14 comments

  • Brendan Fagan, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

    How can you take her opinion seriously when she resorts to blatant generalisations and petty name calling. This is clickbait, and does nothing to address a complicated issue besides "taking power away from Marc Andreessen" and calling TechCrunch shit.

    I mean, look at this:

    "The problem is that this is the exact opposite of what Silicon Valley actually is: a sexist and racist wealth distribution mechanism that relies on cronyism, corruption, and exclusion to function."

    "...a tech company can be as corrupt, soulless, and empty as any corporation, but being unprofessional helps us maintain the belief that we are somehow different from Wall Street."

    "It’s so typical of Silicon Valley’s arrogance that these rich, white male venture capitalists—who have no conception of learning or how to educate young kids—make these grand declarations about the pipeline. It’s gross."

    "In the upper levels of tech, you are generally dealing with white men who have been coddled their entire lives, and they have rarely encountered even mild criticism. They take it as a really crushing, violent blow to their egos."

    10 points
    • Nathan NNathan N, over 8 years ago

      Feminism, as displayed in these types of articles, has dissolved into nothing more than low-brow critical theory. It isn't meant to be taken seriously.

      8 points
      • Anna NiessAnna Niess, over 8 years ago

        Why isn't feminism meant to be taken seriously? This bums me out. I take it very seriously.

        2 points
        • Nathan NNathan N, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

          You're putting words in my mouth. I said these types of articles aren't meant to be taken seriously.

          0 points
          • Anna NiessAnna Niess, over 8 years ago

            Hmm, I guess I misunderstood your use of punctuation. I still disagree with you here... its meant to be taken very seriously, but I'm glad you were at least referring to the article and not feminism in general.

            0 points
            • Nathan NNathan N, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

              Personally I think the movement needs to be rebranded to something more inclusive. The word "Feminism" has a lot of historical baggage and IMHO does not reflect the current ideals of the movement which, from what I understand, is social equality for everyone. (edit:) This is admirable and something that I respect.

              The Feminist movement has historically not reflected these ideals because it was primarily focused on women. Susan B. Anthony staunchly believed that (white) women's suffrage was more important than black suffrage. This isn't to say that she didn't think blacks should have the right to vote, but rather that she thought women deserved that right first.

              This sort of favoritism or preference to advance (white) women's issues over those of other races/genders is why I have a problem with the current presentation of Feminism and this is why I cannot take it seriously.

              1 point
    • Rob GrantRob Grant, over 8 years ago

      Let's hear your counterarguments, bub. Quoting the article in exasperation looks suspiciously like something a coddled white dude who's rarely encountered even mild criticism would do.

      If you genuinely care about "addressing a complicated issue", you should read the excellent publication that Shanley founded, but I suspect you're just concern trolling.

      18 points
    • Matthew R. MillerMatthew R. Miller, over 8 years ago

      "...a tech company can be as corrupt, soulless, and empty as any corporation, but being unprofessional helps us maintain the belief that we are somehow different from Wall Street."

      I don't disagree with this.

      12 points
    • Sacha GreifSacha Greif, over 8 years ago

      Agreed, this is the same problem as always with pundits: saying thing in the most aggressive way possible, which instantly polarizes the debate and insures the people who would benefit most from hearing what they have to say never consider it seriously.

      If you call somebody's actions racist and sexist you make sure that they will never change, since trying to improve would be equivalent to admitting to being racist and sexist in the first place…

      3 points
  • Catalin CimpanuCatalin Cimpanu, over 8 years ago (edited over 8 years ago )

    Lost me here:

    What advice would you give to your younger self, or to women who are considering a career in technology now?

    I actually don’t have a lot of advice. There’s not a whole lot that you can do to keep your career from being crushed by misogyny.

    Ohhh brother!!!

    3 points
    • Megan VoMegan Vo, over 8 years ago

      What do you mean by that? Do you not believe in the oppressive effects of misogyny?

      However, I don't agree with the answer provided - there ARE things we can do to empower ourselves and others in the workplace to be cognizant of these issues.

      1 point
  • Tori ZTori Z, over 8 years ago

    :( Don't know what to say, being a female in tech industry. I feel like whatever we say people never take it seriously.

    1 point