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Tennessee State University Teams Up With Apple to Bolster Diversity in Coding
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The entire premise of this is that, if all things in life were equal, we’d have some kind of perfect diversity in this field. Perhaps, why underrepresented minorities in this field exist should be studied from the attitude of desire as well..
Who’s seriously cares about making everything perfectly equal by skin color? What a ridiculous notion. If anyone wants to code they can. Why are we making victims out of people? Ridiculous
Diversity has not really been an issue in the healthcare field as far as I know, even a decade ago. Simply stop by any medical/pharmacy/nursing schools and diversity is not even an issue (yes, even more than a decade ago). So I don't know why suddenly we have issues with this today, other than some political agenda of some people to stir up controversies for votes.
Not at all. Which race does matter. It’s absolutely critical, in fact. Because racism is not the same as simple prejudice — racism is the toxic and crippling combination of prejudice *and* power. Some races (i.e.: us white people, if we’re talking USA / Europe) have almost all the power. That’s why it doesn’t go both ways.
If you (or anyone else) is genuinely interested in understanding this concept more, a quick search of “racism and power” will bring up plenty of results. Here’s one of the first ones I saw:
https://www.elitedaily.com/life/racism-prejudice-understanding/1363914
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Other Apple-centric sites have done a better job describing Historically Black colleges. They aren’t exclusionary. They weren’t created to exclude anyone. In fact, they were created because Black people were excluded. They are referred to as “Historically Black” because many of them are now diverse, and some even have a majority of students that are not Black, even a few that have a majority of white students. Many of these schools have transitioned from segregated schools created by states to public institutions serving all students. And many of them are in rural, isolated communities. So besides offering opportunities to Black students that may be underrepresented among coders, this program (along with similar programs from other tech giants and organizations) may interest other communities besides Black students that may be underrepresented among coding cohorts.
How this is seen as a bad thing is beyond me. Well, it’s not really. Some just like to whine and project.
How this is seen as a bad thing is beyond me. Well, it’s not really. Some just like to whine and project.
And of course the really mad part about the "diversity" obsession is that in coding it will mean that, if we are to force industries to "represent society", there will have to be a lot of asian men who have to lose their jobs to make things "equal" and "representative".
It's all just posturing for politics, though I think it inflames tensions in society and shouldn't happen.
Why is there such a push for coding? What about networking, cyber security, etc? There’s so many unfilled jobs in those fields, yet coding is the only thing ever talked about. I feel like the computer science and programming industries will become over saturated.
Tennessee State University last week launched the HBCU C2 Presidential Academy, a new initiative that's designed to expose students of color to coding and app development, reports The Tennessean.
The HBCU C2 Presidential Academy invited students from 14 historically black colleges and universities to learn from Apple. The program is designed to make sure that TSU and other HBCUs remain at the forefront of technology.
Apple CEO Tim Cook this morning tweeted about the initiative, where students learned Swift using Apple's coding curriculum and were asked to think of applications that can better the community. Apple provided equipment, scholarships, and professional development services to TSU students as part of the effort.
Lisa Jackson, Apple's VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives, said that Apple is thrilled to be working with TSU and other HBCUs to expand coding opportunities to underrepresented groups.
"Students of all backgrounds should have the opportunity to learn to code," said Jackson. "We are proud to be part of a sustainable community network that is increasing access to teaching and learning."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Article Link: Tennessee State University Teams Up With Apple to Bolster Diversity in Coding
The problem with all that is it's quite ignorant about the wider world and today the world is globalised. It's quite possible an immigrant from Bombay or Calcutta has a father who owns a huge business (and in India for example corruption is so rife and exploitation of the poor so complete that the ruthless make money that would make the average western millionaire look poor), benefitted from a western education and then pulls strings to get a green card... Now by the idea that "white people" have all the power he is oppressed and needs helping along. By contrast, the left has essentially said to the child of an unemployed coal miner from West Virginia that he deserves nothing and must atone for his "white privilege". So it's not about being "genuinely interested" enough to understand it, it's about saying straightforwardly that it is almost always going to fall apart, as all utopian ideologies do, when applied to the complexity of human societies.
I tell you what though, if you really want to feel bad, check out the institutions, rich lists, universities, companies, sports and film industries of India - they are almost all Indians. Shocking lack of diversity there. And in Nigeria all those industries are dominated by Nigerians. You wouldn't believe the lack of diversity in Japanese film making or Chinese manufacturing either.
As it happens, per capita, many non-white groups do better than whites in the US for a variety of reasons. Whites are for now the majority demographic and of course in most cases have been there far longer so have are dominant in some areas - sometimes it takes a family multiple generations to really get someone in a position to do well in life. But the idea that whites are exercising a, to use your words, "toxic and gripping combination of racism and power" is straightforward delusion - made very clear by the fact that non-white people around the world, billions of them, would trade everything they have to settle in the US. They would be utterly mad to wish to move there if it really was as you say it is.
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I mean, I don’t believe you’re making a good-faith argument here. You don’t seem to have made the slightest effort to understand or address the importance of systematic power imbalance when it comes to discussion of racism. Apologies if I’m wrong, but I’m basing that statement on what you’ve written there.
But if anyone reading this *is* actually interested, here’s my comments on the above:
1) The “immigrant from Bombay or Calcutta has a father who owns a huge business” scenario. This is just using an extreme theoretical example to distract from a real and widespread everyday problem. Yes, there are wealthy and successful people from minority groups. That’s irrelevant to discussions of racism. Racism is about power, and the systematic structures (e.g.: police, Congress, law, CEOs) that reinforce that power imbalance. The simple fact is that being white gives you a huge head-start in life. You can be successful if you aren’t white, but you’re *far* more likely to get opportunities for success as a white person. Schemes like the one in the article are trying to fix that imbalance. They don’t succeed completely (or even come close), so they are merely one small step towards a fairer society.
2) The myth that the left believes that “an unemployed coal miner from West Virginia deserves nothing and must atone for his ‘white privilege’”. Actually, the left are the party that supports the poor and underprivileged. Plenty of white people are underprivileged when compared to their rich counterparts. But people who are poor *and* from a minority group face even more of a struggle. All struggling groups should be helped, and the political left supports this kind of help, e.g.: via taxes on the rich. *Additional* (not exclusive!) support for minority groups is a natural part of this, as a step towards restoring the balance.
3) Describing the racial discrimination applied to other countries. This does not excuse racism in your own country. On the contrary, you could argue that progressive nations have a moral duty to show the rest of world how it’s done. If the USA and Europe want to be “world leaders”, this is how to do it. Show the way, don’t just use empty words.
4) Arguing that white people are dominant because they’ve been around for longer. I mean, this is just flat-out ignoring the history of racism across the USA (and Europe). It’s no accident that white people dominate. This is all down to deliberate actions by white people to introduce a power imbalance (e.g.: slavery) and maintain it through to the modern day (e.g.: Jim Crow era laws, gerrymandering, ethnic profiling). The way to undo this deliberate power imbalance is through deliberate contrary action, and not just letting things continue as they are without any intervention.
I'm afraid nothing you wrote has any particular relevance or connection to reality. Notably you start off by saying what I wrote was "in bad faith" which is usually another way for someone to say "what you wrote is true but inconvenient" and then you proved to confirm that by not taking on any of the specific points I put.
A few obvious points. What I wrote about an extreme example was clearly an extreme example. Nonetheless if you look at the statistics immigrants from India and the Far East often do better in all kinds of measures than whites. So the blunt statement you make about being "*far* more likely" to succeed if white is not totally accurate and regardless it begs the question of why, societies are too complex to say it's just down to this or that fact. Maybe some groups work harder in some areas. So what if one group or another does better. Jewish people for example do far better in terms of education than any other group. Does that mean they are exploiting the rest of us? What about the "over representation" of Indians in medicine? Do you want to see fewer Jewish academics employed in universities for example?
You do the little trick of saying racism is "about power" and thus racial prejudice, which is what most people consider racism, when directed against a white person - even one without power - is no longer racism. What was that about arguments made in "bad faith"?
And it's certainly no myth that at least some in the modern left have abandoned the white working class. Indeed there are clear arguments being held within the Democratic Party as to whether they need to now "move on" and just go all in for a new type of economy and new demographics. They talk with glee about the shifting demographics in purely electoral terms completely uninterested in the economic damage it has caused. Notably the left has actually been far harsher on black poor people than whites - it is in black youth unemployment rates that one sees the damage done by both massive legal and illegal immigration. Then again it was the Democrats who supported slavery and Jim Crow so it's hardly a shock.
Good luck with number 3! I'm sure the average Indian will enjoy your lecture on why he must campaign to have fewer Indians succeed in India.
As for number 4, your point is just utopian gibberish. What I wrote about success coming often after multiple generations is backed up by all the data and is utterly inescapable. Indeed it's often taken, or used to be in saner times, as a part of the American Dream. The man who migrates and works hard to give his kids a shot at going to college. Then you say white people introduced slavery! This shows the damage that can be done through ignorance and lack of education. It was the white man who abolished slavery - a civilizational achievement no other people had matched throughout history. That is part of the reason why, though you have the luxury to complain, billions of non-white people almost all disagree with you and want to come live in the US.
A few obvious points. What I wrote about an extreme example was clearly an extreme example. Nonetheless if you look at the statistics immigrants from India and the Far East often do better in all kinds of measures than whites. So the blunt statement you make about being "*far* more likely" to succeed if white is not totally accurate and regardless it begs the question of why, societies are too complex to say it's just down to this or that fact. Maybe some groups work harder in some areas. So what if one group or another does better. Jewish people for example do far better in terms of education than any other group. Does that mean they are exploiting the rest of us? What about the "over representation" of Indians in medicine? Do you want to see fewer Jewish academics employed in universities for example?
You do the little trick of saying racism is "about power" and thus racial prejudice, which is what most people consider racism, when directed against a white person - even one without power - is no longer racism. What was that about arguments made in "bad faith"?
And it's certainly no myth that at least some in the modern left have abandoned the white working class. Indeed there are clear arguments being held within the Democratic Party as to whether they need to now "move on" and just go all in for a new type of economy and new demographics. They talk with glee about the shifting demographics in purely electoral terms completely uninterested in the economic damage it has caused. Notably the left has actually been far harsher on black poor people than whites - it is in black youth unemployment rates that one sees the damage done by both massive legal and illegal immigration. Then again it was the Democrats who supported slavery and Jim Crow so it's hardly a shock.
Good luck with number 3! I'm sure the average Indian will enjoy your lecture on why he must campaign to have fewer Indians succeed in India.
As for number 4, your point is just utopian gibberish. What I wrote about success coming often after multiple generations is backed up by all the data and is utterly inescapable. Indeed it's often taken, or used to be in saner times, as a part of the American Dream. The man who migrates and works hard to give his kids a shot at going to college. Then you say white people introduced slavery! This shows the damage that can be done through ignorance and lack of education. It was the white man who abolished slavery - a civilizational achievement no other people had matched throughout history. That is part of the reason why, though you have the luxury to complain, billions of non-white people almost all disagree with you and want to come live in the US.
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5) The “What about successful Jewish people who try hard” argument. This is why it’s all about power. There’s nothing wrong with people (or entire groups of people) being successful because of their hard work. That’s awesome. But all groups of people should compete on a level playing field. They currently do not, because of the dominance of white people throughout the power structures of western society. That’s why it’s important to identify these systematic imbalances of power and correct them. Until they’re properly fixed, we need short-term counter-actions like the one described in this article.
(And by “good faith” argument, I mean I don’t think you actually want to research and/or learn anything from this discussion, and instead just want to push a right-wing agenda. Various things you say support this view, e.g.: denying the impact of slavery, denying the critical role of Black people in ending slavery, and implying that the slavery-era Democratic Party is the same as the modern-era Democratic Party)
Incidentally, if anyone wants to read about the incredible achievements of some Black Americans throughout history (in the face of massive prejudice, no less), then there’s an excellent article I read recently:
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-undefeated-44-most-influential-black-americans-in-history/
(And by “good faith” argument, I mean I don’t think you actually want to research and/or learn anything from this discussion, and instead just want to push a right-wing agenda. Various things you say support this view, e.g.: denying the impact of slavery, denying the critical role of Black people in ending slavery, and implying that the slavery-era Democratic Party is the same as the modern-era Democratic Party)
Incidentally, if anyone wants to read about the incredible achievements of some Black Americans throughout history (in the face of massive prejudice, no less), then there’s an excellent article I read recently:
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-undefeated-44-most-influential-black-americans-in-history/
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So when I simply pointed out some inaccuracies and inconsistencies on your reductive world view you react by telling me that I don't want to learn anything.
That straw man argument is only bettered by your false accusation that I "deny the impact of slavery". As it happens my ancestors were colonised by the British Empire within living memory, not saves I know but ruled over with all the good and bad that came from that empire. Still modern western societies offer opportunities and fairness far beyond any other part of the world. Which is why everyone else wants to move here, especially the poorest people.
You obviously have a a quite simplistic and well-ordered - in your mind - view of the world. Fine - I get it that it's unsettling when people challenge it and point out where you've got it wrong. in some ways you're an example of what is nice about the west, that even though you have built these wonderful societies you are self-critical. However the problem comes when you go beyond facts and reason and buy into politicised gibberish about "white people" having "systemic abuses of power". Does it even give you pause for thought I wonder that roughly a billion Indians would all think you're mad and would give everything they have to be able to move to and settle in the west? Of course the fact they would doesn't prove you're mad but ought to make you question whether things are as bad as the left is telling you. And then when those Indians get to settle in the west the statistics show they typically end up doing better than white people in their position. How on earth is that evidence of white supremacy or white abuse or any such nonsense?
That straw man argument is only bettered by your false accusation that I "deny the impact of slavery". As it happens my ancestors were colonised by the British Empire within living memory, not saves I know but ruled over with all the good and bad that came from that empire. Still modern western societies offer opportunities and fairness far beyond any other part of the world. Which is why everyone else wants to move here, especially the poorest people.
You obviously have a a quite simplistic and well-ordered - in your mind - view of the world. Fine - I get it that it's unsettling when people challenge it and point out where you've got it wrong. in some ways you're an example of what is nice about the west, that even though you have built these wonderful societies you are self-critical. However the problem comes when you go beyond facts and reason and buy into politicised gibberish about "white people" having "systemic abuses of power". Does it even give you pause for thought I wonder that roughly a billion Indians would all think you're mad and would give everything they have to be able to move to and settle in the west? Of course the fact they would doesn't prove you're mad but ought to make you question whether things are as bad as the left is telling you. And then when those Indians get to settle in the west the statistics show they typically end up doing better than white people in their position. How on earth is that evidence of white supremacy or white abuse or any such nonsense?
If anyone wants a thorough dissection of the topic of racism (and why power is so important), then listening to white people (like me) talking about race is not your best option. I learned *tons* from reading this book by Black British author Reni Eddo-Lodge. She is amazing.
https://books.apple.com/us/book/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race/id1202545895
The title is based on an article she wrote in 2014, that eventually led to this book (which is, obviously, her trying once again to talk to white people about race
)
It’s full of answers to everything discussed above, including the issues around special support for minority groups like the one in this article.
But there’s loads of great articles out there written by Black people (and other people of colour) about the subject of race. Be proactive. Go find them. Read them. They’re bloody good!
https://books.apple.com/us/book/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race/id1202545895
The title is based on an article she wrote in 2014, that eventually led to this book (which is, obviously, her trying once again to talk to white people about race
)It’s full of answers to everything discussed above, including the issues around special support for minority groups like the one in this article.
But there’s loads of great articles out there written by Black people (and other people of colour) about the subject of race. Be proactive. Go find them. Read them. They’re bloody good!
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