On: Ask a Female Engineer: Thoughts on the Google Memo

[mcfunk]

This is exactly it. Women in spaces (virtual, in-person, in their workplaces) are being forced into this conversation to defend ourselves, because this "bomb" was dropped/leaked, outside of all relevant context, and now hype and focusing illusions have made it our job to make evolutionary psych-based arguments against it. I don't know what Damore's intent was, but the effect was to put people who disagreed with him, and especially women who disagreed with him, at an immediate disadvantage, rather than to reach out to them for the sake of a conversation.

[totalZero → mcfunk]

> Women in spaces [...] are being forced into this conversation to defend ourselves

Shouldn't women inherently be part of a conversation about systematically augmenting their gender's presence in the workplace?

Or do you believe that beneficiaries of affirmative action should not be expected to comment on its existence and validity from time to time?

Not a rhetorical question. Either position is potentially defensible IMO. Just want to know where you stand.

[smallnamespace → mcfunk]

It seems like the disadvantage fell squarely on Damore's shoulders here, considering he was the one who was actually fired.

It's definitely horrible for people to feel like they don't belong. But I would argue that feeling like your job is at risk is a lesser threat than actually losing your job, no?