Posts by Lucas&

Your top five dreadful people the Google manifesto has pulled out of the woodwork

Re: Screw the statistics. I'd use the best people I can find to do the job.

Dear Kieren,

Again, I don't think you've read his "manifesto' well. Yes, he picked his science, but it is almost impossible to be objective if you have an opinion. I believe that, though his document is flawed, he was trying to be objective. Your claim that "he is basically refusing to ever listen to people who want to explain why his bias is wrong and counter-productive" is nowhere substantiated and frankly I don't get this impression. On the contrary, your writings give me more the impression of "refusing to ever listen to people who want to explain why your bias is wrong and counter-productive". My request to you would be, please stop reading and writing about this topic for a day and then calmly read his "manifesto" again. If you still feel the same, you're probably more right than I give you credit for.

Good luck, Lucas

I almost feel like crying

Where Kieren McCarthy and James Damore seem to discuss a topic that still has not been resolved after centuries, it makes me very sad that especially Kieren's reaction sends us back to a time where, instead of discussing and working through effects and causes one by one, the believe is that shouting louder or seemingly more eloquent is more important than actual listening, trying to understand the opponent and building a foundation for bridges.

I don't know Kieren or Kieren's background and my guess would be that the topic was too close to home. From the text it is very clear that, either Kieren did not read the article or did read it badly. In any case, to make a list of 'a-holes' is closer to putting witches on the stake than trying to progress a difficult and complex problem.

The question is not whether James is wrong in many ways (as, in my opinion, he is), the question is whether what he said can be used to help in the process of progressing the issue of underrepresentation. In my opinion, the reaction of Sundar Pichai did the opposite and so does Kieren. I would urge everybody to read James Damore's piece intelligently and with an open mind. Hopefully, not to agree with him, but to think about more effective ways of progress than calling names.