3 ms·

Um, check the GP profile.

andrewcooke 16y ago
yes, i assumed the person i was replying to was male, and i am sorry (not just sorry i look dumb, or because i am being downvoted, but sorry because it was stupid of me, might cause offence, and weakens my case, which i believe in). but there clearly is a problem. you could take that article and substitute "woman" for "decent person" and "man" for "over-competitive arsehole" and it would make as much sense. the problem is that the system favours over-competitive arseholes and those are, predominantly, men. that's not ok. and just because it's "natural" and i don't have a solution does not mean it's not a problem.
- dkokelley 16y ago
  Do you think it could be disparate risk aversions between men and women (or decent people and over-competitive arseholes)? The system only appears to favor them. The system also punishes them severely at the opposite end. Risk takers make the most money. They also go bankrupt (or to prison. See: Enron). "Decent people", on the other hand, play it safe, and the system neither rewards or punishes them. lkozma makes an excellent point here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524031 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524031 Assuming risk profiles are the cause, then the problem is by nature the fact that men are historically the bigger risk takers.
- elptacek 16y ago
  So that's kinda what I had in mind. From general appearances, it does seem that squeaky wheels get oiled, regardless of how much they actually contribute to an enterprise. Slapping an adjective on bias is something of a false dilemma. I am philosophically opposed to labeling bias in a way that politically polarizes arbitrarily delineated groups. It's the ship with no captain problem.
- elptacek 16y ago
  PS: I've been in situations where it's hard to ignore the fact that I was passed over for something because of my gender. I have bouts of existential angst over it -- why do I persist in growing my skills set only to be passed over for something I cannot (reasonably) control? The answer is always the same: because it feels good. And that's worth more than money to me.

yes, i assumed the person i was replying to was male, and i am sorry (not just sorry i look dumb, or because i am being downvoted, but sorry because it was stupid of me, might cause offence, and weakens my case, which i believe in). but there clearly is a problem. you could take that article and substitute "woman" for "decent person" and "man" for "over-competitive arsehole" and it would make as much sense. the problem is that the system favours over-competitive arseholes and those are, predominantly, men. that's not ok. and just because it's "natural" and i don't have a solution does not mean it's not a problem.

dkokelley 16y ago
Do you think it could be disparate risk aversions between men and women (or decent people and over-competitive arseholes)? The system only appears to favor them. The system also punishes them severely at the opposite end. Risk takers make the most money. They also go bankrupt (or to prison. See: Enron). "Decent people", on the other hand, play it safe, and the system neither rewards or punishes them. lkozma makes an excellent point here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524031 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524031 Assuming risk profiles are the cause, then the problem is by nature the fact that men are historically the bigger risk takers.
elptacek 16y ago
So that's kinda what I had in mind. From general appearances, it does seem that squeaky wheels get oiled, regardless of how much they actually contribute to an enterprise. Slapping an adjective on bias is something of a false dilemma. I am philosophically opposed to labeling bias in a way that politically polarizes arbitrarily delineated groups. It's the ship with no captain problem.
elptacek 16y ago
PS: I've been in situations where it's hard to ignore the fact that I was passed over for something because of my gender. I have bouts of existential angst over it -- why do I persist in growing my skills set only to be passed over for something I cannot (reasonably) control? The answer is always the same: because it feels good. And that's worth more than money to me.