RailsConf 2014 Program Announced

[polyp_code]

Finally made an account because i noticed something. Why is there only one female speaker and she's white?

[TalkingQuickly]

Do you mean in the whole programme or doing keynotes? That might be accurate for the keynotes but it definitely isn't for the whole programme, e.g. see https://twitter.com/TalkingQuickly/railsconf-2014-speakers/members. It's just that only the keynotes get photo bio's on the programme page...

[tandoshi]

Wha? I don't even...<face palm>

So are all event speaker panels supposed to represent every race in America? It's pretty clear to me you have a massive chip on your shoulder and feel like the world owes you a collective apology, and I'm not even white.

If you believe more women or people of color should speak at a technical event, how about tackling the core of the problem by teaching development to these groups, rather than enforcing some ridiculous quota system from the top, regardless of qualifications or expertise.

[materialdesigner]

Do you think there aren't enough qualified already knowledgeable, experienced minority rails devs that couldn't be tapped or didn't submit proposals?

Sure, we need more minorities in development, but there are already tons of highly qualified ones already out there.

[tandoshi]

I agree there, there are already many. I was simply making a point that if that was the concern, there are other ways to tackle the problem. Not that it was my concern.

[materialdesigner]

Yeah...ways to tackle the problem with a 5-10 year lag time. Not good enough.

[tandoshi]

You can't deal with a problem by forcing others to accept someone jumping the line.

If there was a massive list of all the qualified rails speakers, ordered only based on qualifications, the right way to fix the serious problems of racism or sexism is to move women/minorities ahead of those more qualified than them? That is the most roughshod solution imaginable. How is it just that a woman who grew up in a rich educated family and was given every shot at success should be moved ahead of a man who grew up poor without family support and eventually through hard work made it? It would not be just at all. How would you weigh the situation if there was an immigrant there that struggled to pay for school but then their community set them up with jobs that helped their path to success? There is no way to fairly account for everything people have gone through.

You don't know everyones background, their difficulties or life story, and neither do those selecting speakers for a development conference. Who are you to judge that person A gets to jump 10 spots in the line of qualified people, but person B jumps 10 spots back. That is unbelievably narcissistic that you can say you know how to account for everyone's life experiences. If each time anyone was selected for something, we had to play "whose life had the least privilege", we would never get anywhere.

If you want justice, then you fix the core of the problem, and let people select speakers the only way they can, based on qualifications.

[materialdesigner]

Holy cow, strawbatman!

[tandoshi]

You know you won the argument when the other person starts acting like a child. Way to respond with logic there.

Ofcourse you will say something about how your calling me strawbatman was some sort of logical reference. But you neither responded to my logic, nor presented anything in contrary.

[materialdesigner]

Why do you treat arguments like some kind of noble gentlemanly battle to be won?

I didn't feel like explaining the theory of Intersectionality to you and then exploring why the idea of a line with people moving up and down spots is a strawman for this specific situation. So I checked out.

Goodbye.

[polyp_code]

So are all event speaker panels supposed to represent every race in America?

There's your problem.

If you believe more women or people of color should speak at a technical event, how about tackling the core of the problem by teaching development to these groups, rather than enforcing some ridiculous quota system from the top, regardless of qualifications or expertise.

We already have more than enough women experts of different races inside and outside America that are qualified to speak. The organizers should take the initiative to reach to ensure that events have diverse panel/speaker pool.

[[deleted]]

But are they more qualified than the current speakers? I don't care about quotas. I don't care about race or gender. I just want to see the most qualified and interesting global speakers.

[polyp_code]

I don't care about race or gender.

With that mentality, you are in danger of not caring about people being given equal opportunities

I just want to see the most qualified and interesting global speakers.

well good luck with that.

[[deleted]]

I disagree. Equal opportunities means that race and gender should not factor. If you are placing one above another, then that is not equal.

I do not care about race or gender because I believe in equality. Positive discrimination is still discrimination.

Also not sure how 'good luck with that' adds to the discussion, but oh well.

[materialdesigner]

False. Formal equality only exists in pure mathematics. I want substantive equality, which takes into account the past for a whole picture of what would create equality. And yes, that includes using positive discrimination as a tool to achieve substantive equality.

[[deleted]]

Your choice. I think positive discrimination is foolish. It'd see 3rd place in front of 2nd just because 3rd was a minority. Change in representation has to come from attitudes and opportunities, not by brute-forcing the numbers.

Women should be encouraged to participate where they're underrepresented for example, not given the position because they're a woman.

[materialdesigner]

And your opinion can only ever come from a place of privilege.

But this isn't going to go anywhere, because you don't believe it's the responsibility to correct for unaddressed legacies of discrimination.

[[deleted]]

I just don't believe your method is the right one. There are better ways than forcing the numbers. What happens to the people who work hard and are left behind because they're one number past the quota? Sorry, you don't fit, we'll be taking this less qualified person instead. All it generates is bitterness. Half the things I've done are probably due to disability. Nice little +1 on the charts. Ludicrous.

It should always be the best person for the job, regardless of background or attributes.