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No, I disagree - and I'm black. He's right. The image portrayed of blacks (by everyone - including many blacks that have "made it") is that we are artsy folks w
by ytadesse 15y ago
No, I disagree - and I'm black. He's right. The image portrayed of blacks (by everyone - including many blacks that have "made it") is that we are artsy folks who "do" music and play sports. As a result, people often don't intuitively consider blacks when they think of professions and otherwise intellectual activities.
In fact, the only reason most people are going to even click on this link is because they are amazed to see "3 black guys playing chess" ... whoaaa! The simple fact that people are surprised and curious to see "how they got interested in chess" is proof enough that "The image of African people usually vastly misrepresents their true potential".
- sunahsuh 15y agoI'm certainly not disagreeing with what you're saying or the core of what the parent meant to say regarding images of blacks in the media. What I'm reacting to is an "Othering" of blacks on HN implied by the comment. A phrase like "these gifted people" implies that the audience he's speaking to is assumed to not include "African [sic] people". It's a default whiteness (and maleness, but that's a story for another day) that's rife in the tech industry that reinforces the image that it's a white boy's club. Yes, the industry is certainly predominantly white male, but when rhetoric and attitudes assume white maleness, the environment becomes unfriendly to everyone else. -Gay Asian-American woman tired of explaining things that should be taught in schools