4 ms·

I think I find this cultural cold war in our industry a lot more entertaining than most

by menacingly 8y ago

airstrike 8y ago
I would find it entertaining were it not disheartening at the same time
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  Are you referring to this specific article, or the "cultural Cold War" in general? I'm honestly curious. In general I'm not in agreement with the direction we seem to be going as an industry, but it seems to be for different reasons that is generally assumed. I really think the biggest issue is one of impedance mismatch. There are real issues that can and should be dealt with, but we're speaking different languages and can't seem to get past that difference. Speaking only for myself, I don't buy a lot of the thought around the concept of Intersectionality. When I say that, those who do buy in to that concept usually tune me out. Likewise, when I speak about how do identify and reduce implicit biases in hiring processes and building a culture of cooperation and, as the author put it, a working environment of "psychological safety", those on the other side of these issues tune me out. I think that's really unfortunate - because I believe there is a lot of potential for efficiency gains (and therefore, ultimately, profitability) through purposeful cultural change. If the same actions also meet the goals of Intersectionalists... great! Finding areas of common ground and working together is the way the world moves forward.
davidsong 8y ago
Entertaining? This is deadly serious. I think you might need extra diversity training.
LyndsySimon 8y ago
"Entertaining" might not be the right word, but I'm definitely intensely interested in watching it unfold. This article is particularly interesting to me. I know the author - not well, mind you, but we have a few mutual friends and I've spoken with them at conferences. More importantly, I respect them both socially and professionally. I have to wonder if my impression of the article is colored by this personal knowledge. In turn, that leads me to ask if my impression of other articles is colored by my lack of shared experiences. For what it's worth, I think it goes both ways. I feel like I'm often seen as part of the "culture in power" in this field, though from my perspective I'm definitely an outside and make a constant conscious effort to moderate my speech.

I think I find this cultural cold war in our industry a lot more entertaining than most

airstrike 8y ago

I would find it entertaining were it not disheartening at the same time

LyndsySimon 8y ago
Are you referring to this specific article, or the "cultural Cold War" in general? I'm honestly curious. In general I'm not in agreement with the direction we seem to be going as an industry, but it seems to be for different reasons that is generally assumed. I really think the biggest issue is one of impedance mismatch. There are real issues that can and should be dealt with, but we're speaking different languages and can't seem to get past that difference. Speaking only for myself, I don't buy a lot of the thought around the concept of Intersectionality. When I say that, those who do buy in to that concept usually tune me out. Likewise, when I speak about how do identify and reduce implicit biases in hiring processes and building a culture of cooperation and, as the author put it, a working environment of "psychological safety", those on the other side of these issues tune me out. I think that's really unfortunate - because I believe there is a lot of potential for efficiency gains (and therefore, ultimately, profitability) through purposeful cultural change. If the same actions also meet the goals of Intersectionalists... great! Finding areas of common ground and working together is the way the world moves forward.

davidsong 8y ago

Entertaining? This is deadly serious. I think you might need extra diversity training.

LyndsySimon 8y ago

"Entertaining" might not be the right word, but I'm definitely intensely interested in watching it unfold. This article is particularly interesting to me. I know the author - not well, mind you, but we have a few mutual friends and I've spoken with them at conferences. More importantly, I respect them both socially and professionally. I have to wonder if my impression of the article is colored by this personal knowledge. In turn, that leads me to ask if my impression of other articles is colored by my lack of shared experiences. For what it's worth, I think it goes both ways. I feel like I'm often seen as part of the "culture in power" in this field, though from my perspective I'm definitely an outside and make a constant conscious effort to moderate my speech.