I find the lack of conversation deafening but it makes sense. The people most affected are underrepresented in tech.
1a: A police officer in Florida pulled my wife over for speeding. We were 100% cooperative but I guess the PO assumed I was an illegal. I was belittled and screamed at to follow conflicting orders while a gun was pointed at me and my family. That was the first interaction my 5 yo daughter had with a police officer too.
1b: A white peer in college said I should go back to work with my Mexican buddies at some factory.
... many many more
2: IMO, we probably live in the least racist environment ever and racism will never go away completely. It can’t be eradicated but racism on its own is not the main problem.
The main issue is the excessive use of force by law enforcement, usually towards POC, and their lack of accountability (If we can solve this LE problem, all that will be left are the annoying Karens and petty ignorant people. These encounters still hurt but we live)
So what’s fueling all the outrage?
- law enforcement. Brutality against POC and anyone who stands in their way.
- social media. Yeah, it’s making racism and police brutality more visible but it's not a bad thing.
- politics. you know who
- right-wing media
TBH, I don’t even think LE is disproportionately racist. They are about as racist as the normal population but rouge POs have a lot of power. A racist with a badge can cause a lot of damage and the gang-like attitude of PDs doesn’t help either.
It all starts with one officer who has a disproportionate level of animosity towards a certain neighborhood or group of people. Then his buddies come along and escalate the situation.
3: There is plenty we can do
Society:
- Education. Pay teachers more than POs.
- A renewed appreciation for the 2nd amendment by the left (it’s clear gun owners command a higher level of respect)
- Stop chastising POC for speaking out against injustices
Law Enforcement
- Respect for all humans
- mandatory licensing & college education
- malpractice insurance (or something like it)
- mandatory counseling and anger management
- allow the community to videotape all incidents
- public profiles for all POs that includes all their career history
- live streaming of all police encounters along with all footage being part of the public domain.
I don’t think it’s so much the space but it’s a tough proposition to go into business with possibly shady characters who are willing to do unethical things.
For the right $$$, I’d be willing to build anything but I gotta make sure I get paid.
Software engineering and building products is a social activity. Embrace it and take pride in helping others. Its part of the role too.
I understand that to you, as an individual, it may seem detrimental and even a waste of time but realize that overall it’s a positive thing for everyone.
Instead of having some engineer waste hours struggling to solve a problem, just get them unstuck and go back to whatever you were doing.
My attitude is that when I’m in the office, it’s all office hours. I’m there to collaborate. If I’m not in a meeting, then I’m available for questions. With that said, it’s ok to say please wait or I’ll get back to you on that.
Please don’t take it the wrong way but I’ve always been bothered by engineers who have this attitude. Very often these are the same engineers that can somehow focus on writing code and watching Netflix on the side. A large portion of what we do isn’t very complicated and it doesn’t really require 100% concentration (hence netflix on the side). IMO, this is just an excuse we engineers use to pump our chest about how important our work is and to be anti-social.
Some tips
- make sure you have good documentation
- create a slack room where team members can ask for help and encourage them to use that instead of asking you directly. Other team members can pitch in too
- be proactive and get to know the engineers you work with. Ask them if they need any help or if they are blocked by something
- figure out the weakness of your team and hold internal trainings to fill in the gaps
> Among the many people who’ve enrolled in the IT certificate, 60 percent identify as female, Black, Latino, or veteran—backgrounds that have historically been underrepresented in the tech industry.
I’m probably just cynical but this seems like it’s just Google trying to pat themselves on the back for “improving diversity”.
I’m curious how many of these IT professionals Google actually hires.
Grow with Google but still not good enough to get into Google.
If Google really wants to improve diversity, how about changing the interview process so it’s not biased towards Ivy League grads. Most people of color aren’t there.
Lame this gets flagged down but we can talk about the Golden Gate Bridge humming.