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I know that this might be frustrating to men out there but there is important silver lining. Trust and Talent are finite things. These institutions of "higher

by 1971genocide 12y ago

I know that this might be frustrating to men out there but there is important silver lining. Trust and Talent are finite things. These institutions of "higher learning" became what they became because people trusted them to be impartial. The more they continue with this type of shenanigans the more they will lose their relevance in the 21st Century. This is amazing opportunity for the crowd who read HN. These left out talented men are a market ! especially for businessmen looking for talented and driven people. Also this 2:1 ratio is terrible news for women ! Now women won't be taken seriously even with a degree from some fancy place.

TeMPOraL 12y ago
> Trust and Talent are finite things. > These institutions of "higher learning" became what they became because people trusted them to be impartial. > The more they continue with this type of shenanigans the more they will lose their relevance in the 21st Century. I wouldn't call it silver lining. Yes, it may be good for some in the short term, but it's another case of people fucking up institutions and destroying trust for some random fashion-driven goals. Lack of social trust is already a serious problem (see the rise of anti-vaccine movements as an example) and we will pay hard for that in the future.
- VLM 12y ago
  "destroying trust for some random fashion-driven goals" Trust destruction has been the dominant economic model (outside tech) for a generation or two now. "Oh the shopkeeper would never screw me over". "Oh my banker would never screw me over". "Real estate agents never screw over their neighbors". "All stock brokers can be trusted". "I can trust my doctor/hospital" "I trust if I get an advanced degree an upper middle class job for me at that edu level will magically be created with great salary for me, by magic, because thats how it always used to work" "I can trust cops" Screw em over, keep the profits, wait for the federal bailout money to roll in, and do it over again.
  - TeMPOraL 12y ago
    > (outside tech) And that's probably only because tech industry is barely two or three generations old. We're seeing the signs here too. I have my pet theory that every market gets dominated by frauds as it matures. You can compete on the actual value you provide to people when the product/service is young, but after all low-hanging fruits are picked and there are no easy / significant improvements to be made, you still need to grow - and so the search for new methods of extracting money begins. Business models get more complicated, companies start to invest more and more into marketing and PR, and suddenly as a customer you can't trust your vendor anymore.
akjj 12y ago
> Now women won't be taken seriously even with a degree from some fancy place. Why do you say this? The experiment was about hiring faculty not about student standards.
GFK_of_xmaspast 12y ago
I don't think a lot of the posters on this forum have ever taken women seriously. (c.f. comments on this and similar threads)
AlexandrB 12y ago
> These institutions of "higher learning" became what they became because people trusted them to be impartial. So when Universities believed[1] that African Americans were indeed an inferior race of humans they were being impartial? Not to mention that many of the great (old) western universities were closely affiliated with various churches for most of their history[2]. Universities were always part of society and as such they reflected the status quo at the time. They were not and are not "impartial". They are institutions of "higher learning" because they provide the resources and freedom for their professors to explore ideas that may have no commercial or practical benefit. That's it! As a result of this freedom, ideas coming out of Universities have often moved society/technology forwards. Businesses that hire "talented and driven people" are probably not going to let them get paid while exploring the nature of the Higgs Boson or the philosophy or Nietzche. [1] http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121382/forgotten-racist-past-american-universities http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121382/forgotten-racist-p... "University scholars of the time argued that the racial inferiority of people of African descent justified their enslavement, and that enslavement would bring blacks closer to Christian salvation." [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University#19th_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University#19th_centur...

TeMPOraL 12y ago

> Trust and Talent are finite things. > These institutions of "higher learning" became what they became because people trusted them to be impartial. > The more they continue with this type of shenanigans the more they will lose their relevance in the 21st Century. I wouldn't call it silver lining. Yes, it may be good for some in the short term, but it's another case of people fucking up institutions and destroying trust for some random fashion-driven goals. Lack of social trust is already a serious problem (see the rise of anti-vaccine movements as an example) and we will pay hard for that in the future.

VLM 12y ago
"destroying trust for some random fashion-driven goals" Trust destruction has been the dominant economic model (outside tech) for a generation or two now. "Oh the shopkeeper would never screw me over". "Oh my banker would never screw me over". "Real estate agents never screw over their neighbors". "All stock brokers can be trusted". "I can trust my doctor/hospital" "I trust if I get an advanced degree an upper middle class job for me at that edu level will magically be created with great salary for me, by magic, because thats how it always used to work" "I can trust cops" Screw em over, keep the profits, wait for the federal bailout money to roll in, and do it over again.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  > (outside tech) And that's probably only because tech industry is barely two or three generations old. We're seeing the signs here too. I have my pet theory that every market gets dominated by frauds as it matures. You can compete on the actual value you provide to people when the product/service is young, but after all low-hanging fruits are picked and there are no easy / significant improvements to be made, you still need to grow - and so the search for new methods of extracting money begins. Business models get more complicated, companies start to invest more and more into marketing and PR, and suddenly as a customer you can't trust your vendor anymore.

akjj 12y ago

> Now women won't be taken seriously even with a degree from some fancy place. Why do you say this? The experiment was about hiring faculty not about student standards.

GFK_of_xmaspast 12y ago

I don't think a lot of the posters on this forum have ever taken women seriously. (c.f. comments on this and similar threads)

AlexandrB 12y ago

> These institutions of "higher learning" became what they became because people trusted them to be impartial. So when Universities believed[1] that African Americans were indeed an inferior race of humans they were being impartial? Not to mention that many of the great (old) western universities were closely affiliated with various churches for most of their history[2]. Universities were always part of society and as such they reflected the status quo at the time. They were not and are not "impartial". They are institutions of "higher learning" because they provide the resources and freedom for their professors to explore ideas that may have no commercial or practical benefit. That's it! As a result of this freedom, ideas coming out of Universities have often moved society/technology forwards. Businesses that hire "talented and driven people" are probably not going to let them get paid while exploring the nature of the Higgs Boson or the philosophy or Nietzche. [1] http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121382/forgotten-racist-past-american-universities http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121382/forgotten-racist-p... "University scholars of the time argued that the racial inferiority of people of African descent justified their enslavement, and that enslavement would bring blacks closer to Christian salvation." [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University#19th_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University#19th_centur...