4 ms·

Let's not pretend like "the diversity card" is a neutral, just-the-facts-ma'am description of what's going on. I agree with the OP's premise: https://twitter.c

Let's not pretend like "the diversity card" is a neutral, just-the-facts-ma'am description of what's going on. I agree with the OP's premise: https://twitter.com/jfarmer/status/1361134242491633664 https://twitter.com/jfarmer/status/1361134242491633664 I also helped start https://www.missionbit.org/ https://www.missionbit.org/, donate + volunteer with orgs like Black Girls Code, Code2040, etc. Phrases like "the diversity card" serve no rational purposes other than to discourage folks who already see programming as "something for other people". And yes, I can imagine someone replying: "If someone is discouraged by _that_ then they're going to be in for a rude awakening once them start programming." Now imagine me wondering whether that person is more interested in winning a debate or learning about the actual circumstances and perspectives of their potential students. Programming _is_ hard. It's also one of the few careers that consistently give people power and autonomy over the trajectory of their lives. Either the OP wants that world or he doesn't. If he doesn't, fine, say and do whatever. If he does, then he should recognize that phrases like "the diversity card" have 100% downside. Personally, I'll chalk it up to the OP being Romanian and using words/phrases whose sense is hard to get without being in the US or Canada (maybe UK/AUS/NZ too). For example, he says: > I’m the gatekeeper now. Maybe he means it in the sense that most folks in the US tech world mean it, but it doesn't seem like it. The OP seems to care about beginners being more discouraged because they were led to believe programming would be easier than it was. But the words and phrases he uses signal that he wants to make the environment inhospitable to "casuals". It's the difference between semantics and pragmatics.

commandlinefan 6y ago
Well, he may not have put it exactly right, but the term "gatekeeping" is often (maybe not always, but a lot of the time) applied in the context of diversity or the lack thereof: you're claiming that programming is hard and are therefore engaging in gatekeeping which contributes to the lack of diversity (or so the argument always goes). It's worth bringing up in this post because claiming that programming is easier than it is hurts everybody who attempts it, whether they're diverse or not.
- jfarmer 6y ago
  I'm trying to give the author the benefit of the doubt. The tone of the piece has a definite "buzz off, newbie, unless you're ready to go HARD CORE" tone to it. He might not realize that because he's not a native English speaker and isn't swimming around in North American culture. Maybe that was his intention, maybe it wasn't. Maybe he thought he was just "telling it like it is". Maybe you disagree that the article has that tone. If so, I'd politely suggest that the way the tone presents to someone used to "programming culture" might be different than it presents to someone outside, someone unsure about their place in that culture. Let me put it this way. I spent a lot of my time and energy finding people of all ages and backgrounds who have decided that programming is for other people and convincing them it doesn't have to be. This article makes my job harder. Compare it to this: > Some people will tell you programming is easy, other people will tell you programming is hard. Most of the time that's a reflection of how they felt or how they think other people should feel, not how it will feel for you. > Forget easy or hard. Will it take a lot of effort to become really good? Yes. The question is whether that effort is worth it for you. The only way you'll find out is if you give it a shot. > With the right effort, you _will_ learn to program. It can be for you if you want it. Let's figure out together whether this is exciting for you. If it is and you put in the work, I'll be there to help you go farther than you thought possible. None of this "gatekeeper" or "diversity card" nonsense. Talk to the person as a person. Don't talk about your favorite abstract bugaboos as it relates to that person.

commandlinefan 6y ago

Well, he may not have put it exactly right, but the term "gatekeeping" is often (maybe not always, but a lot of the time) applied in the context of diversity or the lack thereof: you're claiming that programming is hard and are therefore engaging in gatekeeping which contributes to the lack of diversity (or so the argument always goes). It's worth bringing up in this post because claiming that programming is easier than it is hurts everybody who attempts it, whether they're diverse or not.

jfarmer 6y ago
I'm trying to give the author the benefit of the doubt. The tone of the piece has a definite "buzz off, newbie, unless you're ready to go HARD CORE" tone to it. He might not realize that because he's not a native English speaker and isn't swimming around in North American culture. Maybe that was his intention, maybe it wasn't. Maybe he thought he was just "telling it like it is". Maybe you disagree that the article has that tone. If so, I'd politely suggest that the way the tone presents to someone used to "programming culture" might be different than it presents to someone outside, someone unsure about their place in that culture. Let me put it this way. I spent a lot of my time and energy finding people of all ages and backgrounds who have decided that programming is for other people and convincing them it doesn't have to be. This article makes my job harder. Compare it to this: > Some people will tell you programming is easy, other people will tell you programming is hard. Most of the time that's a reflection of how they felt or how they think other people should feel, not how it will feel for you. > Forget easy or hard. Will it take a lot of effort to become really good? Yes. The question is whether that effort is worth it for you. The only way you'll find out is if you give it a shot. > With the right effort, you _will_ learn to program. It can be for you if you want it. Let's figure out together whether this is exciting for you. If it is and you put in the work, I'll be there to help you go farther than you thought possible. None of this "gatekeeper" or "diversity card" nonsense. Talk to the person as a person. Don't talk about your favorite abstract bugaboos as it relates to that person.