I’m a little confused… you talk about the individual but then go on to suggest things that are actually systemic. If you address poverty, education, etc., you’re addressing it systemically. The fact that it will disproportionately benefit any one group is a byproduct of your original point that different groups are different. What is the individual aspect of that? Just voting?
I’m a little confused… you talk about the individual but then go on to suggest things that are actually systemic. If you address poverty, education, etc., you’re addressing it systemically. The fact that it will disproportionately benefit any one group is a byproduct of your original point that different groups are different. What is the individual aspect of that? Just voting?
"you talk about the individual but then go on to suggest things that are actually systemic"
Yeah, as Voice of Reason says below, I'm not denying that systemic racism exists. Not at all. I'm pointing out how useless it is to stop thinking at that point.
Systems are made up of or changed by individuals. Goals are made up of clear, measurable steps. Too much of the rhetoric today doesn't get anywhere close to addressing those details.
The individual aspects is just action. As I said, Martin Luther King was an individual. The people who run community programs are individuals. Politicians are individuals. Yes, voting matters too, but there's lots that individuals can do aside from that, big and small, to make a difference.
I think Steve’s point there was to concede that all those systemic approaches are also needed—just not exclusively, at the expense of individual responsibility.
As a young man I had a huge amount of privilege. White, male, tall, athletic, handsome, with ability to get along with others. There is privilege in every bit of that. As a result, I was given projects that were challenging and interesting, something that you don't always get when you are getting started. It was difficult and I was forgiven when I stumbled. More privilege. As a result, I developed.
As time went on, women and minorities started entering technical fields. As Chris pointed out, "a minority has to be superlative in the same role where a majority can be average."
They were often given projects and tasks that were beneath them, with less change to advance or shine. Not to toot my own horn, but this was a place where I could do something. My manager, a woman at that time, expressed low regard for a female engineer from another department in a meeting. I spoke up for her and explained that I had worked with her and there were things about her that she didn't have the visibility to that I had. It helped get her a bit of respect, and a chance to earn it.
I was known as a go to guy for technical help, but probably some of the most important help was not the technical stuff, but to help people who were not given respect as a starting point receive, earn and feel respect. One Vietnamese engineer told me that he almost quit his job but because of me he stayed. In an environment where some people try to boost themselves up by stepping on others, especially the ones easy to step on, it is much better to do the right things. In one case my help enabled someone to surpass me. He earned it and I have no regret. There were people who helped me along the way.
None of what I wrote above was to boast. It is given as examples of what an individual can do to help people in a less privileged demographic. Policies from above can get them in the door, but they can too easily be nudged out unless individuals do their share to give them a chance.
I’m a little confused… you talk about the individual but then go on to suggest things that are actually systemic. If you address poverty, education, etc., you’re addressing it systemically. The fact that it will disproportionately benefit any one group is a byproduct of your original point that different groups are different. What is the individual aspect of that? Just voting?
"you talk about the individual but then go on to suggest things that are actually systemic"
Yeah, as Voice of Reason says below, I'm not denying that systemic racism exists. Not at all. I'm pointing out how useless it is to stop thinking at that point.
Systems are made up of or changed by individuals. Goals are made up of clear, measurable steps. Too much of the rhetoric today doesn't get anywhere close to addressing those details.
The individual aspects is just action. As I said, Martin Luther King was an individual. The people who run community programs are individuals. Politicians are individuals. Yes, voting matters too, but there's lots that individuals can do aside from that, big and small, to make a difference.
I think Steve’s point there was to concede that all those systemic approaches are also needed—just not exclusively, at the expense of individual responsibility.
As a young man I had a huge amount of privilege. White, male, tall, athletic, handsome, with ability to get along with others. There is privilege in every bit of that. As a result, I was given projects that were challenging and interesting, something that you don't always get when you are getting started. It was difficult and I was forgiven when I stumbled. More privilege. As a result, I developed.
As time went on, women and minorities started entering technical fields. As Chris pointed out, "a minority has to be superlative in the same role where a majority can be average."
They were often given projects and tasks that were beneath them, with less change to advance or shine. Not to toot my own horn, but this was a place where I could do something. My manager, a woman at that time, expressed low regard for a female engineer from another department in a meeting. I spoke up for her and explained that I had worked with her and there were things about her that she didn't have the visibility to that I had. It helped get her a bit of respect, and a chance to earn it.
I was known as a go to guy for technical help, but probably some of the most important help was not the technical stuff, but to help people who were not given respect as a starting point receive, earn and feel respect. One Vietnamese engineer told me that he almost quit his job but because of me he stayed. In an environment where some people try to boost themselves up by stepping on others, especially the ones easy to step on, it is much better to do the right things. In one case my help enabled someone to surpass me. He earned it and I have no regret. There were people who helped me along the way.
None of what I wrote above was to boast. It is given as examples of what an individual can do to help people in a less privileged demographic. Policies from above can get them in the door, but they can too easily be nudged out unless individuals do their share to give them a chance.