RE: Some Thoughts on "So, about this Googler’s manifesto" by Yonatan Zunger
Can anyone please explain to me how ideas are hurtful when wielded by an intelligent and informed populace?
Well, I think we need to stop sheltering people from "bad ideas". If you are an adult, you need to grow up and realize not everyone thinks the same.
A diverse world requires assholes, plain and simple. There will be people that say things you disagree with. As an adult, equipped with the skills to navigate the world, you should be able to interact with these people without going into a meltdown.
Brow beating people for thinking different is not progress, it's a re-dressing of everything these people claim to be fighting against.
(Boo! The definition is too small to read. It says "a person who is intolerant toward those holding different opinions." Accurate, no?)
Why don't more women work on the Oil fields or do underwater welding? Why don't you see women on the fishing boats in Alaska? Why don't more women do sewer maintenance?
Please, keep in mind though, I am not a misogynist, nor am i a feminist.
I'm a Humanist. and we need to realize there are stunning differences in not only physiology of men and women but psychology. And if anyone cares to disagree, please point me to the scientific studies and conclusions which decisively show that Men & Women have the same levels of the same hormones. I won't say women aren't "cut out" for these jobs. I will say, most women aren't interested in those jobs for reasons beyond my understanding.
Ask them. Many don't want to work in those fields. Some do want to work in STEM, but have to deal with sexism when they attempt it.
There are a lot of studies about gender and they aren't cut and dry. We're not doing ourselves any favors if we assume the current status quo is the most accurate representation of reality. Many of the things we believe about gender were put there by culture. See @improv's reply for an interesting article with more info.
No problems with thinking different, but I do have problems if that thinking directly harms others by creating systemic workplace problems of physical/verbal/mental abuse. Some people are tough, some people are not. The tough shouldn't expect everyone else to just get over it, if a better approach would be for more people to stop being assholes.
Exactly! Many don't want to work in these fields! Even when it comes to programming. I am not trying to stereotype, but as the "Misogynist Manifesto" made clear, women are more interested in front-end people work. Which seems to be supported by statistics about Women who own businesses. Those businesses tend to be Retail and Service, heavily focused on... drum roll...
people! "Gender is a social construct" but biology is scientifically based. And biology is why the male individuals do not develop ovaries, and females do not grow testes. And biology also affects the mind.
this article came out before PC BS really hit the fan, trigger warnings
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hope-relationships/201402/brain-differences-between-genders
(someone should tell the old man who wrote this article that Gender is a socially imposed prison put over the entity's free expression.)
Interesting article, thanks for sharing it.
Citation needed! Without linking to the research he's describing, this is just an opinion piece. It's also coming from someone who probably has a financial incentive to keep the current boy/girl stereotypes in place:
But that's just a presumption on my part.
There are a lot of very interesting claims here, and I wish he had linked to the studies in order to better understand how much of this is supported by current research and what the various rebuttals are.
The brains might very well be different but then we get to another interesting question: How much those differences are caused by culture and external influences and not just biological pre-determined systems? What role does epigenetics play in changing gene expression based on environment?
It's like the example I hear often: Cab drivers have more active parts of the brain dealing spacial awareness. Cool! Now the tricky part: Were they born that way genetically, or did the neuroplasticity of their brains adjust to their daily working conditions over time?
I don't think we have good answers for this yet. As such, I think we should be careful to accept the current status quo, especially if it causes harm to some.