It’s not that white people do not face challenges. It’s that we do not face the same challenges.
As for the second paragraph, I’m not being that reductionistic and you know it.
I think I’ll leave it at that, because I’m not sure further discussion will help.
Let’s keep in mind this is a complex and nuanced situation that affects real people in very different ways. We may disagree on the specifics, but hopefully we can all agree that everyone deserves a fair shake, no matter their background, gender, race, etc. Decisions like the ones at Basecamp draw attention to areas where the tech industry has real progress to be made.
Of course I know you were not that reductionistic. I just wanted to point out the absurdity of your statements. Remember what M. L. King said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.” Yet we are back to judging people based on their race. You may think that this is different because you want to “help” them, but in the end you judge someone based on his race.
One difficulty with the public discussion of this is that the employees who were hurt by the discussions at work and afraid for their jobs, etc., aren’t coming out and sharing their stories. Just the ones who were speaking more boldly. I realize there is a viewpoint that says that you should be hurt and afraid at work if you think a certain way, but it still seems reasonable to disagree with that at a managerial level.
Because, still, people are being treated unfairly based on the color of their skin, to the point that their likelihood of being killed at the hands of law enforcement officers is seven times higher in the US (if memory serves) that white people. In the 21st century.
It’s all well and good to say “oh, but we are creating race with those people and pointing attention to their skin” but it’s very easy to say when you don’t fear for your life every time you encounter an officer from the service who is supposed to protect you. White people cannot imagine that force can be used against you at the drop of a hat. People of color would love that nobody notices they’re not white and that it’s not anything worth mentioning, as LGBTQ+ people would love that nobody pays attention to their orientation, and so on.
What you’re saying is akin to saying you would have attracted attention to the difference of gender when women demanded the right to vote. If they had had the right to vote, if people were not discriminated against, there would be truly nothing to say. And then maybe we could have ML King’s dream, and but it starts by actively making things right since they are not, not wishing the issues away. They are here. Equality do not exist yet. Do we want to do something or not?
Speaking of unfounded assumptions cough - so now you’re inside their heads? You know their inner motivations?
Look - I’m completely familiar with the concept of white privilege, white fragility, etc. And yes, it’s possible that this is what is behind their decisions. But for now I’m going to be controversial and tell you that maybe you should take them at their word as to why they are doing it. I’ve read all of DHH’s blog posts on the topic. They seem to be well-reasoned. The point of contention wasn’t about improving conditions at work, it was about whether or not the list of names indicated that Basecamp employees were in some way paving the path to genocide. If you think that is an appropriate workplace conversation then I don’t know what else to say here…
I think this thread showed why is it not a good idea to have such discussions in the workplace with people you see every day and are supposed to form a team.
This was also addressed by DHH in another blog post:
We all have our own red lines. Positions we find so beyond the pale that they’re instant deal breakers. Good, fine, break those deals. But the more lines you accumulate, the more cross you’re going to get. The more constrained your tolerance for coexisting with others. So at very least ask yourself: did I collect too many? Are these the right ones?
If you want a substantive read on the underlying foundations for much of our tribalism and conflict I highly recommend Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. This is not a religious book. It is a researched based assessment from the field of moral psychology of the underlying dynamics at play in our conflict and tribalism. This is one of the better researched and fair discussions of the matter that I’ve read.
Not getting down into the muck with the details in this one. The guidelines and philosophy of this site seemed clear to me from from day one, which included that self-important, incontrovertible political heroism has no place in a friendly forum for Apple tech-talk. I understood we come here to get away from the indulgence of unqualified opinion which has become the poison of social media in general.
But eventually it had to rear its ugly head. Too bad.
This is amazingly incorrect and easily disputed with any effort of research. But since this is a forum about Apple products and their power users, I have to wonder how it is even remotely related.
Perhaps it’s time for all of us to re-read Stephen’s earlier comment and close this thread?