4 ms·
Whenever you catch yourself engaging in tribal identity-based discourse, apply the reciprocity litmus test: swap identities and read the resulting statements:
by pacala 7y ago
Whenever you catch yourself engaging in tribal identity-based discourse, apply the reciprocity litmus test: swap identities and read the resulting statements:
"We no longer sell it (the author’s decision to just use Amazon, a female-led business, alas.)"
"All he's saying is that he recommends trying to do business with and otherwise promote powerful man, if you can. It's not always possible. But being aware of it is a positive."
If it comes across as crass, the initial statements are also likely to come across as crass, for a different population segment.
- robbrown451 7y agoSorry, that isn't a reasonable litmus test. I am a white, English-as-a-first-language Anglo-Saxon male. Have been my whole life. And it's been pretty damn nice. If someone makes critical stereotypes about white Anglo-Saxon males, I don't tend to get offended. And yet I am aware that making critical stereotypes about any of the less privileged classes (women, people of color, etc) is simply not ok, and those on the other side of it have every right to be offended. Likewise, I don't get bent out of shape that I'm not allowed to attend a "women's programmers meetup," nor that I can't start a "men's programmers meetup" group without coming off as a sexist pig. If you don't understand why this is true, I don't know what to say. This is the same thing. I don't think Jeff Bezos is going to get too hurt that he's being discriminated against for being a man. He'll be ok.