Sexist Reactions to an Ad Spark #ILookLikeAnEngineer Campaign
npr.org
npr.org
It feels like weeks since the last gender in tech hashtag has trended. I've been waiting desperately for something to steal the internet's vitriol and outrage from this whole Cecil the lion thing.
OK - yes - I'm being entirely facetious there. This might take off it might not, but I am personally tired of the seemingly endless new thing to be outraged by.
Tim Hunt, Gamergate, Doglegate, Meritocracy Carpet, Beach Body Ready, Cancel Colbert ... then if you start googling around for "gender hashtags" you'll see articles extoling the "social change hashtags" of the year - but if you look at them http://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhua/2015/06/03/tweeting-to-... ... http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomwatson/2014/12/29/top-social-...
What has actually changed? How is the world a better place?
I'm honestly appalled that this poor young woman had to suffer shitty troll comments in the internet, but a hashtag isn't going to actually do anything.
Do we really think those idiots are the same ones reading the social justice pages of the huffington post?
Holding on to outrage or fanning the flames of outrage are NOT the right way to effect positive social change.
Shame and fear may be effective methods of effecting change, but they're dark and hurtful. Love, patience, forgiveness and kindness is better for everyone.
http://www.futurity.org/shame-942522/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-synthesis/2015... https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/wor...
There's a reason this stuff is in the 2000 year old wisdom of Jesus (turn the other cheek) and the 2500 year old wisdom of Buddha.
Love is the answer.
What about that involves 'shame and fear'?
Why does it bug you?
I think anyone who has a job writing code can legitimately call themselves a software engineer, it's just a synonym for programmer these days, and if you program, you're a programmer.
(I play accordion, not all that well. Once a teacher of mine, who is an incredible musician, overheard me answering the question "Do you play accordion?" with "Well, I'm learning," and he said to me something like "Don't say you don't play the accordion, of course you play the accordion, I've seen you playing it, you play the accordion, you're a musician. If you pick up the accordion and play something on it, you are an accordionist, which is something to be proud of. Never deny it." This coming from a guy who is probably one of the top accordionists on the planet, better then I'll ever be (because he's been dedicating himself to it for decades since he was a child) -- was a lesson for me in confidence and generosity to oneself and others vs being excessively self-critical).
There are enough software engineers that I think it's clear that the answer to "what does a software engineer actually look like" is: Just like everyone else, they look like everyone.
Btw, I'm not talking about appearance when I ask what a software engineer looks like, I'm talking about whether three-month experience from a web development academy makes a software engineer. That bothers me.
What is it that bothers you about people who have jobs coding calling themselves "software engineers" when you don't think they qualify?
I think a survey of job postings would confirm that even entry-level job postings, for which someone with 3 months of training might qualify, are routinely advertised as 'software engineer' positions. So it may not be "just what I think".
If you're reading comments from classmates on some article about her, you're clearly doing more research than I am. I've read nothing but the OP, and don't have any particular interest in learning more about her, honestly. But I like the hashtag.
>>I think a survey of job postings would confirm that even entry-level job postings, for which someone with 3 months of training might qualify, are routinely advertised as 'software engineer' positions. So it may not be "just what I think". Have you done a survey of entry-level postings? Given that reading comments in an article already constitute "research" to you, so I'm guess the answer is no. Thus it is indeed "just what you think" (And perhaps what some HR personnel think). It's just unfortunate that somewhere in the hiring process, people with a 3-month bootcamp experience can get hired but older software engineers/developers can't. Seems that the valley can't keep female CS/EECS/SEng grads in tech and can't hire older developers after age 30. But web bootcamps can certainly pop up and try to sell the myth that one can become a fully-contributing software engineer after three months.
Your only interesting point was the sharing of the accordion story and generosity of spirit. Thank you for that exchange.
Edit: I know remarking on downvotes is frowned-upon here, but I just can't help it. Good to see HNs resident mysogynists are keeping on top of their game!
Stop being a victim, don't blame other people every time you screw up (as we all do from time to time)