5 ms·

It's so hard to be a white male in the tech industry. However do you manage to put up with all the discrimination you face every day?

by pfisch 4y ago

epicureanideal 4y ago
To be honest, it takes a lot of effort. It’s a daily struggle. I have people who depend on me so I do my best to keep going, but I would rather do something else. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep working in this industry under these conditions. I know you’re being sarcastic, but I’m a real person too, with my own wish to live a happy life. I have a hard time understanding how some people care so deeply for certain groups but then seem to have no empathy at all for others. I would’ve thought kindness would apply universally, but I suppose there are plenty of examples in history that show that isn’t necessarily the case.
- StanislavPetrov 4y ago
  >I have a hard time understanding how some people care so deeply for certain groups but then seem to have no empathy at all for others. This is the inevitable result of viewing society as a collection of arbitrarily-created groups instead of individuals.
- ianai 4y ago
  You can earn a lot of respect by accepting people on their terms. People get defensive when you start attacking the words they use and disputing the life they’re telling you that they lived. It cuts both ways at that point and people quickly retreat to their corners. You don’t have to treat them as anything other than fellow human beings and ends unto themselves. Every person out there has always used language a little differently from you, has grown up in a different place and circumstance, and generally arrived at the shared present a different way than you. The trick is to agree to treat people like people and that you’re there to be an additive good and not a detractor.
- jfoutz 4y ago
  I don't know your situation. I personally feel I've been given a lot of advantages that other people didn't get. And yet, I'm not a billionaire. It's easy for me to set unreachable standards for myself, and feel ashamed about not meeting them. A book called "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown helped me understand some of this. I was pretty pissed off and generally drinking too much. Anyway, It sounds like you're having a hard time continuing. I'd encourage you to give the book a read if my situation feels anything like your own.
- pfisch 4y ago
  I am a white male in the tech industry and this is ridiculous. We have every advantage. And you're out here complaining about the tiny advantage we are giving to the disadvantaged, like you should also take that from them to get that advantage for yourself on top of everything else.
  - epicureanideal 4y ago
    > We have every advantage. Could you please enumerate those? I am not aware of them.
    - pfisch 4y ago
      https://www.wired.com/story/female-founders-still-face-sexual-harassment-from-investors/amp https://www.wired.com/story/female-founders-still-face-sexua... People of other races often are not believed to be competent. I have personally been in situations where I got contracts because the employer did not believe the other person could do it based on race. This is not even talking about the generational stolen wealth gap. Right now there are many, many racist people in positions of power that make investing and hiring decisions based on race. You have to bury your head in the sand to not see how many racists have come out of the shadows in the last 6 years. They were there the whole time, making decisions based on race.
      - epicureanideal 4y ago
        Thanks for the link! I’ll read it shortly. Update: This seems limited to the idea that some female founders are sexually harassed when fundraising. That’s terrible, but I don’t think this article alone is sufficient to justify saying that “we have all the advantages”. That’s one issue out of potentially many factors of advantage and disadvantage that might each lean in the direction of a different group on average. > You have to bury your head in the sand to not see how many racists have come out of the shadows in the last 6 years. They were there the whole time, making decisions based on race. If you’re willing to provide another link, I am unfortunately not aware of this either, not even rumors of it, so I don’t know where to begin to look. Unless you’re talking about anti-majority racism, in which case I’ve seen tons of it firsthand.

It's so hard to be a white male in the tech industry. However do you manage to put up with all the discrimination you face every day?

by pfisch 4y ago

It's so hard to be a white male in the tech industry. However do you manage to put up with all the discrimination you face every day?

epicureanideal 4y ago

To be honest, it takes a lot of effort. It’s a daily struggle. I have people who depend on me so I do my best to keep going, but I would rather do something else. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep working in this industry under these conditions. I know you’re being sarcastic, but I’m a real person too, with my own wish to live a happy life. I have a hard time understanding how some people care so deeply for certain groups but then seem to have no empathy at all for others. I would’ve thought kindness would apply universally, but I suppose there are plenty of examples in history that show that isn’t necessarily the case.

StanislavPetrov 4y ago
>I have a hard time understanding how some people care so deeply for certain groups but then seem to have no empathy at all for others. This is the inevitable result of viewing society as a collection of arbitrarily-created groups instead of individuals.
ianai 4y ago
You can earn a lot of respect by accepting people on their terms. People get defensive when you start attacking the words they use and disputing the life they’re telling you that they lived. It cuts both ways at that point and people quickly retreat to their corners. You don’t have to treat them as anything other than fellow human beings and ends unto themselves. Every person out there has always used language a little differently from you, has grown up in a different place and circumstance, and generally arrived at the shared present a different way than you. The trick is to agree to treat people like people and that you’re there to be an additive good and not a detractor.
jfoutz 4y ago
I don't know your situation. I personally feel I've been given a lot of advantages that other people didn't get. And yet, I'm not a billionaire. It's easy for me to set unreachable standards for myself, and feel ashamed about not meeting them. A book called "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown helped me understand some of this. I was pretty pissed off and generally drinking too much. Anyway, It sounds like you're having a hard time continuing. I'd encourage you to give the book a read if my situation feels anything like your own.
pfisch 4y ago
I am a white male in the tech industry and this is ridiculous. We have every advantage. And you're out here complaining about the tiny advantage we are giving to the disadvantaged, like you should also take that from them to get that advantage for yourself on top of everything else.
- epicureanideal 4y ago
  > We have every advantage. Could you please enumerate those? I am not aware of them.
  - pfisch 4y ago
    https://www.wired.com/story/female-founders-still-face-sexual-harassment-from-investors/amp https://www.wired.com/story/female-founders-still-face-sexua... People of other races often are not believed to be competent. I have personally been in situations where I got contracts because the employer did not believe the other person could do it based on race. This is not even talking about the generational stolen wealth gap. Right now there are many, many racist people in positions of power that make investing and hiring decisions based on race. You have to bury your head in the sand to not see how many racists have come out of the shadows in the last 6 years. They were there the whole time, making decisions based on race.
    - epicureanideal 4y ago
      Thanks for the link! I’ll read it shortly. Update: This seems limited to the idea that some female founders are sexually harassed when fundraising. That’s terrible, but I don’t think this article alone is sufficient to justify saying that “we have all the advantages”. That’s one issue out of potentially many factors of advantage and disadvantage that might each lean in the direction of a different group on average. > You have to bury your head in the sand to not see how many racists have come out of the shadows in the last 6 years. They were there the whole time, making decisions based on race. If you’re willing to provide another link, I am unfortunately not aware of this either, not even rumors of it, so I don’t know where to begin to look. Unless you’re talking about anti-majority racism, in which case I’ve seen tons of it firsthand.