FWIW my takeaway from the article is that mentoring is a more effective way to facilitate change than any other type of social program. I didn't put much stock into the child-raising argument as it doesn't really apply to us: we deal with adults.
----- Original Message ---- > From: Benson Margulies <bimargul...@gmail.com> > To: dev@community.apache.org > Sent: Thu, September 16, 2010 12:49:54 PM > Subject: Re: [proposal] integrating wo...@a.o into an Apache code of practice > > Feh. Another screed about raising children from someone who has, apparently, > never met one. > > Every parent I know has had the same experience: hand some infant female a > truck, and she rejects it. I'm carefully choosing my words to avoid claiming > that this is universal, as opposed to extremely common. > > My daughters were no exception. Attracted like magnets, initially, to dolls > -- and later interested in a variety of subjects. The ballet dancer will > probably not write the next Linux, but the jury is still out the younger > one. > > The author just retypes the same old tired stuff about kids and toys, when > reality is much more complicated. > > People are born, it seems, with a complicated set of predispositions, some > of which are more or less strongly related to gender. Toy stores sell what > people buy, and some of what people buy is what their kids pop out wanting. > > On the other hand, the claim that pre-age-seven play habits are causative of > later decisions and preferences is supported in this piece only by quoting a > Jesuit. Even by the low standards of social science, that's weak. It's also > stupid, thoughless, determinism. It never ceases to amaze me that any > suggestion of generic influence rejects to the point of offense, but the > same writers assert that environmental effects are cast into immutable > stone. > > Maybe women are just smarter and have figured out that they can get more > money for less work in marketing? > > On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 12:36 PM, Joe Schaefer <joe_schae...@yahoo.com>wrote: > > > Indeed, and on my birthday no less. Good read. > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > > > From: Bertrand Delacretaz <bdelacre...@apache.org> > > > To: dev@community.apache.org > > > Sent: Thu, September 16, 2010 12:31:56 PM > > > Subject: Re: [proposal] integrating wo...@a.o into an Apache code of > > practice > > > > > > On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 6:10 PM, Joe Schaefer <joe_schae...@yahoo.com> > > wrote: > > > > ...I think > > > > we should remain open to future initiatives, even those that > > > > present potential "corrective" biases which favor underrepresented > > > > groups.... > > > > > > I agree with that. > > > > > > About women, I found this article very interesting: > > > http://jolieodell.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/women-in-tech/ > > > > > > -Bertrand > > > > > > > > > > > >
