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by sp332 4667 days ago
How is "speak up" less abstract than "just listen"? They're both good advice. But there are so many issues that you'll have to be abstract to describe them collectively. I think "just listen" is good advice because you have to know what kind of problems there are before you can even recognize someone being an asshole.
1 comments

"Just listen" can be helpful to identify problems, but here's the issue: we all already know of 99% of the problems! We just don't act on them. Social pressure is a powerful thing, and most of the time that's all it takes to correct issues.

"Speak up" isn't abstract, it's concrete: if you hear someone say something inappropriate, tell them. That's it. Simple as that.

we all already know of 99% of the problems!

I strongly disagree. Minor changes in wording can affect the gender gap. It doesn't involve anyone saying something inappropriate. http://www.ere.net/2013/03/01/you-dont-know-it-but-women-see... Stereotype threat can dramatically affect test scores. http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org/definition.html Most people have no idea these things exist. Fixing them takes more awareness than just telling off the "bad guys". You have to change your own behavior.