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You haven't brought up any. But some are pretty common. I'm just arguing that PC prevents free thought and the dispassionate analysis of evidence, since it appl

by tw77 13y ago

You haven't brought up any. But some are pretty common. I'm just arguing that PC prevents free thought and the dispassionate analysis of evidence, since it applies moral values to the evidence itself and it prejudicially strikes out some plausible hypotheses. For example, I don't buy that racism is the sole reason for the underrepresentation of some ethnic minority groups in tech because other ethnic minority groups that have been historically oppressed and discriminated against are overrepresented in tech. But if someone posted an article about how "tech is racist" and I said "I'm not sure that tech is racist", then someone could call me a racist and I could lose my job if someone got offended. So anonymity is essential for exploring non-progressive ideas and, I think, for getting closer to truth. There are lots of non-progressive/anti-progressive ideas that are plausible given the available evidence, but nobody will discuss under their real name.

SwellJoe 13y ago
Ah, so I see I have given the impression that I believe anonymous forums shouldn't be allowed to exist (via some mechanism...not sure what, maybe the state?). That was not my intention; you aren't the only one to take this thread down that path. I lean anarchist...I don't want anyone forcing anybody to do anything, and I think anonymous forums are necessary. But, I also think 4chan revels in its privilege, and many of its participants are pretentious enough to believe they are above gender and race and identity, when they're really just reproducing the same patterns white men have practiced at every point in history when someone asked to be treated equally. It doesn't mean they should be censored. But, I think people should feel empowered to call it out for what it is...but calling it out gets shouted down pretty quick on 4chan (I can hear the cries of "white knight" from here).
codygman 13y ago
You would hardly be fired for saying "Tech is not racist". I'd argue that you are wrong as would others, but you're just being hyperbolic.
- SwellJoe 13y ago
  Actually, I would argue that his opinion that tech is not racist is in the mainstream. It would not cause an eyebrow to be raised in the vast majority of tech offices I've worked in. That's the funny thing about a lot of these arguments against "political correctness"; the opinions most folks who use that term hold are the ones that white men have held for centuries. It's not at all surprising that there are still lots of white men that hold those opinions. And, given the incredible imbalance of white men in tech (even taking into account the Asian factor, the US tech industry is still a strikingly white and male industry), it is not difficult to hold those old positions without ever being questioned or challenged on them. It's only because these views so rarely get challenged that it causes such a fierce response. Source: I was one of those white guys who thought tech was a super great place where anyone with the skills could get ahead and there was no glass ceiling for women and their was no reason black folks couldn't do great in the industry if they just had an interest in tech. I recognize all this because I was there. I just wish I had a better way to help other people understand how their privileged position makes it very difficult for them to see and understand why the tech industry has both an extremely sexist and white supremacist culture.

by tw77 13y ago

SwellJoe 13y ago

Ah, so I see I have given the impression that I believe anonymous forums shouldn't be allowed to exist (via some mechanism...not sure what, maybe the state?). That was not my intention; you aren't the only one to take this thread down that path. I lean anarchist...I don't want anyone forcing anybody to do anything, and I think anonymous forums are necessary. But, I also think 4chan revels in its privilege, and many of its participants are pretentious enough to believe they are above gender and race and identity, when they're really just reproducing the same patterns white men have practiced at every point in history when someone asked to be treated equally. It doesn't mean they should be censored. But, I think people should feel empowered to call it out for what it is...but calling it out gets shouted down pretty quick on 4chan (I can hear the cries of "white knight" from here).

codygman 13y ago

You would hardly be fired for saying "Tech is not racist". I'd argue that you are wrong as would others, but you're just being hyperbolic.

SwellJoe 13y ago
Actually, I would argue that his opinion that tech is not racist is in the mainstream. It would not cause an eyebrow to be raised in the vast majority of tech offices I've worked in. That's the funny thing about a lot of these arguments against "political correctness"; the opinions most folks who use that term hold are the ones that white men have held for centuries. It's not at all surprising that there are still lots of white men that hold those opinions. And, given the incredible imbalance of white men in tech (even taking into account the Asian factor, the US tech industry is still a strikingly white and male industry), it is not difficult to hold those old positions without ever being questioned or challenged on them. It's only because these views so rarely get challenged that it causes such a fierce response. Source: I was one of those white guys who thought tech was a super great place where anyone with the skills could get ahead and there was no glass ceiling for women and their was no reason black folks couldn't do great in the industry if they just had an interest in tech. I recognize all this because I was there. I just wish I had a better way to help other people understand how their privileged position makes it very difficult for them to see and understand why the tech industry has both an extremely sexist and white supremacist culture.