[jriot]

A group of white males can be diverse, we just don't accept it.

Do you think a group of white males who went to Stanford, MIT etc... right after high school, are the same as those who joined the military, yet now work in the same company?

[malcolmgreaves]

They will have a common thread: they all will be recipients of privileged treatment by society. That is indeed a crucially important fact that will share their attitudes and perspectives.

[briandear]

White male coal miners, it could be argued, have had a lot less privilege than a Bobo Stanford grad female accountant. Nancy Pelosi has had a heck of a lot more privilege than some laid off Detroit auto worker.

Elizabeth Holmes, who’s father was Christian Holmes IV, a former Vice President of Enron, was a lot more privileged than pretty much anyone reading this now.

The idea that gender alone determines privilege is ridiculous. It’s far more complex. Yet hiring a pedigreed Elizabeth Holmes would be “diversity” but hiring some West Virginia white male community college grad from a coal miner family would be “Privilege.” That’s ridiculous. Hiring a black Princeton grad is “diversity” but hiring a white University of El Paso grad is “privilege.”

If people really care about diversity, they’d hire for diversity of experience or diversity of thought rather than diversity of biology.

[malcolmgreaves]

Please do some.more reading on what white privilege is. You are confusing it for physical or financial comfort: this is not an correct interpretation.

White privilege is seeing that politicians are mainly white men, that the people often cast as the heroes of movies and TV shows and books are white men, that nearly everything in society characterizes the "good guy" or the ideal person as being a white man. (I also hope that you learned about the history of how people of color, especially black men, where presented in society.)

It's also why white people are not afraid of being murdered by cops as they reach for their car registration and insurance. Or as they answer the door to a belligerent, entitled, drunk, off-duty cop who attempts to B&E into their home. [1] (This sort of thing never, ever happens to white people.)

The privilege isn't something as superficial as more money: it's significantly deeper. It's summarized as the notion that being a white man means every opportunity is available to you and there are no closed doors.

Perhaps a better way to think about it is that white privilege is the absence of any systematic biases or abuses based upon your gender or skin complexion.

[1] https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/24/dallas-police-...

[jriot]

White males who enlisted in the military were not recipients of privileged treatment by society.

[malcolmgreaves]

Yes they are. You don't understand what white privilege is.

[mantas]

Come to eastern europe and tell more about white privilege...

[malcolmgreaves]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18305769

[mantas]

How is that related to eastern europe where 99% of population is white?

Of course our politicians are white. And we're not afraid to be murdered by cops because cop violence is next to non existent in there.

It'd be interesting to hear how there're "no closed doors" and "every opportunity is available" to nobody since whole population is white. Yeah, right, everybody is white and rich and healthy and has plenty of opportunities :) Especially the older generation that grew up in soviet times and lived through 90s :)

Relations with western europe, both on political and personal level, is a wide topic as well...

I'm pretty sure average black american is more privileged than average eastern european. So how about black privilege? Or is it just people in different countries and in different socioeconomic status face different issues, regardless of color...

[jriot]

Seeing that you grew up in Massachusetts, went to CMU, and now live San Francisco, I can see why you hold that opinion.

Come visit me in Louisiana and I will show its a socio-economic issue, not a race issue.

[malcolmgreaves]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18305769

[jriot]

You're not going to convenience a white southern who enlisted in the military out of high school on the myth of white privilege.

[Chris2048]

How does that inform your reasoning above? How does being part of a group racially targeted by cops mean you can bring something different to a software development team, outside very specific examples of software?