[sattoshi]

Diversity always seems like a silly objective.

Of all things, why focus on race and gender? How about hairstyle? Why not height? Maybe I feel like my weight is not represented fairly!

I'm just poking fun. Those aren't real questions.

The author promotes the only diversity that matters: diversity of thought.

Anything else should at worst a proxy to get some.

[skybrian]

"The only diversity that matters": says who?

You brought up height and weight, but there actually are situations where they matter. For clothes, obviously, but this also comes up when flying, or anywhere that space is a premium.

And yep, it matters even in the Air Force:

"Out of 4,063 pilots, not a single airman fit within the average range on all 10 dimensions. One pilot might have a longer-than-average arm length, but a shorter-than-average leg length. Another pilot might have a big chest but small hips. Even more astonishing, Daniels discovered that if you picked out just three of the ten dimensions of size — say, neck circumference, thigh circumference and wrist circumference — less than 3.5 per cent of pilots would be average sized on all three dimensions. Daniels’s findings were clear and incontrovertible. There was no such thing as an average pilot. If you’ve designed a cockpit to fit the average pilot, you’ve actually designed it to fit no one."

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/01/16/when-us-air-...

[sattoshi]

Most of your post is talking about clothing size. I don't know what to say about it.

Why does any diversity except thought matter?

After all, that is the argument I have for racist diversity: "different perspectives".

If I can get those perspectives without being a racist, why bother?

[skybrian]

Where do you think different perspectives come from?

As a hypothetical example, if you're designing a chair someone very large or small may have a different perspective than someone of average size.

So the causality in that case is different body results in different lived experience results in different perspective.

This isn't to say you can't learn these things in other ways (such as doing user studies, or previous experience) but it's not as easy to notice what you weren't paying attention to.

Another example might be targeting the Chinese market without being from China. It's not the only way, but think about the amount of travel and study required to get a similar perspective.

Meanwhile you have lots of people who already have the knowledge you're looking for.

[jorgemf]

I think we split based on gender and race because those are clear discriminators. Height or hairstyle are more fuzzy, and probably biologically less relevants to adapt to the environment.

Probably height is more relevant for leadership than gender: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1368430212437211

[sattoshi]

How are those less clear discriminators?

I am sure I could find a study showing that attractive people have a better shot at getting the job. Height is attractive.

[jorgemf]

When I said clear discriminator I mean they are binary: either make or female, either black or white. Height or attractiveness are more diffuse for some people you can be tall/attractive but not for others. Gender and race are clear.

In my opinion height or attractiveness play a role in the society (a big role), but it is easier to talk about gender or race because the clear distinction, bigger represented groups and historical reasons.

[sattoshi]

>but it is easier to talk about gender or race

It's intellectual laziness.

[mempko]

The only response to his post that matters are from the women in tech. Do they appreciate it? What's your guess?

[manigandham]

What does that even mean? You have to be a women in tech to have your opinion valued? Your statement is far worse than anything written in this manifesto.

[mempko]

What I'm saying is either this rant will put women off to tech or bring more in. Their decision to pursue this industry is what matters. Do you think this will be looked at positively by women currently outside tech?

[sattoshi]

Anecdotes but women in tech I spoke to dislike the diversity initiatives as they get seen a token employee who is only there because she is a woman and not because of her skills.

Kind of needlessly degrading.

[linhares]

what makes you say something like this?