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I don't think it's possible for the younger generation to appreciate how much better it is for boys in STEM today than it used to be. Missing in this discussio

by caeril 2y ago

I don't think it's possible for the younger generation to appreciate how much better it is for boys in STEM today than it used to be. Missing in this discussion is what it meant to be a boy interested in STEM socially. It's cool to be an engineer today. It pays very well, it's easy to make friends, find a mate, etc. Those of us who grew up as nerdy kids in the 1980s dealt with the kind of bullying and social ostracism that future generations cannot even imagine. Are boys being downplayed in favor of girls for advancement opportunities? Maybe. But you still have it MUCH MUCH better in a holistic sense than we did, to a degree you'll never know.

musicale 2y ago
> It's cool to be an engineer today. It pays very well, it's easy to make friends, find a mate, etc. One of those things might be true.
sickofparadox 2y ago
I really don't want to do the "you don't get it old man" thing, but this post screams out of touch. There is 60 years of affirmative action bureaucracy set up to disadvantage me, and the momentum of that machinery only gets faster despite everything I could put up against it. Every guy my age I speak to knows this, liberal or conservative, and most just choose to not think about it because its seriously depressing to realize. We were brought up on the promise of a world that saw you as an individual, not as a skin color or sex, and we met that world with a hand put out in friendship. We were clearly lied to like some kind of sick joke, because that hand was rejected with uproarious laughter.
nradov 2y ago
I think you're confusing the root cause. I grew up as a boy interested in STEM in the 1980s attending regular public schools and was never significantly bullied. Not to excuse bullying in any way but it's usually triggered more by personality and social skills issues than by interest in any particular topic. You might want to get some therapy for your anger issues.

by caeril 2y ago

musicale 2y ago

> It's cool to be an engineer today. It pays very well, it's easy to make friends, find a mate, etc. One of those things might be true.

sickofparadox 2y ago

I really don't want to do the "you don't get it old man" thing, but this post screams out of touch. There is 60 years of affirmative action bureaucracy set up to disadvantage me, and the momentum of that machinery only gets faster despite everything I could put up against it. Every guy my age I speak to knows this, liberal or conservative, and most just choose to not think about it because its seriously depressing to realize. We were brought up on the promise of a world that saw you as an individual, not as a skin color or sex, and we met that world with a hand put out in friendship. We were clearly lied to like some kind of sick joke, because that hand was rejected with uproarious laughter.

nradov 2y ago

I think you're confusing the root cause. I grew up as a boy interested in STEM in the 1980s attending regular public schools and was never significantly bullied. Not to excuse bullying in any way but it's usually triggered more by personality and social skills issues than by interest in any particular topic. You might want to get some therapy for your anger issues.