Political Correctness
After an incident at the Geek Dinner (which I didn't attend) and after this link came up during a heated discussion (probably better described as scattered patches of vehement agreement) on the #clug IRC channel about the political incorrectness of geeks, I think I have an idea why geeks (hackers) tend to be less politically correct.
Geeks, simply put, don't care about being politically correct because it serves no function. It does not generate well written code. It does not solve any problems. It creates new ones. It is a hindrance.
Most geeks are already a little dysfunctional by "normal" standards. They are generally quite liberal in who is accepted in their circle. In the group of geeks I generally converse and mingle with we have different races, different religions, different qualifications, different tastes and different genders. We have widely differing world views. Despite this we get along swimingly because we have a shared interest.
We have some great arguments though. Just the other day I disagreed with someone quite strongly over South Africa's political future. Some days I'd really like to strangle some of the atheists in this group for being so close-minded (traditionally they are the open-minded ones, but you'd be amazed how closed it gets when they don't agree). I have personally taken some time out because my Christian viewpoints most certainly don't go down well in this group.
Enter outsider from stage left. This person is almost SURELY going to be offended at some point. I dare say this point will be reached sooner rather than later. The diversity of the group guarantees it. The important thing to realise is that this has nothing to do with your gender, race or views. In a group as diverse as this, we are unlikely to push people out just because they are different, but we don't mind debating those differences to death.
With that said, there is a place for everything, and the geek dinner incident was perhaps an example of bad taste. This does not strictly fall within the normal inner workings of the geek group anyway, as this was a public incident. As such it is probably fair to say that the presenter should have known better. I mean, I can hang around the house in my underwear but when I have guests it is probably best not to do that, especially if I don't know who else might be forced to share my company.
Not having been there I'm probably not qualified to say too much though. Most of this is just speculation and random thoughts anyway. From personal experience I found that taking offense is often a useless gesture in this group. Everyone in this group has been offended at least a couple of times and had to put up with it. Even the most notorious of them -- healthy white males -- are occasionally treated like the cat dragged them in because they are different in some respect. Then something technical comes up and we bury the hatchet.
In such a diverse group, political correctness is a perceived problem. None of us are liberal enough to qualify as PC all the time. We are almost guaranteed to offend each other occasionally. The only way to get along is to respect and ignore it. Which is why I say: geeks simply don't care about being politically correct. It serves no purpose.
The question now becomes whether we SHOULD in fact care a little more about being politically correct, and whether we can do this without destroying the balance in the group. The notion of political correctness exists for a reason. It would not be wise to simply ignore it, especially in public settings. On the other hand I often feel that too much political correctness, or being too open-minded, destroys your ability to have an honest opinion of your own.
In the end I suppose I really said nothing new. Geeks are a strange and diverse lot where offense is around every corner. When and whether this is acceptable is still very open to debate.
To return to the incident that sparked this line of thought, I'd have to say that not only does it fall outside the normal workings of a diverse geek group, but it also falls outside the set of debatable PC issues. I think the issue of slavery has been solved a long long time ago, it is definitely morally wrong, never mind non-PC. When a woman is reduced to a sex-object, I would say the same applies. As CS Lewis once said: Can you imagine a society where being a coward would be something to be proud of (quoted from memory)? I have to ask: Can you imagine a society where it is morally right, never mind politically correct to portray a woman as a sex object?
I actually expect diverse and heated arguments about this viewpoint of mine...
Geeks, simply put, don't care about being politically correct because it serves no function. It does not generate well written code. It does not solve any problems. It creates new ones. It is a hindrance.
Most geeks are already a little dysfunctional by "normal" standards. They are generally quite liberal in who is accepted in their circle. In the group of geeks I generally converse and mingle with we have different races, different religions, different qualifications, different tastes and different genders. We have widely differing world views. Despite this we get along swimingly because we have a shared interest.
We have some great arguments though. Just the other day I disagreed with someone quite strongly over South Africa's political future. Some days I'd really like to strangle some of the atheists in this group for being so close-minded (traditionally they are the open-minded ones, but you'd be amazed how closed it gets when they don't agree). I have personally taken some time out because my Christian viewpoints most certainly don't go down well in this group.
Enter outsider from stage left. This person is almost SURELY going to be offended at some point. I dare say this point will be reached sooner rather than later. The diversity of the group guarantees it. The important thing to realise is that this has nothing to do with your gender, race or views. In a group as diverse as this, we are unlikely to push people out just because they are different, but we don't mind debating those differences to death.
With that said, there is a place for everything, and the geek dinner incident was perhaps an example of bad taste. This does not strictly fall within the normal inner workings of the geek group anyway, as this was a public incident. As such it is probably fair to say that the presenter should have known better. I mean, I can hang around the house in my underwear but when I have guests it is probably best not to do that, especially if I don't know who else might be forced to share my company.
Not having been there I'm probably not qualified to say too much though. Most of this is just speculation and random thoughts anyway. From personal experience I found that taking offense is often a useless gesture in this group. Everyone in this group has been offended at least a couple of times and had to put up with it. Even the most notorious of them -- healthy white males -- are occasionally treated like the cat dragged them in because they are different in some respect. Then something technical comes up and we bury the hatchet.
In such a diverse group, political correctness is a perceived problem. None of us are liberal enough to qualify as PC all the time. We are almost guaranteed to offend each other occasionally. The only way to get along is to respect and ignore it. Which is why I say: geeks simply don't care about being politically correct. It serves no purpose.
The question now becomes whether we SHOULD in fact care a little more about being politically correct, and whether we can do this without destroying the balance in the group. The notion of political correctness exists for a reason. It would not be wise to simply ignore it, especially in public settings. On the other hand I often feel that too much political correctness, or being too open-minded, destroys your ability to have an honest opinion of your own.
In the end I suppose I really said nothing new. Geeks are a strange and diverse lot where offense is around every corner. When and whether this is acceptable is still very open to debate.
To return to the incident that sparked this line of thought, I'd have to say that not only does it fall outside the normal workings of a diverse geek group, but it also falls outside the set of debatable PC issues. I think the issue of slavery has been solved a long long time ago, it is definitely morally wrong, never mind non-PC. When a woman is reduced to a sex-object, I would say the same applies. As CS Lewis once said: Can you imagine a society where being a coward would be something to be proud of (quoted from memory)? I have to ask: Can you imagine a society where it is morally right, never mind politically correct to portray a woman as a sex object?
I actually expect diverse and heated arguments about this viewpoint of mine...
posted by ispburger at 6:17 am
1 Comments:
Interesting. I would agree, but then I would classify myself as a geek (with the approval of friends and family). It would make sense that those who hold a pragmatic/analytical view of life would be less likely to use PC speech. It would seem to flow more freely from those that are more socio-emotional.
The importance of an open mind is important as you said. I have known too many from both arguments that could not open their eyes, let alone their minds, to see what the other side was really pointing at. As a Christian, I have generally found that most Christians I meet are scared to death to hear something that contrasts their own belief/idea. I know this is a side point, but Mere Christianity [as Lewis calls it] has the ability to withstand questions. Anyway, back to PC.
I have been doing research for a class session dealing with this world-view issue, and have been wading through PC Fairy-Tales, literature, terms, and blogs [both pro/con]. And I wanted to let you know, that I appreciated this blog. Thanks!
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