Here in my part of the woods (the San Francisco Bay Area), this news item has really caught fire:

From my 35 years of work experience, science and engineering is in fact a male dominated field and I don't believe "social engineering" (affirmative action or diversity programs) are a solution to this problem.

 

From my 50 years of work experience, I believe that ignoring the talents, skills, and abilities of over half the population is holding us back. We might be in a very different place if our heads were not firmly implanted in that very dark place.

 

From my 50 years of work experience, I believe that ignoring the talents, skills, and abilities of over half the population is holding us back. We might be in a very different place if our heads were not firmly implanted in that very dark place.

Seconded.

 

From my 50 years of work experience, I believe that ignoring the talents, skills, and abilities of over half the population is holding us back. We might be in a very different place if our heads were not firmly implanted in that very dark place.

Third.

 

Just happened to watch 'Hidden Figures' a couple of nights ago.
Good story based on fact at NASA.
Max.

 

I have to wonder what the author was thinking. It's irrelevant what points he was making and whether they had merit. The bottom line is he waded into a known hot topic, one that was not directly related to his job duties (i.e. he's not an HR guy), issued a controversial screed that any reasonable person would expect to irritate others, and publicly embarrassed his employer. Boom, he's fired. What outcome did he expect?

If he expected anything other than immediate firing, he was delusional. Being right has nothing to do with it and won't protect you. Telling the emperor he has no clothes is dangerous business.

 

Just happened to watch 'Hidden Figures' a couple of nights ago.
Good story based on fact at NASA.
Max.

Great movie. In the days before the electronic version, the word computer referred to a person who performed calculations: like for firing tables or orbital calculations. It is hard to know where we are going if we forget where we've been. Women were the backbone of industry in the 1940's and did jobs nobody thought they could do, because they had to.

 

Women, just like men, can and have failed.

Of the six women that worked for me in the 1980s, one was released early because of her pregnancy (she put in the request for early discharge), one was not recommended for re-enlistment (technical abilities), and three retired after 20 plus years.

 

the word computer referred to a person who performed calculations: like for firing tables or orbital calculations.

And many of those human computers were women.

 

Around 70% of those at Bletchley Park were Women.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Bletchley_Park
Max.

 

Anyone read the original statement? It's got some valid points. And some others, not so much, of course.

 

Anyone read the original statement?

Given the comments here I have suspicions not all have or if they have they read them with great and unwarranted bias, just s way too many MSM talking heads have.

 

From my 50 years of work experience, I believe that ignoring the talents, skills, and abilities of over half the population is holding us back.

Which half?

The half that got jobs they were in fact not qualified for (by lieing their way in or meeting politically mandated or in house political/hiring bias criteria not based on skills) or the half that didn't get those jobs because they were blocked by those people for those reasons?

Contrary to what so many think today, "Equal opportunity employment' does not mean an equal number of every possible race or gender or whatever in the workplace. It means anyone who has the proper qualifications for a position has an equal weighting in the decision on who gets hired for that position regardless of their race or gender or whatever.

 

Anyone read the original statement? It's got some valid points. And some others, not so much, of course.

A quote from him.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-11/james-damore-explains-why-i-was-fired-google

In my document, I committed heresy against the Google creed by stating that not all disparities between men and women that we see in the world are the result of discriminatory treatment. When I first circulated the document about a month ago to our diversity groups and individuals at Google, there was no outcry or charge of misogyny. I engaged in reasoned discussion with some of my peers on these issues, but mostly I was ignored. Everything changed when the document went viral within the company and the wider tech world. Those most zealously committed to the diversity creed -- that all differences in outcome are due to differential treatment and all people are inherently the same -- could not let this public offense go unpunished. They sent angry emails to Google's human-resources department and everyone up my management chain, demanding censorship, retaliation and atonement. Upper management tried to placate this surge of outrage by shaming me and misrepresenting my document, but they couldn't really do otherwise: The mob would have set upon anyone who openly agreed with me or even tolerated my views. When the whole episode finally became a giant media controversy, thanks to external leaks, Google had to solve the problem caused by my supposedly sexist, anti-diversity manifesto, and the whole company came under heated and sometimes threatening scrutiny.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...more-page-perspec-0813-md-20170812-story.html

Quite frankly, I wish Google had not fired computer engineer James Damore this past week for writing an internal memo. The memo argued that the notorious gender gap at Google, where techs are 80 percent male despite Google's liberal diversity policies, and other computer-age firms might be explained by biology.

You may have heard through some of the news coverage that he wrote a 10-page, 3,000-word "screed" of an argument that women are not as qualified as men. He didn't. Quite the opposite, his critique of Google's diversity policy cites various research into male-female differences and argues that maybe women simply aren't as interested in tech, engineering or leadership positions as men are.
...
We Americans can find even more ways to make diversity work for us, not against us, as a society. But first we need to talk. And, when others make their case, we need to listen — and maybe learn to be better explainers.

 

All this would be fine if it were not for the numerous examples of women being subjected to the most vile and disgusting behavior based on their status as women without regard to any other consideration:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...online-abuse-receive-DAY-men-say-kitchen.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/...tary-gtfo-female-video-gamers-fight-back.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/nov/28/games-industry-sexism-on-twitter

How about the inspiring story of Jerri Ellsworth. A self taught engineer who did it on her own because someone gave her a chance.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/nov/28/games-industry-sexism-on-twitter

Let's just dispense with the crap about the differences and celebrate the fact that when people cooperate they can achieve amazing things.

 

All this would be fine if it were not for the numerous examples of women being subjected to the most vile and disgusting behavior based on their status as women without regard to any other consideration:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...online-abuse-receive-DAY-men-say-kitchen.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/...tary-gtfo-female-video-gamers-fight-back.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/nov/28/games-industry-sexism-on-twitter

How about the inspiring story of Jerri Ellsworth. A self taught engineer who did it on her own because someone gave her a chance.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/nov/28/games-industry-sexism-on-twitter

Let's just dispense with the crap about the differences and celebrate the fact that when people cooperate they can achieve amazing things.

There is nothing like that happening at Google but there is still a disparity at Google and at other high tech employers that's not related to sexism or vile and disgusting behavior in the selection or promotion process. We have exactly one female electrical engineer (who is brilliant) and two female technicians at work. Our requirements are completely neutral (local, state and federal laws) to all protected classes of possible hires. Cooperation is great but it shouldn't cause you to be blind to major cultural/biological differences in work preferences.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quicke...on-most-women-dont-go-into-tech/#2370be8f6d7a
http://news.mit.edu/2016/why-do-women-leave-engineering-0615

 

Which half?

The half that got jobs they were in fact not qualified for (by lieing their way in or meeting politically mandated or in house political/hiring bias criteria not based on skills) or the half that didn't get those jobs because they were blocked by those people for those reasons?

Contrary to what so many think today, "Equal opportunity employment' does not mean an equal number of every possible race or gender or whatever in the workplace. It means anyone who has the proper qualifications for a position has an equal weighting in the decision on who gets hired for that position regardless of their race or gender or whatever.

I get what you mean however do not dismiss the underdogs.

 

All this would be fine if it were not for the numerous examples of women being subjected to the most vile and disgusting behavior based on their status as women without regard to any other consideration:
.

Starting with all and any societal demands, female castration, imposition of certain cultural demands such as dress, education, or lack thereof, arranged marriage, lack of access to abortion options.
Glass Ceiling.
....Ah maybe in a perfect world.
Max.

 

Starting with all and any societal demands, female castration, imposition of certain cultural demands such as dress, education, or lack thereof, arranged marriage, lack of access to abortion options.
Glass Ceiling.
....Ah maybe in a perfect world.
Max.

There are plenty of examples of females be subjected to horrible treatment and even male geeks being tormented by bullies. I currently see little or no evidence of the above horrors at Google where this Google engineer once worked. I would say the vast majority of people here started with an interest in the electrical or mechanical at a very young age. How many people of any sex were sticking utensils into electrical sockets at 5 years old?

 

I don't know whether you will be able to listen to this. I found it appalling. A teenage girl, in school uniform, being repeatedly hit on by middle-aged men.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b073bb59