4 ms·

Here's the thing, you don't always necessarily know. But your mind is always doing that extra calculation to figure out what is going on. "Is this person ques

Here's the thing, you don't always necessarily know. But your mind is always doing that extra calculation to figure out what is going on. "Is this person questioning my credentials because they question everyone's credentials?" "Was that crude comment made because they're just oblivious or because they're actually racist?" "Does this person treat everyone just as poorly, is it something I'm doing, or is it prejudice?" Having to do that double mental processing can be exhausting if you're in an environment where people are insensitive or outright offensive. Some people handle it better than others but it can take its toll on anyone.

aphextron 8y ago
The EEO questions on a job application are my favorite. Certainly putting white or Asian would never be a detriment, but probably isn't a positive either. It's just neutral, default. I can't lie and say that I'm white or Asian, so should I just leave it blank? Then I'm hiding something. I must be black. Should I fill it out and say that I'm black, and pray to god that doesn't trigger some internal bias in the split second where someone decides to bin my application or not? Either way it's guaranteed to be a negative or a positive, not a neutral meaningless thing as it should.
- merpnderp 8y ago
  Ironic because on the mostly white hiring committees I’ve been on, being a woman or black gives huge bonus points. I’m in the med west and that seems to be how it goes around here.
  - aphextron 8y ago
    >Ironic because on the mostly white hiring committees I’ve been on, being a woman or black gives huge bonus points. I’m in the med west and that seems to be how it goes around here. That's basically my whole point. It's always going to be either a positive or a negative, not a neutral meaningless thing like it is for white guys. In your experience it's been positive, but I can't imagine that's always the case.

aphextron 8y ago

The EEO questions on a job application are my favorite. Certainly putting white or Asian would never be a detriment, but probably isn't a positive either. It's just neutral, default. I can't lie and say that I'm white or Asian, so should I just leave it blank? Then I'm hiding something. I must be black. Should I fill it out and say that I'm black, and pray to god that doesn't trigger some internal bias in the split second where someone decides to bin my application or not? Either way it's guaranteed to be a negative or a positive, not a neutral meaningless thing as it should.

merpnderp 8y ago
Ironic because on the mostly white hiring committees I’ve been on, being a woman or black gives huge bonus points. I’m in the med west and that seems to be how it goes around here.
- aphextron 8y ago
  >Ironic because on the mostly white hiring committees I’ve been on, being a woman or black gives huge bonus points. I’m in the med west and that seems to be how it goes around here. That's basically my whole point. It's always going to be either a positive or a negative, not a neutral meaningless thing like it is for white guys. In your experience it's been positive, but I can't imagine that's always the case.