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But it is just pattern matching - 'sexism' seems to connote intent, or at least some kind of discrimination / negativity. Assuming that a woman you meet is mor

But it is just pattern matching - 'sexism' seems to connote intent, or at least some kind of discrimination / negativity. Assuming that a woman you meet is more likely to be non-technical than technical is just probability - it's not a great thing, but I do it too, and I am a woman. It doesn't mean that I think women shouldn't be in tech, or that I'm surprised when they are - just more likely than not, in my experience, women in tech companies are found in non-technical roles.

roflc0ptic 13y ago
The word sexism is rather unfortunately overloaded. It can connote intent, but a lot of the social justice-y types use it in a way that specifically does not require any intent. It's specific language about the maintenance of power structures. Something sexist is something that maintains male power. This could be seen as sexist because it's a set of interactions that systematically disempowers women from participating.
OverlordXenu 13y ago
It has very little to do with intent. Subconsciously thinking someone with a name usually thought to indicate blackness—like Tyrone—is different is racist. Subconsciously disbelieving that a woman can answer technical questions or is a fighter pilot is sexist. It may not necessarily be your fault, because society and your peers have taught you this, but that doesn't really matter. Especially because you have a responsibility to actively work against stereotypes and treat people as people. Having intent behind it just makes it worse, really. And "intent" is difficult to define.
- jv22222 13y ago
  "Disbelieving"? Or "unaware"? Disbelieving has intent. Unaware is simply not thinking about it. Would you say it is ok to not think about something due to unawareness? Or would you say that was being sexist?
  - jacalata 13y ago
    Its usually called privilege or internalized bias.
deleted 13y ago
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melindajb 13y ago
Here is why pattern matching is bullshit: https://medium.com/best-thing-i-found-online-today/8178b279430f https://medium.com/best-thing-i-found-online-today/8178b2794... Here, I'll even save you the trouble of clicking: To be direct: Pattern recognition is bullshit voodoo pseudo-science masquerading as objectivity and meritocracy. It’s sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and xenophobia dressed up as science. It sickens me.
- jv22222 13y ago
  From the post you linked to... "So pattern recognition is a useless heuristic made up by a group of rich white men as a way to quantify something" If that statement isn't racist, biased, and, well, just quite mean really, then I'm not sure what is.
  - melindajb 13y ago
    cry me a river. you don't get to whine about this stuff, when you're the party in power. Work to better it, stop whining, that's what those people tell everyone else.
    - vezzy-fnord 13y ago
      Your post history shows that you are either a good troll or a deluded radical that is the living embodiment of every Tumblr feminist trope. What motivates this toxic revanchist mindset that every single white man has homogenous and equally distributed power, simply due to being part of a group due to their skin color? This type of identity politics is no different than Luce Irigaray claiming E = mc^2 is a "sexed equation" and that it privileges the speed of light. It is postmodern, Western-centric and extremist lunacy. Ultimately though, most distressing is your sociopathy.
      - melindajb 13y ago
        Nice try, fake name. I'm none of those things. I said none of these things. But your toxic, anonymous rage and sweeping generalizations? Well, that's pretty much the definition of sociopathy. Way to keep Hacker News productive and constructive!

roflc0ptic 13y ago

The word sexism is rather unfortunately overloaded. It can connote intent, but a lot of the social justice-y types use it in a way that specifically does not require any intent. It's specific language about the maintenance of power structures. Something sexist is something that maintains male power. This could be seen as sexist because it's a set of interactions that systematically disempowers women from participating.

OverlordXenu 13y ago

It has very little to do with intent. Subconsciously thinking someone with a name usually thought to indicate blackness—like Tyrone—is different is racist. Subconsciously disbelieving that a woman can answer technical questions or is a fighter pilot is sexist. It may not necessarily be your fault, because society and your peers have taught you this, but that doesn't really matter. Especially because you have a responsibility to actively work against stereotypes and treat people as people. Having intent behind it just makes it worse, really. And "intent" is difficult to define.

jv22222 13y ago
"Disbelieving"? Or "unaware"? Disbelieving has intent. Unaware is simply not thinking about it. Would you say it is ok to not think about something due to unawareness? Or would you say that was being sexist?
- jacalata 13y ago
  Its usually called privilege or internalized bias.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

melindajb 13y ago

Here is why pattern matching is bullshit: https://medium.com/best-thing-i-found-online-today/8178b279430f https://medium.com/best-thing-i-found-online-today/8178b2794... Here, I'll even save you the trouble of clicking: To be direct: Pattern recognition is bullshit voodoo pseudo-science masquerading as objectivity and meritocracy. It’s sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and xenophobia dressed up as science. It sickens me.

jv22222 13y ago
From the post you linked to... "So pattern recognition is a useless heuristic made up by a group of rich white men as a way to quantify something" If that statement isn't racist, biased, and, well, just quite mean really, then I'm not sure what is.
- melindajb 13y ago
  cry me a river. you don't get to whine about this stuff, when you're the party in power. Work to better it, stop whining, that's what those people tell everyone else.
  - vezzy-fnord 13y ago
    Your post history shows that you are either a good troll or a deluded radical that is the living embodiment of every Tumblr feminist trope. What motivates this toxic revanchist mindset that every single white man has homogenous and equally distributed power, simply due to being part of a group due to their skin color? This type of identity politics is no different than Luce Irigaray claiming E = mc^2 is a "sexed equation" and that it privileges the speed of light. It is postmodern, Western-centric and extremist lunacy. Ultimately though, most distressing is your sociopathy.
    - melindajb 13y ago
      Nice try, fake name. I'm none of those things. I said none of these things. But your toxic, anonymous rage and sweeping generalizations? Well, that's pretty much the definition of sociopathy. Way to keep Hacker News productive and constructive!