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No. 176748
>>176733 And when I think "Old Boys Club", I think of all the toxic, virulent, absolutely vile SysAdmins I have seen or heard about over the years. The people who are the absolute best at this are nearly all men, and in very subtle ways they set the tone for all of the tech industry. That tone is not friendliness and inclusion, it's an absolute hatred for any perceived failing and derision. This is kind of the whole thing: it's not a conspiracy to keep women out, it's a kind of vileness that arises from being so technically adept and at the same time so shut off from the world. Simultaneously you are hated, revered, and kind of untouchable in a SysAdmin position. Tie that up with the perceived sexual inadequacy of the geek (who is hilariously more employable than the jock now), and it's not so much the unforgiving work that gets to you as it is the intolerable people.
Which, I think is unfortunate, because this technology is so central to everything. But this has been the key failing of the American school system over the last 20 or so years; we've failed to push out high enough numbers of really technically adept students. Which is a problem, because technical adeptness is what's driving the future, what's driving economy, what's driving business, what's driving science, and what is driving true innovation. The significance of these technologies is massive and we have failed to leverage them to create better classrooms, to create more interesting schools, and to create a smarter public.
Opportunity is lacking, quite simply. And as we continue on our current path it lacks even more. It is there for a slew of people who have the right roll of the dice, the right upbringing, teachers, experiences, etc. But the frequency with which people do not understand or have no reason to care about the tools handed to them is what is truly crippling our society on some level.
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