Goldman Handed Out Cosmetic Mirrors and Nail Files at Women’s Coding Event
dealbook.nytimes.comGoldman Sachs not only generously sponsors an event advocating female coding, but they also hand out free gifts that they think that women may appreciate (and if they don't it's not a far walk to the bin). Then they get slammed by a nobody on Instagram who only provided vitriol as her contribution. It's very clear who the actual problem is.
They are reinforcing stereotypes about women at an event whose purpose seems to be about breaking the stereotype of computer science being for men.
> "... they also hand out free gifts that they think that women may appreciate ..."
Why do you stress the fact that the gifts are things that particularly women may appreciate? I've never noticed that my female colleagues are more vain than men at work and need a mirror while programming. To get women into computer science for real, we need to stop with these gender stereotypes.
If I were to buy my significant other roses or perfume or something nice; is that gender stereotyping? Should I have bought them power tools instead? (Agreed, in some cases, yes - but buying for one person that you really know is significantly easier than an entire crowd)
Maybe the organizers should have bought them thumb drives. The only problem with that is there would be another crowd, equally as zealous, complaining that they are "nerd stereotyping."
Computer science right now is like a boy and a girl noticing that they have different "bits." The difference is that children move past their differences and play together in the playground anyway - they may think the other one is weird, but they can still play in the mud together; so they don't care. Adults [on the internet] on the other hand are entirely incapable of doing the same.
> Why do you stress the fact that the gifts are things that particularly women may appreciate?
Because of that exact wording: "may"
To give a completely relevant example: when I was a child my sister would often play in the mud, climb rocks and tree, blow up ants, make paper planes and play Lego with me. In the exact same way I would happily play barbies with her (yes, I played barbies - usually Ken, very manly). Were we gender stereotyping eachother? No, we were having fun together. I can just imagine the fun we would have had if we restricted ourselves to gender-neutral activities. Maybe I just grew up in a world where differences were respected, not swept under the carpet.
Seems relevant! For those of you who have never met a woman, they also have faces and nails just like us! What a thoughtful and anthropocentric gift :)
Now it's not like _only_ women have faces and nails, but hey a gift is a gift!
> In addition to the mirrors and nail files, Goldman Sachs provided T-shirts and key chains to hold headphone cords.
(Doesn't say if the t-shirts were women's cuts)
Google brought socks.
Everyone likes clean socks