This is a very interesting voice in the discussion:
> The bigger mistake in Damore’s memo is one I see frequently: Assuming that job skills and performance can be deduced from differences among demographic groups. This just isn’t so. I believe for example if it wasn’t for biases and unequal opportunities, then the higher ranks in science and politics would be dominated by women. Hence, aiming at a 50-50 representation gives men an unfair advantage. I challenge you to provide any evidence to the contrary.
The two biggest problems I've seen with this discussion are: 1) A Shocking Lack of Empathy; and 2) The Stench of Self-Righteousness
1) I've seen too many people say things like "He was only talking about biology, he never actually said 'women are dumb'"
As a child you are responsible for what you say. As an adult you are responsible for what others hear. Sometimes in conversation you say stupid things that can be misunderstood, but if you take the time to write a 10 page memo, you NEED to take the time to imagine how others will hear it.
This is a problem for both sides of this conversation, and lack of empathy is probably the main reason why the guy had to be fired.
2) When you have that righteous feeling in your gut, take a minute and refer back to point one, try to look at it from the other person's point of view. Imagine where they are coming from.
Being RIGHT is never enough. People are motivated by emotions and desires, not facts. Sometimes those desires are fact-based; but often they are not.
I can't say I completely understand the entirely apologetic tone towards the memo at the start of the article, but overall this is an interesting post which takes a mostly even-approach from a relevant perspective.
I think a major thing the memo misses is that the fact that gender differences are scientifically measurable doesn't mean they're not a reflection of societal inequalities that enforce them. Wouldn't you be more neurotic if you were consistently under-paid and more likely to be sexually assaulted?
What's worse is that while there are people who respond to the memo with a moderate approach like the author of this post, there is a huge and incredibly damaging response by people like Robert Verbruggen who use it as proof that "biological underpinnings such as testosterone" (as opposed to discrimination) are responsible for the gender wage gap [0].
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 22.2 ms ] thread> The bigger mistake in Damore’s memo is one I see frequently: Assuming that job skills and performance can be deduced from differences among demographic groups. This just isn’t so. I believe for example if it wasn’t for biases and unequal opportunities, then the higher ranks in science and politics would be dominated by women. Hence, aiming at a 50-50 representation gives men an unfair advantage. I challenge you to provide any evidence to the contrary.
1) I've seen too many people say things like "He was only talking about biology, he never actually said 'women are dumb'"
As a child you are responsible for what you say. As an adult you are responsible for what others hear. Sometimes in conversation you say stupid things that can be misunderstood, but if you take the time to write a 10 page memo, you NEED to take the time to imagine how others will hear it.
This is a problem for both sides of this conversation, and lack of empathy is probably the main reason why the guy had to be fired.
2) When you have that righteous feeling in your gut, take a minute and refer back to point one, try to look at it from the other person's point of view. Imagine where they are coming from.
Being RIGHT is never enough. People are motivated by emotions and desires, not facts. Sometimes those desires are fact-based; but often they are not.
I think a major thing the memo misses is that the fact that gender differences are scientifically measurable doesn't mean they're not a reflection of societal inequalities that enforce them. Wouldn't you be more neurotic if you were consistently under-paid and more likely to be sexually assaulted?
What's worse is that while there are people who respond to the memo with a moderate approach like the author of this post, there is a huge and incredibly damaging response by people like Robert Verbruggen who use it as proof that "biological underpinnings such as testosterone" (as opposed to discrimination) are responsible for the gender wage gap [0].
[0] http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/450202/google-employees...