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A comment on Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a reset.

Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by baron816 on Monday July 03, 2017 @01:58PM (#14690167)
This is really counter productive. Silicon Valley's problem isn't going to get better if the media paints the entire place as being hostile to women. That's just going to scare them off, and that'll make matters worse. Is intentional sexism endemic in SV? I doubt it. There are clearly some bad apples, but there are bad apples in every industry. Many/most tech companies have at least gone to great lengths to accommodate and recruit women and minorities. Compare that to law, finance, medicine, government, and every other industry dominated by men. Silicon Valley is a great place for women to work, regardless of its problems. The best, and probably only way to fix it is to bring more women in.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by urahara on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:16PM (#14690278)
Talking about the problem is healthy and usually a part of a solution. Real-life sexism is definitely worse and times more scary than public attempts to fix it. Bringing more women helps, but if the culture wouldn’t change, they’ll just leave.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by falcolas on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:26PM (#14690355)
Articles like this don't constitute "talking about the problem". It's mud slinging that paints the entire industry poorly.

Not to mention, these venues will consider the news to be "ancient history" in a month, leaving nothing but mud stains and hurt feelings (I'm personally tired of being painted as a sexist asshole who "just doesn't get it" because I'm a white male) in its wake. The "discussion" will be over, and nobody will be better off because of it.

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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by _jtrig on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:32PM (#14690400)
Good. Feelings need to be hurt. People need to be uncomfortable. Mud slinging is necessary to get people to give a shit and do something.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by falcolas on Monday July 03, 2017 @03:25PM (#14690713)
Uncomfortable and hurt people are never going to react in a positive way, and expecting otherwise is going to result in disappointment.

They'll certainly do something, but most people who care about the issue won't like what is done. They may:

Become even more hostile about the subject.

Be even less willing to open the ranks to more women.

Double down on "it's someone else's problem".

Worse, people who currently give a shit and act on that may just... stop. "I support their work and I just get attacked for it, why bother?"

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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by wcummings on Wednesday July 05, 2017 @09:19AM (#14702150)
>Worse, people who currently give a shit and act on that may just... stop. "I support their work and I just get attacked for it, why bother?"

Is it worth having allies who hold their support hostage?

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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by _jtrig on Tuesday July 04, 2017 @06:43PM (#14698794)
Your argument sounds similar to those who opposed the civil rights movement.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by wcummings on Tuesday July 04, 2017 @07:38PM (#14699000)
>I'm personally tired of being painted as a sexist asshole who "just doesn't get it" because I'm a white male

Iuno, I'm a "white male" and I don't have this problem.

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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by readams on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:01PM (#14690192)
The vast majority of people in the industry don't do this. But it only takes a few rare individuals to create a situation where almost every woman has at least one experience of it. It's good if we can avoid sweeping these things under the rug. But it's still the case that nearly everyone in the industry is not going to sexually harass women, and it's important to acknowledge this.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by s73ver on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:05PM (#14690211)
At the same time, sweeping the problem under the rug and pretending it doesn't happen isn't going to fix anything either. At least with this approach, those in charge are pressured to do something about it.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by baron816 on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:12PM (#14690254)
I definitely don't think it should be swept under the rug, but I don't think it needs to be broadcast through the mass media for all the world to see and for the entire industry to be condemned as misogynists. This shit is awful and it needs to be dealt with appropriately. If executives don't want to do that, then they should be held accountable too. But I think there's a way to do those things without shaming the 99% people who have nothing to do with any of this.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by urahara on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:32PM (#14690401)
Not talking about it publicly is very close to sweeping under the rug. Important problems like this one should be discussed publicly as much as possible. This raises awareness and stimulates the search for solutions. Recently, womens' public posts led to real action started to be taken to address the problem. Besides, for many women this public talk is currently the only thing they can do in their defense.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by s73ver on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:41PM (#14690454)
But they're not shaming us. I don't feel shamed at all by the coverage. I'm not one of the people they're talking about; I know I'm not, so I don't feel upset by the coverage.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by dropit_sphere on Tuesday July 04, 2017 @01:50AM (#14693807)
I think they are talking about you, or are at least playing extremely fast and loose with phrasing.

Are you part of "Silicon Valley," which "has a culture problem?" Are you one of "the men" in "the workforce"?

I don't feel ashamed. But this is, to some degree, slander.

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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by s73ver on Tuesday July 04, 2017 @12:31PM (#14696772)
And I don’t. I know they aren’t talking about me. Because I don’t do those things.
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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by falcolas on Monday July 03, 2017 @02:28PM (#14690368)
> At least with this approach, those in charge are pressured to do something about it.

Personally, I doubt it. The media pressure will disappear in a few months, and short of a very public rape, will not appear again for years. That's how the modern media works - come in while the topic is hot, stick around and fling poo for a month or so, then leave it for something more salacious.

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Re:Silicon Valley's cultural problem is so severe it needs a... by wcummings on Tuesday July 04, 2017 @07:35PM (#14698990)
Denying there is a problem is counter productive...
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