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The media's uncharitable twisting of the memo's message is that 'women are biologically unfit to be engineers'. That's not what the memo was saying but if you w
by rdlecler1 9y ago
The media's uncharitable twisting of the memo's message is that 'women are biologically unfit to be engineers'. That's not what the memo was saying but if you want to take that loaded interpretation then it's also the case that 'men are not biologically fit to be engineers'. The fact of the matter is, is that people, men or women, also don't have the set of inmate psychological and personality that predispose them to choose an engineering career. And when we narrow that to Google engineers, then this is really about a group of people who are at the margin, not the mean. It's also the case that 1% of the population are psychopaths, yet they represent about 20% of the CEOs (and 25% of prisoners). Does this mean that if you're not a psychopath that you're biologically unfit to be a leader? Of course not.
- exodust 9y agoAgreed but I think the confusion comes from the world "ability". Any threat to the opportunity to have equal ability in a particular discipline beyond our control (say because you were born a man and therefore will start with lesser ability in [xyz]), will be a theory met with opposition. If on the other hand we're talking about differences in preference only, leaving ability out of it, the argument is harder to criticise. Either way, it's crazy he was fired for the memo, it sets a dangerous precedent for staying silent unless your words are pre-approved.