On 01/15/2012 01:15 PM, Ben Sturmfels wrote:
On 15/01/12 12:42, Dennis K wrote:
I never said there was no sexism at all. Obviously, such things like sexism and racism, do exist. I did say however, that even if they didn't really exist in certain areas, there is a vested interest in combating it, as some people professionally do this. No one will act in a manner which renders their profession, or field of study obsolete or unneeded. People will also construct problems in a way which makes them the arbitrators of solutions. Everyone does this.
Dennis, I have no doubt your comments are well intentioned. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, but please tread carefully.
Regardless of what you mean, generalisations can easily derail the discussion. Especially over email where we lack tone of voice and body language.
Regards, Ben
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I understand it's a sensitive issue. In a nutshell, I'm saying that individuals who themselves aren't discriminatory fall into the trap of acting in a discriminatory manner when they define correct behaviour and correct outcomes by another's standard other than their own. This can undermine their efforts to encourage certain people to participate.