
Help me bring Black Girls Code to Brooklyn - I'm matching the first $5K - kn0thing
https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/no-sleep-till-brooklyn-for-black-girls-code-ny?force_desktop=1&utm_source=crowdtilt&utm_medium=email&utm_term=comment&utm_content=comment_cta&utm_campaign=notification
======
avelis
I am a member of Geekdom in San Francisco and they just hosted an event there
recently. It appeared to be an alive and vibrant organization from what I saw.
Great turnout too. Prior to that event I had no idea Black Girls Code existed.
Thanks for bringing this to Hacker News for people to see.

Here is a video of Rackspace S.F. showing their support:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Kv1Q2noU4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Kv1Q2noU4)

~~~
kn0thing
Sure thing! Thanks for spreading the word about my fundraiser!

------
hackinthebochs
Only a handful of comments and this is already looking like your typical
reddit thread regarding anything geared towards and underrepresented minority:
"what about us white men???".

I expect better from you guys. Perhaps that's my mistake.

~~~
knackernews
I'm among those who think this organization isn't doing it right, but I'm a
'colored' developer. Does that make my opinion any more valid than the white
men's ?

To me this is as beneficial as a 'white girls rap' bootcamp, but hey, whatever
helps.

~~~
hackinthebochs
Its one thing to think that "they're not doing it right", its another thing to
think it is actively racist. One is an opinion, the other is idiocy.

------
AlexanderDhoore
In Europe this would be inappropriate... (The "Black" in the title of the
program, not the teaching girls, obviously.)

I don't think any European here would disagree. The fact that you categorise
someone as "black" is just awful. How black exactly do they have to be? Are
you going to measure it? Are southern Italians black? What about Turks? ...
See the problem?

Edit: Just want to point out that I'm not talking about the specific word
"black". Use whatever word you want. Just to put this into context: here, in
Belgium, it's actually illegal to register someone's "race" (except for
medical reasons).

~~~
moistgorilla
I read somewhere that using african american is also bad since there are many
black people that don't identify as african and don't even have african
heritage. I think black is much more inclusive.

~~~
gizmo686
African-American also has the problem that not all black people identify
themselves as American. Although it does lead to an interesting conversation
about American imperialism when one expresses concern over how much of African
governments are run by African-Americans.

------
eliteraspberrie
African-American women are severely underrepresented in IT, so this charity is
addressing that problem. They are teaching children a skill. If that really
bothers you, take a minute to reflect on yourself.

~~~
nhangen
This is the argument that always baffles me. There are many reasons for that
imbalance, just as there are many reasons for imbalance in other industries
(sometimes in the opposite direction).

I coach youth sports, and many times the kids on my teams come from poor
families. When I talk to them about their interests, not once have they
mentioned or indicated that they would be prevented from pursuing that
interest.

~~~
lsiclait
Growing up in the United States, I was often told that there were certain
things that I could not do because I would face a glass ceiling due to my skin
color. Reading history books it was clear that this was true for the people
who came before me. Looking at the people who were in the positions I wanted
to attain, it was clear that something was preventing people who look like me
from succeeding in those fields. And listening to the comments I received from
my peers, it was clear that I was not perceived in the same way as others.

I can't speak for anyone other than myself. But, from my experience, it is
helpful to know that people who look like you can succeed in this world.

~~~
nhangen
Who told you these things? Obviously, that's where the problem starts, and
though I've never experienced that (nor has anyone I know), I can't deny that
it exists.

~~~
lsiclait
Older members of my family. They simply related to me their experiences living
in the United States. Unfortunately the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was not that
long ago and the world didn't change overnight with its passage. And they
received similar teachings from their parents who dealt with even greater
injustices before that.

------
smtddr
I was actually a presenter at one of these before. They used App Inventor
[http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/](http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/)
It's actually a good experience for the girls if you plan for it in advance
and have at least some knowledge of app-Inventor (I assume they almost always
use that).

------
nhangen
Is anyone else troubled by this?

"Black Girls CODE is an international non-profit organization with local
chapters in San Francisco, Memphis, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and New York.
They teach _girls of color_ (ages 7-17) to become the masters of their
technological futures by teaching them classes in game design, web
development, robotics and more!"

Why not teach all girls or call it, 'Impoverished Girls Code?'

~~~
smtddr
Every time...

Theory:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6441795](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6441795)

Potential examples:

    
    
      1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6885123
      2. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6365495
      3. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6448409
      4. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6857739
      5. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6035263 - This is the most obvious one.
      6. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6902563 - Cover up.
      7. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6907915
    

I'm going to just keep on collecting these links and post the list on every
instance I see. This will be added as the 8th link.

~~~
yetanotherphd
Your theory doesn't really accord with the evidence you posted.

Your theory is that anything positive about Black people is pounced on by
trolls. To me, evidence of this would be a story about an individual Black
programmer, for example, or (as you say) programmers in Oakland.

But this is a story specifically about a program for Black girls learning to
code. Race is not incidental, it is central to the story. So for you to claim
some kind of hidden agenda because people with differing views on race post in
these stories, is ridiculous.

------
roycehaynes
Some of you understand the value of dividing and conquering, which is
precisely what Black Girls Code is doing - breaking a problem into a sub-
problems until eventually each solution helps solve the bigger problem.

The beauty in Black Girls Code is who it chooses to focus on (call it niche
market) - Americans who historically have been downtrodden by lack of humanity
attention especially in software arena.

The "digital divide" is factual and real. Why its important to address can
only be understood by those who have insight or live it.

------
undoware
This is so awesome. I'm stoked just knowing this is happening .

~~~
undoware
I snort derisively at white kids saying 'reverse racism' like it's a thing.
HOWEVER.

1\. Why is there a white dude in the driver's seat on the donation page?
That's a bit dances-with-wolves, and most of the (admittedly triggery)
activist communities I orbit wouldn't stand for that sort of thing. If this
isn't astroturf, where is the leadership from the community? (Which isn't to
say they're not involved, I just want to see more presence so I know this is
really for them.)

2\. Usually the stated justification for a progressive segregated space (if
there is such a thing -- not going to wade into that one) is to protect folks
with PTSD oppression-related triggers. E.g. at many universities men aren't
allowed in a lot of on-campus women's spaces for this reason. But it isn't
clear if that's the case here, and if not, why is the space segregated? It
would help me feel comfortable if they'd explain their reasoning.

In general, though, like I said: stoked.

~~~
icegreentea
The organization itself was founded a female african-american EE. I agree that
that stuff should probably be on the donation page... but the flip side is
they clearly picked Alexis because a) he's internet famous and b) he lives in
Brooklyn,

For the second, if the goal is to try to get black girls into programming,
then there's very little reason for them to spend the resources on other
people. Why limit to black? Because the founder felt culturally isolated while
going through EE, and wanted to minimize that from happening in the future.
Why limit to girls? Because the founder felt culturally isolated while going
through EE, and wanted to minimize that from happening in the future.

But seriously, the donation page should link to the charity's website:
[http://www.blackgirlscode.com/](http://www.blackgirlscode.com/)

~~~
undoware
Thanks for the research and link, I'm super stoked now. :) Going to go off and
tweet it.

------
rak
I kicked in during summer of code, and I'm just not doing well enough right
now to help them out again. It's good to see it on HN, but the comments are
probably going to take a dive soon.

~~~
smtddr
Already has. It's impossible to talk about black people on HN.

...and there are people who think the tech-community doesn't have a problem
with race....

~~~
rak
I'm Black and used to being on the Internet. I just hope it doesn't discourage
any young women or minorities from going into a STEM field. I wish I could
tell them it gets better but it really doesn't.

------
kirillzubovsky
Gotta love US and its inverse racism. "White girls code" would be persecuted
like KKK is back in business, but "Black girls code" is all good. That's not
right.

~~~
isomorph
I think that's because black people have historically been "unluckier" than
white people in the US.

Do you feel the same way about the sexist component of this? Should I be
annoyed that "Boys code" would be persecuted but "Girls code" is all good?

(I'm not saying there are any correct answers to my questions)

~~~
eropple
_> I think that's because black people have historically been "unluckier" than
white people in the US._

"Have historically been unluckier than", " _are_ systematically objectified
socially and repressed economically by"\--I understand your typo, though, the
keys are so close to each other on the keyboard.

(The tenses are important, too. It isn't new, but it isn't dead.)

~~~
isomorph
Tell me about it. I was just trying to put it in blue pill white people
language

~~~
eropple
I figured as much. =) It is something that I think is difficult to soft-pedal,
though, and still encompass what it actually means.

I tend to think most of HN hasn't even the slightest idea, which makes me a
bit sad.

------
kwamenum86
The day I left Hacker News and didn't look back. Sick and tired of this
"community".

~~~
nhangen
I don't think anyone is up in arms. Those questioning the charity are simply
wondering why it's OK to have a black girls code charity and not OK for a
white girls code one.

Still, put us all in a room and I'm sure we'd get along fine.

~~~
hackinthebochs
>why it's OK to have a black girls code charity and not OK for a white girls
code one

If you have _any comprehension_ of the racial history in the US and have to
ask that then you really don't belong in this conversation.

~~~
nhangen
I don't think it's your right to tell anyone whether or not they belong in a
conversation. The post was made on a forum in which I'm a user. That gives me
every right.

You can try to marginalize the opinions of those that disagree with you, but
that's not a rational argument against them.

~~~
hackinthebochs
Despite what your teachers and your parents may have told you, your opinion is
not inherently valid. You have shown yourself to be ignorant of too many
things to provide a meaningful contribution to this discussion.

~~~
nhangen
I'm trying to bring some humanity to the discussion, but you're making it
difficult.

------
nicolethenerd
My 2 cents (not that anybody asked). I teach computer science at an
predominantly black all-girls school in Brooklyn - my students are exactly the
demographic that this organization is targeting. And I think its great - the
more opportunities we can provide for these girls, the better, and Black Girls
Code looks like an organization that has done a lot of good - I'm looking
forward to seeing them come to Brooklyn.

But the name does bother me a bit, too. Not because 'racism!', but because
while it accomplishes the goal of making it clear that this is a safe space
for black girls, it raises the question "am I welcome here?" for anyone who
isn't black. And a handful of my students aren't black (they're Hispanic) -
afaik, they are welcome there too - from the website it looks like Black Girls
Code is looking to provide opportunities for all girls of color - but as a
teacher, I'd like to be able to just say to my class, "hey, you should all
check out this awesome event/opportunity" without it turning into a discussion
about race. Plus, I have no idea whether I, as a white woman, would be welcome
there as a volunteer? I'm used to being the only white person in a classroom
full of students of color - that's not something that's ever been an issue at
school - but at a place called Black Girls Code, I'd have to wonder whether my
help might not be wanted.

------
gdubs
And, perhaps predictably, a noble post falls off the front page as the
discussion devolves into a cartoonish dust ball of chest-beating, setting off
the flame-war detectors. The girls lose, but thank god the opinionated
"experts" on US racial politics have had their moment.

------
yetanotherphd
The one fact we can all agree on is that Black people, and women, are both
underrepresented among programmers, and Black people in general economically
disadvantaged.

My understanding is that this program should be seen in the context of a
political movement that sees this under-representation as an example of
systematic oppression by a society that privileges White males. This
oppression comes in the form of discrimination in employment, unequal access
to education, and stereotypes that guide White males towards higher paid
careers. The movement sees eliminating this oppression as a very high
priority.

There are two points where I disagree with this movement. First, there may be
explanations of this underrepresentation that are unrelated to oppression.
These include lack of interest in programming (due to cultural differences in
values), cultural differences in how education is valued, and genetic
differences in personality and intelligence.

Second, I think that it is natural and inevitable that the majority culture be
dominant, and this has social and economic implications. For example, Israel
is fundamentally a Jewish nation, and this implies that Jewish values, culture
etc. are dominant in that society. While many Israelis explain economic and
social inequality in Israel as a result of the backwardness of Muslims, I
think the truth is that really this is just another instance of the inevitable
trend in societies. So I would like to curb the worst excesses of inequality
that result from different races/cultures living together but I do not see
inequality as a something terrible that must be eliminated entirely.

------
grandalf
is there any way to contribute besides donating?

~~~
rak
They're always actively looking for volunteers in the areas. I believe more
information about becoming a volunteer is on their website.

Passing the links/events/fundraisers around doesn't hurt either, imho.

~~~
kn0thing
Yes to all of the above.

------
kingkawn
It is not helpful to blanket condemn the HN community. Yes, the vast majority
are white men. Yes, a significant portion hold political positions on minority
peoples that do not take into account the history and structural disadvantages
of being both not-white and not-male. But that position is a meaningful way to
survive in a system that for hundreds of years would have punished or killed
even white men for acknowledging the humanity and difficulties of those
peoples.

So, while I disagree with them, telling them that they're all assholes is
useless.

Building equality is not a zero-sum game between those who-have and those who
don't. It is the elevation of our collective humanity through empathy.

~~~
detcader
Although you have to realize that there are people who see 'equality' as
mythological, based on analyses of gender and race that see them as inherently
hierarchical through their social construction (basic reasoning reveals that
race isn't just skin color and gender is not sex organs and characteristics).
Unfortunately these people are few in number, and they're mostly women and
non-white people, so no-one listens to them anyway.

If we sympathize with those folks, HN comment threads become even more futile.

~~~
kingkawn
I understand that it seems like it will magnify the futility, but the way you
are describing is the way that has been tried forever. It has resulted in slow
change, usually only being realized when society as a whole has been
influenced enough to forget the old perspective.

There's a lot of power into both taking the full fears of another into
consideration while simultaneously trying to present the full fears of their
Other to them.

------
detcader
I don't need White Boys Code. I'm a white male who learned to code when I was
about 12 years old, at an NYIT summer program that my parents paid for. My
high school had enough coding classes (including AP) that I could take one
every year. My parents could afford to buy me a computer and they and others
didn't stigmatize me for spending hours on it. I don't need White Boys Code
and neither do white-boys-in-general.

I guess this is a lot of stuffy white dude HNers' first interaction with a
little thing called identity politics. Surely no white bystander questioned
why the Black Panthers weren't called the People Panthers (and they did
provide a plethora of community services, they weren't just a militia
group[0]); we're at a time where, after black radical politics was
systematically destroyed by the US government and police , white-people-in-
general sort of exude this attitude of "you seem to have won [read: lost],
stop rioting [i.e. Trayvon] and trying to organize around identity because we
live in a post-racial society now and any mention of race, or exclusion of
whiteness, is Racism."

But actually: “Just as the capitalist system is not a capitalist plot, so
racial oppression is not the work of “racists.” It is maintained by the
principal institutions of society, including the schools (which define
“excellence”), the labor market (which defines “employment”), the legal system
(which defines “crime”), the welfare system (which defines “poverty”), the
medical industry (which defines “health”), and the family (which defines
“kinship”). Many of these institutions are administered by people who would be
offended if accused of complicity with racial oppression.” (that's Noel
Ignatiev).

So, the ultimate solution for those who recognize race as a force of
_institutional_ violence and marginalization (rather than an outdated idea,
because hey explicitly racist speech and laws are impolite now!) would be to
dismantle those exact systems and rebuild without any idea of whiteness at all
-- "white skin would have as little social importance as big feet." But if you
try to do that, at best you're lonely, and at worst you're killed (Obama can
assassinate terrorists on US soil, remember).

So Black Girls Code is doing what can be done right now to help a severely
marginalized, invisible group (you have to remember the experience of young
girls in the US [1][2][3]) get into a field that is basically guaranteed
employment if they develop interest and go with it long enough.

If you're white, especially a white guy, no one cares about your Very
Reasonable And Logical opinion or how this makes you Very Uncomfortable on the
Internet.

[0]
[http://www.stanford.edu/group/blackpanthers/programs.shtml](http://www.stanford.edu/group/blackpanthers/programs.shtml)

[1] [http://reelgirl.com/2013/11/im-not-a-pilot-im-a-pilots-
wife-...](http://reelgirl.com/2013/11/im-not-a-pilot-im-a-pilots-wife-
says-3-yr-old-girl/)

[2] [http://www.metafilter.com/121190/teenage-girls-they-
havent-b...](http://www.metafilter.com/121190/teenage-girls-they-havent-been-
living-theyve-been-performing)

[3]
[http://sodisarmingdarling.tumblr.com/post/34106027759/what-i...](http://sodisarmingdarling.tumblr.com/post/34106027759/what-
its-like-being-a-teen-girl)

------
gnarbarian
Sorry I donated all my money to the "Lesbian Eskimo Left-Handed Midget Albinos
Code" [1] Charity. They are far less well represented in our industry.

[1]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB9DSWxtsgU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB9DSWxtsgU)

~~~
mladenkovacevic
Think about your comment for a bit. Did you feel good making it? Ok, it's a
free country and you have free speech.

Now consider that to most intelligent people that comment was the most useless
thing they read all day.

~~~
gnarbarian
Humor is just my way of poking fun at quirks in our society.

For example why aren't we as concerned about the male domination of the
sanitation industry?[1]

[1][http://jobstat.net/jobs/sanitation-
worker/](http://jobstat.net/jobs/sanitation-worker/)

~~~
mladenkovacevic
Of all the "quirks" in this world you find this one worthy of snark?

What I find more quirky is that using the word "black" is perfectly ok in all
other domains of life "black neighborhood", "black music", "black hair",
"black person"... But as soon as this word invades a professional domain
tyically occupied by white males, with the goal of hopefully attracting some
black girls who previously would have never seen programming as an option, it
becomes a "quirk". Or as some other vigilant posters in this thread have
indicated, out right DISCRIMINATION. Supposedly against blacks themselves, or
maybe just human life in general. But who are we kidding, it's discrimination
targeted at the world's most endangered creature -the rare and precious north
american white male.

~~~
gnarbarian
>Of all the "quirks" in this world you find this one worthy of snark?

Because it's here on the front page and I was listening to the "Dead Milkmen".

I'm sorry if I may have offended you.

The quirk I was referring to is the fact that equality is only championed for
trendy jobs perceived as desirable. There are no "Black Girls Construction"
events for example.

~~~
mladenkovacevic
As a white guy I take no personal offence. Just pointing out life's little
quirks.

Desirable generally doesn't equal trendy.. Desirable just means "doesn't have
to work two additional jobs in order to make ends meet". Construction is
probably a bad example of undesirable.. Where I'm from it is rather desirable
as you can make a lot of money and have a great degree of independence. I bet
there are one or two "black girls in construction" groups around here in
Canada at least.

~~~
gnarbarian
fair enough, my point still stands though. I don't see people clammoring over
the gender disparity in janitorial positions for example. I simply think
events like this are odd. I don't think they should be gendered or racially
restricted. When I was in high-school I had to teach myself programming. There
were no resources for me to take advantage of like this I would have loved to
attend something like it. There were also huge negative stigmas associated
with (nerds) who played computer games at the time which is how most of us got
into games.

The best way to get any kid interested in tech is video games. They will be
interested in a career there if they look up to role models in that industry.
Kids need to respect and look up to scientists and engineers rather than pop
culture and sports stars. I myself was guilty of this when I was younger, Then
I played quake and it blew me away. Afterward I looked up to John Carmack and
started learning about computers.

~~~
mladenkovacevic
There are many events that are not catered to specific genders or racial
backgrounds. This one just happens to be not one of those.

I guess I can see how an event like this might seem odd to a non-black male..
But America is an odd country where cultural trends are completely deformed
(its not just america but let's focus on her for now). This event would just
be the first step to show an alternative norm to a girl who has all her life
been exposed to completely negative examples of what she can become. This is
her Quake.

When the day comes and somebody creates an event called Black Girls Code, and
other people: men, women, white and black, completely honestly ask that person
"why", that's the day when we can truly call ourselves an equal opportunity
and just society. Unfortunately I think this is still quite a ways away.

------
jseliger
As a side note to kn0thing: you should put an e-mail address or some other
contact info in your HN profile; I want to send a note about how most
nonprofits get funded in the U.S., but there's no contact info available for
you.

~~~
kn0thing
Duly noted. Thanks! (Added)

------
knackernews
I'll chip in, but only because you asked, not because I think this will
accomplish anything.

~~~
kn0thing
Every bit helps. I'm trying my best not to use that starfish cliche....

------
moron4hire
There is a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg issue with these sorts of programs that
has always bothered me. I've had some experience with attempts to address
diversity in subcultures, and while I agree with the goal, the methods have
always rubbed me raw.

The problem is, they tend to always be ran by the majority group to try to
"give a helping hand" to the minority group. It's kind of a patronizing
position. I didn't need a "helping hand" to become a programmer, and women are
smart enough that they don't need a "helping hand" either. And they won't want
it.

Think of it this way. There is an extremely similar situation in teaching,
where there aren't a lot of young males going into the field. I have had some
interest in becoming a certified teacher, having done some semi-formal class
programs of various types, but I know for myself I would never go to a "Get
Men to Teach" type of program. I wouldn't want to be treated special. I would
just want to go through the normal program and be treated no more differently,
either positively or negatively, than anyone else. In addition, a lot of
people don't like to be told by outsiders that they're doing something
"wrong", or that they should do something differently. Someone coming to a
programmer conference and espousing how great it would be if more of us got
into teaching is terribly unlikely to be convincing. I think most people are
probably like this, and I think that's probably why, after two solid decades
of "get more X to Y", we haven't really seen an increase in Xs Ying.

And while there is a lot of blame to be placed at the feet of the in-crowd
treating the out-crowd poorly, and thus driving them away, I came to a greater
realization that the problem was more that the in-crowd just never socializes
with the out-crowd, period. I have very few friends who are teachers, but of
the few that I have, I know most of their friends are teachers. I have a lot
of programmer friends. It goes all the way back to college. I didn't know any
teaching students, even though I went to one of the biggest teaching
universities in the country, and we tended to have a very dull view of the few
we even came into contact with. They tended to have a very dull view of us.
The business students were the same. The art students were the same. Hell,
even the physics students were the same. We were all compartmentalized from
each other in our respective departments.

Then you go to work and the programmers are in one cube farm over here, and
the accountants are in another, and the designers are separate. We've managed
to create a culture that sees the segregation of people by skillset as a
natural thing, and never question it.

And then you get companies saying "we can't hire qualified female programmers.
They just don't apply!". Frankly, I don't think open-application is any sort
of reliable way to find a decent employee. The only employees that I've known
to stick around for a long time were ones that came with recommendations from
current employees. You see it all the time, "the importance of networking".
"But we haven't done anything to keep them away!" And that is mostly true
(though it is important to recognize that there are several instances where
active prejudice is still a problem, I think this is a much bigger problem).
But employees are people, and trying to "hire more of <adjective>" is treating
them like checkboxes, not people. Well, no wonder you don't see more female
programmers, because most existing programmers are already male and they don't
socialize with many women, period, say nothing about ones that would be
interested in programming.

Anyway, my point is, I don't think these sort of "Xs working to get not-Xs to
do more Y" are ever going to work, so long as the Xs mostly socialize with Xs.
You want to find more black designers? Make more friends of black people. You
want to find more female programmers? Make more friends of women. They are out
there. While you personally may have not done anything to drive them away,
you're also not doing anything to make them a whole part of your life, either.
It will always be the case that men will be over represented in programming so
long as men are the gate keepers into programming organizations and men do not
do more to socialize with women as peers--with the complete reverse situation
being true for women and men in teaching. And while you personally didn't ask
to be the de facto gate keeper to your industry, the state of things is that
you are. Tough shit. Play the hand you're dealt.

EDIT: long-story short, "Get more X to Y" is still treating the Xs as
"others". These types of programs perpetuate that cycle. The answer is to
eliminate the otherness of whatever property we're concerned about today.

~~~
kn0thing
>The problem is, they tend to always be ran by the majority group to try to
"give a helping hand" to the minority group. It's kind of a patronizing
position. I didn't need a "helping hand" to become a programmer, and women are
smart enough that they don't need a "helping hand" either. And they won't want
it.

I'm a white guy from Brooklyn who's been successful in tech -- I'm not running
this organization, I'm just doing a crowdtilt fundraiser for it.

[http://www.blackgirlscode.com/about-
bgc.html](http://www.blackgirlscode.com/about-bgc.html)

~~~
moron4hire
Yeah, I realize that is the case here. My intention was more to head-off the
sort of comments that one tends to find in these sorts of threads that try to
deny that any problem exists just because the speaker doesn't have an active
hand in the problem.

But, at the same time, there is a significant problem with the way that people
have been trying to address the issue of diversity in general, because it
doesn't seem like any progress is being made.

There is a lot of prejudice in the world, and it can be overt as in the case
of someone specifically ignoring resumes from people not matching their sex or
race. And it can be subversive, such as people subconsciously paying more
attention to people more like themselves than people less like themselves.

I personally believe it's this latter form that is the reason that lack of
diversity continues to be an issue. There is not a single aspect of our
American culture in which we do not compartmentalize people. We still have
sitcoms built on the tropes of housework-inept dads and shopaholic moms. We
still have separate boys' and girls' happy meal toys. And because of that, I
don't think it's surprising that tackling diversity in one of the leaf-node
areas has largely failed.

------
dupa99
I have a serious question: What if title would be "White Girls Code"? Is there
going be an outrage in the society?

I'm just trying to understand the racial words connotation in USA, just to not
make faux pas in the future.

