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Because factoring Asians (and Indians, for that matter) in to the equation changes the framing of the argument. Asians are a minority group, but are vastly ove
by edikit 8y ago
Because factoring Asians (and Indians, for that matter) in to the equation changes the framing of the argument.
Asians are a minority group, but are vastly over-represented in tech, to the point that even white people are under-represented by comparison.
The concern about racial diversity tends to focus on the idea that white hiring managers are subconsciously selective against non-white applicants. This doesn't make sense though when you factor in the minority groups that are actually over-represented.
So what has happened is that the argument has shifted to ignore Asian representation and only focus on black and Latino representation, while still coming to the same conclusion that white hiring managers are subconsciously racist and that the company needs to take corrective action.
The representation of Asians and Indians in tech should not necessarily reduce concerns for other minorities that are under-represented, but should definitely change the way those concerns are framed. The fact that it hasn't suggests that some sort of tomfoolery is afoot.
- stale2002 8y ago> The concern about racial diversity tends to focus on the idea that white hiring managers are subconsciously selective against non-white applicants. This doesn't make sense though when you factor in the minority groups that are actually over-represented. Of course it makes sense. It means that instead of subconsciously being biased against the non white category, they are instead biased against non white non Asians. That was an easy logical deduction there.
- thoughtexplorer 8y agoNot really, you can continue down that rabbit hole forever with groups and subgroups. What of the under represented people of [skin color][origin][gender] in [profession]? Maybe it has less to do with bias and more do to with preference and culture and upbringing and other factors. Consider how much asian parents, for example, push their kids in education and toward certain careers. Or the over representation of black people in sports and music. Or the dominance of women in teaching and healthcare. Etc.
- amanaplanacanal 8y agoPossibly. If you put everybody into two groups "white" and "brown", that could certainly fit. If you take popular preconceptions/prejudices around "white" "black" "hispanic" "asian", etc, maybe it doesn't match as well.
- danans 8y ago> The concern about racial diversity tends to focus on the idea that white hiring managers are subconsciously selective against non-white applicants. The concern is far more nuanced than that. It includes concerns about the the rates of representation all through the pipeline, from hiring back through University CS programs to differences in access to high quality primary and secondary education. The problems are largely understood as being systemic, arising from unequal opportunity and different social signaling to different groups, not solely from the decisions of hiring managers.