Sunday, September 28, 2014
Response to "Exposing Hidden Bias at Google"
After reading the article "Exposing Hidden Bias at Google," I am left with the question of how they would implement diverse hiring practices. It would not make sense to simply start not hiring white males, as that would just be more discrimination. While I do feel that Google's new diversity policies could definitely benefit them, there are many potential pitfalls that they could run into in the process of implementing these policies. For instance, if Google decides to enact policies that would limit the hiring of white males, though they are the majority in the company's workforce makeup, problems could be brought up. Afterall, is it ethical to combat discrimination with discrimination of another kind? How could that be considered justifiable, especially when more and more groups go up in arms over injustices commited towards races, genders, or even sexual orientation. For me, I guess, it feels as if correcting their work staff and replacing it for the sake of diversity would be more detrimental to their company than having and keeping the competent staff that currently are there.
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Your response, though short, is completely accurate. I couldn't help but agree, hiring fewer white males intentionally is in itself the very dame discrimination Google is trying to eradicate. I am inclined to point out your lack of evidence, but your point is clear enough and the information well put.
ReplyDeleteThe supposed lack of evidence is completely intentional, as this is more of an opinion piece rather than an in-depth analysis of the article.
DeleteAlthough the post does not need more evidence specifically, I do wish you had gone a little more in-depth into the issue.
DeleteNot once was race mentioned in the article, but that is primarily what the post is about.
Consider this quote:
"Mr. Bock read an article in The New York Times about a study that showed systematic discrimination against female applicants for scientific jobs in academia. The effect was so pervasive that researchers theorized the discrimination must be governed by unconscious cultural biases rather than overt sexism."
Can you see any negative result of these biases continuing?
Your post was very short, sweet, and to the point. I couldn't agree more that by not hiring more males that would be equally as bias as not hiring as many women. It is a tricky situation that never satisfies either side. I would like to suggest that you provide more facts. Thanks for the great read! Check out my blog!
ReplyDeleteLike Brandon said, your article was short, and sweet, and was different than all the ones I read. I enjoyed how you debated among the solutions to this issue, and not the actual problem. However, although I agree with hiring less males would just be more discrimination, the issue of more men being in the workplace is not necessarily caused by hiring more males. It could be caused by women simply not applying for these jobs, due to society's implications. Overall your perspective was creative and interesting, and I look forward to reading your future blogs.
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed your straightforward writing and agree with the idea that two wrongs don't make a right however you stated that trying to hire discriminately may be more detrimental to the company than staying the same would be, do you have a different view on this on a larger scale. Do you still believe that to make any drastic changes to fight imbalances in gender roles would be too detrimental on basic life as women have been at a disadvantage for all of history or do you think that something should be done in a major way to try and tip the scale?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said in your response. No matter what you do, you cannot please everyone. There is always going to be some people who aren't satisfied. You might solve one problem but then another one comes up because of what you did in order to solve that one problem. In this case, like you said, hiring a lower number of men solves the problem of having a lower number of female workers but then this creates a problem of discrimination, as now, Google appears to favor women over men. It goes back and forth as an endless cycle and in the end, I believe that it is impossible to satisfy everyone, and that sometimes, it is best to simply the matter alone.
ReplyDeleteI like how you presented your ideas of the discrimination against white men, but I disagree with your last claim. Google is doing this first for business. It would rather gamble with the status of white men in their company than pass the opportunity of improving their public picture with a "more diverse team." Discrimination towards women and non-whites is more common than discrimination against whites. Google would choose to side with the group with more attention to attract more consumers from those groups. A better picture means a better profit.
ReplyDelete