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You're free to dislike it, but your conclusion "it does not help anyone" is objectively false. It actively does help many people. There's a reason why marginal

You're free to dislike it, but your conclusion "it does not help anyone" is objectively false. It actively does help many people. There's a reason why marginalized communities care about "representation". Seeing people like themselves represented in the mainstream helps a marginalized individual see the path to an advanced level in an industry where they are a minority. It's inspiring. It keeps them trying despite meeting a roadblock that their other peers may not encounter. It may not be realistic, but representation is welcoming to minorities, and not really harmful to well-represented folks. Just because it doesn't help you, doesn't mean it doesn't help anyone, which is a good thing to keep in mind in general.

gizzlon 8y ago
"You're free to dislike it, but your conclusion "it does not help anyone" is objectively false." Well, you think that, but you don't actually know. Even if it helps in some ways it could have downsides (for the individuals or the society at large) making it a net loss. "Seeing people like themselves represented.." Probably, and that's all fine and dandy. It's possible to do that without pretending. It's the misrepresentation of reality id dislike, not the diversity itself or even the highliting of it. "Just because it doesn't help you.." That's very condescending. Also, I'm sure I'm in some minority if I look hard enough :P
- lallysingh 8y ago
  Falsifying "it does not help anyone" is pretty easy.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- patcon 8y ago
  Minority in any meaningful sense, which is what we're discussing here, is something felt. Seeing reality distorted toward your representation is something you can feel, because it's otherwise been off-kilter and absent throughout the rest of your spacetime, in a million little ways. If you don't feel it -- or think you have to dig deep and look, as you suggest -- then, I love you, but you don't really understand what is being talked about here. That's not a barb or a take-down, nor anything the you should feel bad about, but it is a fact about the conversation you're trying genuinely to have. No pressure, but this is a really good read! https://sindeloke.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/37/ https://sindeloke.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/37/ It was the very first thing I accidentally came across back when I used to moderate a forum, before I realized there was anything to figure out about these conversations. I'm grateful for any consideration or attention you've given to this comment, as I know that we're all stupid-busy and distracted in this world of our. Cheers :)
atom-morgan 8y ago
> There's a reason why marginalized communities care about "representation". Seeing people like themselves represented in the mainstream helps a marginalized individual see the path to an advanced level in an industry where they are a minority. It's inspiring. As a mixed race person, I couldn't care less about representation and find the obsession with it to be very weird. I can't relate at all. I have plenty of role models and their race, gender, religious affiliation, or sexuality means nothing to me. Whose feelings matter more?
- keerthiko 8y ago
  My guess is that as mixed race, you probably aren't marginalized (usually by "passing" as whichever is easier for others to accept you as). This is less about being a minority by numbers (Stanford grads are a minority...). My point was also that representation of marginalized people doesn't harm you. Or do you get discouraged from pursuing your interests seeing fictional representation of marginalized communities? Please don't trivialize issues that affect millions of people into a question of "whose feelings matter more?"
  - atom-morgan 8y ago
    > My guess is that as mixed race, you probably aren't marginalized (usually by "passing" as whichever is easier for others to accept you as). That's quite the guess. What's the difference between a black person and a mixed black person if they're both perceived as black (passing)? > My point was also that representation of marginalized people doesn't harm you. It depends. In a blog? No, even if I think it's silly. But representation has slowly creeped from "nice to have/ideal" to a mandate by counting up the people in the room , reducing them to group identity, and crying injustice if the numbers don't match national averages.

gizzlon 8y ago

"You're free to dislike it, but your conclusion "it does not help anyone" is objectively false." Well, you think that, but you don't actually know. Even if it helps in some ways it could have downsides (for the individuals or the society at large) making it a net loss. "Seeing people like themselves represented.." Probably, and that's all fine and dandy. It's possible to do that without pretending. It's the misrepresentation of reality id dislike, not the diversity itself or even the highliting of it. "Just because it doesn't help you.." That's very condescending. Also, I'm sure I'm in some minority if I look hard enough :P

lallysingh 8y ago
Falsifying "it does not help anyone" is pretty easy.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
patcon 8y ago
Minority in any meaningful sense, which is what we're discussing here, is something felt. Seeing reality distorted toward your representation is something you can feel, because it's otherwise been off-kilter and absent throughout the rest of your spacetime, in a million little ways. If you don't feel it -- or think you have to dig deep and look, as you suggest -- then, I love you, but you don't really understand what is being talked about here. That's not a barb or a take-down, nor anything the you should feel bad about, but it is a fact about the conversation you're trying genuinely to have. No pressure, but this is a really good read! https://sindeloke.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/37/ https://sindeloke.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/37/ It was the very first thing I accidentally came across back when I used to moderate a forum, before I realized there was anything to figure out about these conversations. I'm grateful for any consideration or attention you've given to this comment, as I know that we're all stupid-busy and distracted in this world of our. Cheers :)

atom-morgan 8y ago

> There's a reason why marginalized communities care about "representation". Seeing people like themselves represented in the mainstream helps a marginalized individual see the path to an advanced level in an industry where they are a minority. It's inspiring. As a mixed race person, I couldn't care less about representation and find the obsession with it to be very weird. I can't relate at all. I have plenty of role models and their race, gender, religious affiliation, or sexuality means nothing to me. Whose feelings matter more?

keerthiko 8y ago
My guess is that as mixed race, you probably aren't marginalized (usually by "passing" as whichever is easier for others to accept you as). This is less about being a minority by numbers (Stanford grads are a minority...). My point was also that representation of marginalized people doesn't harm you. Or do you get discouraged from pursuing your interests seeing fictional representation of marginalized communities? Please don't trivialize issues that affect millions of people into a question of "whose feelings matter more?"
- atom-morgan 8y ago
  > My guess is that as mixed race, you probably aren't marginalized (usually by "passing" as whichever is easier for others to accept you as). That's quite the guess. What's the difference between a black person and a mixed black person if they're both perceived as black (passing)? > My point was also that representation of marginalized people doesn't harm you. It depends. In a blog? No, even if I think it's silly. But representation has slowly creeped from "nice to have/ideal" to a mandate by counting up the people in the room , reducing them to group identity, and crying injustice if the numbers don't match national averages.