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this whole tempest in a teapot reminds me of Morgan Freeman's sage comments on "Black History Month": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh8mUia75k8 http://www.you
by lingben 13y ago
this whole tempest in a teapot reminds me of Morgan Freeman's sage comments on "Black History Month":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh8mUia75k8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh8mUia75k8
To paraphrase:
"I'm going to stop calling you a 'female founder' and I'm going to ask that you stop calling me a 'male founder'. I know you as Jane Doe and you know me as John Smith."
If your goal is to create unity and harmony, it is a funny tactic to focus on and amplify that which separates and differentiates rather than that which is shared and common across any of the perceived 'differences'.
- orthecreedence 13y agoFrom what I understand, it's not so much about unity as it is preparing women who wish to be founders for the challenges they will meet specifically as a female in the tech industry. Also, on a long enough timeline, ignoring differences between groups of people may equalize them if participation is high enough, but it can often help things along a lot if more energy is put into the side of the misrepresented. That's not to say this can't be overdone, there's a balance, but equality doesn't come from just sitting around not being sexist/racist/whatever. You often have to convince others that you are deserving of having a place at the table. Source: civil rights movement. I happen to think women in tech are pretty under-represented, and having a conference that prepares them better for a male-dominated industry (as well as networking with other men and women alike) is a good thing.