm not sure why so many people are willing to take this Google engineer's statements at face value. Actually I think I know why: because it confirms pre-existing beliefs. But even an hour on Google will provide ample evidence that his premises are simply not true. I'm not taking about J. Random Engineer's ramblings on some blog but actual research undertaken by actual sociologists performing experiments and crunching reams and reams of data.
Let me repeat that for everyone: His entire argument is based in a long-debunked flawed premise. It isn't true and no amount of philosophizing about it will make it true. Your feelings don't make it true. The facts are clear. Counter-examples about: look at CS enrollment rates in India for example. The modern western world, especially the United States, socializes women out of computer science and software engineering. It has nothing to do with biological aptitude.
Everyone I know of is desperately trying to find qualified candidates to hire. The idea that more-qualified white men are being excluded to fill a "diversity" quota is laughable. Diversity is about expanding the candidate pipeline and providing some support to those people once hired. Maybe if the industry goes through a huge crunch and programmers are being laid-off left and right then there would be an argument there?
The other thing I'll say is you have to be extremely dense not to either a) understand that you're making extraordinary claims or b) touching a potentially controversial topic that could result in massive bad PR if nothing else. Under those circumstances a competent engineer should take some time to gather evidence and make proper citations to peer-reviewed research. It would also be greatly beneficial to present multiple sides to the argument and make fewer sweeping claims. If you're going to say something that could easily be interpreted as "my coworkers are less-qualified diversity hires" then approach the topic with some humility, especially if you don't have a PhD in sociology.
This would be the equivalent of penning a memo claiming people who believe in God are suffering delusions and they are lowering the bar because they go to church on Sunday or for special events when they could be working. Mention that they're obviously gullible and represent a security risk to other employees. Go ahead - write that memo and route it around a large employer. See if you're still employed a week later (hint: you won't be).
- Aunche 9y ago>His entire argument is based in a long-debunked flawed premise. What flawed premise? That men and women are different? For all your insistence that "bio-truths" are wrong, I've never met anyone who actually bothered to cite any studies that contradict them. >Counter-examples about: look at CS enrollment rates in India for example That actually supports the author's argument. Given India's notorious treatment of women, it would seem counter-intuitive that they're less sexist. An alternative explanation is that people in poorer countries are more desperate, so they'll take a lucrative job at the expense of their preferences. In wealthier countries, women can afford to pursue their passions. > Under those circumstances a competent engineer should take some time to gather evidence and make proper citations to peer-reviewed research The author did make citations (hyperlinks) to most, though not all, of his controversial statements. However, Gizmodo removed them for formatting purposes and possibly to discredit the memo.