Diverse engineers are all around us. They just go unnoticed--in part, because we interact with usernames and papers instead of face to face.
Perhaps we should create a compiler that works differently for men, women, members of visible minorities, gays/straights, transgendered folks and so forth. I'm sure this would be a great advance in computer science.
But, more seriously, this is actually one of the great things about exact sciences - they are objective and completely fair. A compiler or a mathematical proof or the laws of physics can't be racist or sexist.
Unfortunately, we can't say the same about the social systems surrounding these sciences - a university department or a corporation, or some of the individual members of these organizations, can, of course, have bias.
I don't know that the solution is injecting social justice content into technical discussions. It's probably fine to have a social track at a technical conference, where people know what they are getting into. But in the context of a technical lesson, it seems like derailing off topic.
Unlike you I'll actually tell you what my feelings are about the entrenched misogyny, racism, and sexism tolerated by so many white anglo saxon males in the tech world: complete disgust and contempt.
> entrenched misogyny, racism, and sexism tolerated by so many white anglo saxon.
During my 15 years, as a white anglo saxon male, working at 8 companies of various size across Canada I have never met a man who hates women. Over the last say 10 years I have always been the minority by race and have reported women 40% of the time.
It would be nice to have more women in IT (yes please!), but the crap you just spewed must not represent all of IT around the world.
I don't have an appreciation for the intro. I think it detracts from an otherwise great blog post. And I think it's ok for people to have mixed feelings about it too.
I didn't mean anything malicious by what I said. I just felt browbeaten, that is all.
That's not to say educational material should be dry and without humor, but this is simply pure agenda.