As a nerd, I don’t like the end of the article where she says we need to get revenge on the nerds.
I hear you, as many would I think. But realistically, I think calling tech culture into question, even beyond its manifestation in the psychotic tech CEO types, is worth while. It’s really had a dominant run both materially and culturally (a revenge as many would see it), and I think it’s worthwhile questioning the value of a lot of it, in a way I don’t think many nerds and tech people are capable of (sadly IMO).
There may be an inclination to separate the capitalism and nerdy parts. But as an industry/profession/whatever that generally tends to care a lot about itself in various ways … I think tech is disturbingly uninterested in caring about the quality of its profession beyond the bike shedding stuff let alone acting on it in any collective way. There are reasons for this, but given the dominance tech now has in the world, pushing back in the culture wholesale is justified I think.
Yeah, the tech industry tends to do things without thinking of the consequences. For example, the resistance to making software engineering a certified engineering profession like mechanical or structural engineering.
But nerds predated the tech industry, and encompass a lot more than the tech industry.
I also think there is unfortunately a subset of IT people who apply this weird mix of condescending smug cynicism with a stunning ignorance of how people, politics and change actually work to everything in a way that seems to always end up with them constantly running PR defense for really toxic people.
Idk its like I feel like a LOT of IT people think they are lawful good but are only right about the lawful part.
I hear you, as many would I think. But realistically, I think calling tech culture into question, even beyond its manifestation in the psychotic tech CEO types, is worth while. It’s really had a dominant run both materially and culturally (a revenge as many would see it), and I think it’s worthwhile questioning the value of a lot of it, in a way I don’t think many nerds and tech people are capable of (sadly IMO).
There may be an inclination to separate the capitalism and nerdy parts. But as an industry/profession/whatever that generally tends to care a lot about itself in various ways … I think tech is disturbingly uninterested in caring about the quality of its profession beyond the bike shedding stuff let alone acting on it in any collective way. There are reasons for this, but given the dominance tech now has in the world, pushing back in the culture wholesale is justified I think.
Yeah, the tech industry tends to do things without thinking of the consequences. For example, the resistance to making software engineering a certified engineering profession like mechanical or structural engineering.
But nerds predated the tech industry, and encompass a lot more than the tech industry.
I also think there is unfortunately a subset of IT people who apply this weird mix of condescending smug cynicism with a stunning ignorance of how people, politics and change actually work to everything in a way that seems to always end up with them constantly running PR defense for really toxic people.
Idk its like I feel like a LOT of IT people think they are lawful good but are only right about the lawful part.