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What about an influx of black males who work in tech, or an influx of white/Asian females who work in tech? Would these groups be less contributory to the "off

What about an influx of black males who work in tech, or an influx of white/Asian females who work in tech? Would these groups be less contributory to the "office park culture", and why?

jessedhillon 13y ago
Those groups are not emblematic of the startup culture. He's mentioning those races to make the point that the lack of diversity within that culture is so stark that membership in the set of startup tech employees virtually guarantees membership in the set of white or Asian males. He's not saying they are boring or undesirable because they are Asian or white. If startup employees as a set were more racially/ethnically diverse it might defy that stereotype of uninteresting personalities. Or that might just decouple it from the racial predictability. Eg, in NYC I-Banking is a bit more diverse but still induces that same yawn -- in some people -- when you hear someone say that's the field they work in. PS, I upvoted you bc I believe you're asking the question honestly and not in a trolling way. Your comment was grey when I came to it.
username223 13y ago
Don't bother with the faux naïveté. If you actually work in tech, you know that the gender ratio is probably around 90/10 among coders, and it skews heavily white and Asian. The groups you mention don't contribute as much simply because there are so few of them.
- blisterpeanuts 13y ago
  Yes, obviously the gender and ethnic ratios are as you describe, but that doesn't justify this sort of generalization; it adds nothing of substance to the discussion and in fact changes the topic from one of socio-economic trends to a racial/ethnic trend, as though there's a need to stop young white or Asian males at the border and ask if they're going to ruin San Francisco. Would you blame the financial meltdown of 2009 on those "greedy Jew bankers", based on the perception that Jews are over-represented in the top echelons of the financial industry? Would you call gun homicide a "black problem" in the U.S. today, based on the fact that many gun homicides are committed by blacks? Ethnic generalizations are rarely justifiable except arguably in airport security profiling where lives might be at stake, and even then a lot of innocent people get unfairly caught up in the dragnet. Consider also the following thought experiment: you develop a brain condition that requires immediate surgery. You are assigned a surgeon who is world famous for treating your condition but you are unconscious. Later, after a successful operation, you discover the surgeon was a black woman. Do you then say, "Wow, what a strange thing that is!" or do you say, "I'm alive! Thank you for your help!" In the end, it comes down to person-to-person interactions. Each of us is different, each of us unique, and ethnicity, nationality, age, and gender are textures that flavor our lives but don't in the end define us. Just my 2 cents!

What about an influx of black males who work in tech, or an influx of white/Asian females who work in tech? Would these groups be less contributory to the "office park culture", and why?

jessedhillon 13y ago

Those groups are not emblematic of the startup culture. He's mentioning those races to make the point that the lack of diversity within that culture is so stark that membership in the set of startup tech employees virtually guarantees membership in the set of white or Asian males. He's not saying they are boring or undesirable because they are Asian or white. If startup employees as a set were more racially/ethnically diverse it might defy that stereotype of uninteresting personalities. Or that might just decouple it from the racial predictability. Eg, in NYC I-Banking is a bit more diverse but still induces that same yawn -- in some people -- when you hear someone say that's the field they work in. PS, I upvoted you bc I believe you're asking the question honestly and not in a trolling way. Your comment was grey when I came to it.

username223 13y ago

Don't bother with the faux naïveté. If you actually work in tech, you know that the gender ratio is probably around 90/10 among coders, and it skews heavily white and Asian. The groups you mention don't contribute as much simply because there are so few of them.

blisterpeanuts 13y ago
Yes, obviously the gender and ethnic ratios are as you describe, but that doesn't justify this sort of generalization; it adds nothing of substance to the discussion and in fact changes the topic from one of socio-economic trends to a racial/ethnic trend, as though there's a need to stop young white or Asian males at the border and ask if they're going to ruin San Francisco. Would you blame the financial meltdown of 2009 on those "greedy Jew bankers", based on the perception that Jews are over-represented in the top echelons of the financial industry? Would you call gun homicide a "black problem" in the U.S. today, based on the fact that many gun homicides are committed by blacks? Ethnic generalizations are rarely justifiable except arguably in airport security profiling where lives might be at stake, and even then a lot of innocent people get unfairly caught up in the dragnet. Consider also the following thought experiment: you develop a brain condition that requires immediate surgery. You are assigned a surgeon who is world famous for treating your condition but you are unconscious. Later, after a successful operation, you discover the surgeon was a black woman. Do you then say, "Wow, what a strange thing that is!" or do you say, "I'm alive! Thank you for your help!" In the end, it comes down to person-to-person interactions. Each of us is different, each of us unique, and ethnicity, nationality, age, and gender are textures that flavor our lives but don't in the end define us. Just my 2 cents!