6 ms·

The disclaimer made me cringe: "as a man writing about gender inequality, I acknowledge my privileged (and biased) viewpoint in this discussion." In what upsid

The disclaimer made me cringe: "as a man writing about gender inequality, I acknowledge my privileged (and biased) viewpoint in this discussion." In what upside-down universe is it considered necessary to pre-emptive apologize for what you are (a man) and what you might unintentionally do (offend someone's sensibilities)? These kind ridiculous expectations of others is why the Adria Richards thing blew up, not because of (quoting the article the author links to) "One Brogrammer's Sexist Joke".

prawks 14y ago
In the universe where the author would likely get a dozen one-off responses mentioning his ignorance of privilege.
- jasonshen 14y ago
  Thank you - this would have been the reality of the situation.
avenger123 14y ago
Agreed. Since when did it become normal to apologize for being a man with a viewpoint? I like the article but there is too much "please don't be mad at me if I offend." Here's a reality bite: Doesn't matter what you say, someone will get offended.
- jasonshen 14y ago
  Being a man with a strong viewpoint when talking about women's issues is like being an non-technical MBA going off about how programmers should architect their code. If you don't acknowledge the disparity, you will immediately turn off a huge segment of your target audience. Yes, people may still get offended, but you can try to REDUCE the likelihood that they do, in order to effectively reach more people.
  - avenger123 14y ago
    Well, I have an MBA and also instruct on how one should architect their code since I have a strong engineering background. I am smart enough to realize what language to use and how to do this in a way that fits the target audience. I don't preface my discussions with - "Please don't be offended that I have a business degree." This is my point, your audience will judge you on your content, not your disclaimer. You have your opinion on this and we respectfully disagree :). Good for you for writing the article.
jasonshen 14y ago
It's important to me that this post be read and considered by a wide audience of people. If my content angers and offends someone to the point at which they refuse to consider the content, I have lost. By acknowledging upfront that I have many biases and that I hold a very real position of privilege in society as a man, I am trying to speak not from up high, but as a peer, as an equal. I don't feel this is an unrealistic expectation. The whole point of this post is that women face unique challenges that men often do not understand. Your suggestion that my disclaimer only exists in an "upside down" universe suggests you don't agree with that assertion.
- pifflesnort 14y ago
  > Your suggestion that my disclaimer only exists in an "upside down" universe suggests you don't agree with that assertion. No -- I don't agree with a social movement that induces you to lead with an apology for an innate traits such as your gender.
- avenger123 14y ago
  I read your article. It's well written and it's worth reading. Let your words stand on their own. Give your target audience the benefit of the doubt. Also, your assertion - "By acknowledging upfront that I have many biases and that I hold a very real position of privilege in society as a man, I am trying to speak not from up high, but as a peer, as an equal." is also reverse discrimination. I am sure not every man or woman would agree that a man always has the upper hand. And please, your statement is general to the point of meaningless. Like I said, in the spirit of open discussion, you have written a great article but your disclaimer is a weak point.
- jerrya 14y ago
  If you write with ignorance and privilege that will shine through regardless of your disclaimer. If people take offense to you or your writing regardless of the content of your writing and make assumptions on you based on their perceptions of your sex and gender identification, well, we have a word to describe such prejudice, don't we?
  - 14y ago
itsdrewmiller 14y ago
I hope that this doesn't become the focus of the comments here - what do people think about the arguments for reading the book? What do people think about the book? I followed the coverage for a while which did seem pretty negative (ironically probably because I got most of it from feminist critique rather than straightforward book reviews). I did get around to reading it, and I think it is absolutely amazing. I would recommend this book over I think literally every other book to anyone in a hiring position. It's important to know what natural biases exist in order to overcome them.
- KMinshew 14y ago
  I had a similar reaction - I read some negative coverage but actually am really enjoying the book. I agree as well that it's particularly helpful for hiring managers, who might not have any idea how very subtle these gender stereotypes/biases can be.
mnicole 14y ago
How is this different from any other author on any other subject they might not be entirely familiar with prefacing their piece with acknowledgment that they don't have all of the information/experience to fully expound on the issue? Because he's admitting he's a man writing on a topic only fully understood by women, he's suddenly weak for wanting to clarify to his readers that he can only speak for himself?

prawks 14y ago

In the universe where the author would likely get a dozen one-off responses mentioning his ignorance of privilege.

jasonshen 14y ago
Thank you - this would have been the reality of the situation.

avenger123 14y ago

Agreed. Since when did it become normal to apologize for being a man with a viewpoint? I like the article but there is too much "please don't be mad at me if I offend." Here's a reality bite: Doesn't matter what you say, someone will get offended.

jasonshen 14y ago
Being a man with a strong viewpoint when talking about women's issues is like being an non-technical MBA going off about how programmers should architect their code. If you don't acknowledge the disparity, you will immediately turn off a huge segment of your target audience. Yes, people may still get offended, but you can try to REDUCE the likelihood that they do, in order to effectively reach more people.
- avenger123 14y ago
  Well, I have an MBA and also instruct on how one should architect their code since I have a strong engineering background. I am smart enough to realize what language to use and how to do this in a way that fits the target audience. I don't preface my discussions with - "Please don't be offended that I have a business degree." This is my point, your audience will judge you on your content, not your disclaimer. You have your opinion on this and we respectfully disagree :). Good for you for writing the article.

jasonshen 14y ago

It's important to me that this post be read and considered by a wide audience of people. If my content angers and offends someone to the point at which they refuse to consider the content, I have lost. By acknowledging upfront that I have many biases and that I hold a very real position of privilege in society as a man, I am trying to speak not from up high, but as a peer, as an equal. I don't feel this is an unrealistic expectation. The whole point of this post is that women face unique challenges that men often do not understand. Your suggestion that my disclaimer only exists in an "upside down" universe suggests you don't agree with that assertion.

pifflesnort 14y ago
> Your suggestion that my disclaimer only exists in an "upside down" universe suggests you don't agree with that assertion. No -- I don't agree with a social movement that induces you to lead with an apology for an innate traits such as your gender.
avenger123 14y ago
I read your article. It's well written and it's worth reading. Let your words stand on their own. Give your target audience the benefit of the doubt. Also, your assertion - "By acknowledging upfront that I have many biases and that I hold a very real position of privilege in society as a man, I am trying to speak not from up high, but as a peer, as an equal." is also reverse discrimination. I am sure not every man or woman would agree that a man always has the upper hand. And please, your statement is general to the point of meaningless. Like I said, in the spirit of open discussion, you have written a great article but your disclaimer is a weak point.
jerrya 14y ago
If you write with ignorance and privilege that will shine through regardless of your disclaimer. If people take offense to you or your writing regardless of the content of your writing and make assumptions on you based on their perceptions of your sex and gender identification, well, we have a word to describe such prejudice, don't we?
- 14y ago

itsdrewmiller 14y ago

I hope that this doesn't become the focus of the comments here - what do people think about the arguments for reading the book? What do people think about the book? I followed the coverage for a while which did seem pretty negative (ironically probably because I got most of it from feminist critique rather than straightforward book reviews). I did get around to reading it, and I think it is absolutely amazing. I would recommend this book over I think literally every other book to anyone in a hiring position. It's important to know what natural biases exist in order to overcome them.

KMinshew 14y ago
I had a similar reaction - I read some negative coverage but actually am really enjoying the book. I agree as well that it's particularly helpful for hiring managers, who might not have any idea how very subtle these gender stereotypes/biases can be.

mnicole 14y ago

How is this different from any other author on any other subject they might not be entirely familiar with prefacing their piece with acknowledgment that they don't have all of the information/experience to fully expound on the issue? Because he's admitting he's a man writing on a topic only fully understood by women, he's suddenly weak for wanting to clarify to his readers that he can only speak for himself?