Watch Us Rise(29)
Everyone gets a chance in the middle. Ms. Johnson pauses after each one to ask us who moved, what that means, and how we can shift our perceptions. She tells us that this game is about breaking down assumptions, and that we should get to know each other rather than making snap judgments. After class I stay to ask Ms. Johnson about sexism in the tech industry, since I think it might be something we could write about.
“Chelsea, please just google ‘sexism in Silicon Valley,’ and see all the madness that comes up. You will be shocked,” Ms. Johnson explains, setting the chairs back up for her next class. “I am so glad you and Jasmine have started the women’s rights club—I mean, it’s about time! You know, what happens is that people think that there’s equality—women can vote, feminism is a hot trend, equal rights for all—and then they gloss over it or think there’s no need for a club or for pushback. That’s when things start to go off the rails, you know? That’s when people stop thinking about harassment and sexism in different sectors. Well, let me tell you, we will be talking all about it this year. There’s a big push in tech for women to be telling their stories and raging against the status quo.”
“The status quo?”
“The existing state of affairs—the way things are run, basically. And in the tech world, things have been mostly run by men. And it’s very problematic. Read the Google memo that went out to all the employees that suggested that women aren’t suited for tech jobs for ‘biological’ reasons, and that they’re prone to ‘neuroticism’—higher anxiety, lower stress tolerance.”
“What?” I say. “You’re kidding me. Is that for real?”
“Yes, and no I’m not kidding. Try reading Gizmodo for a week. I bet Alex Perkins is reading it. Get in there, Chelsea. The only way to change things is from the inside out.”
At the end of the day I find the Google memo. I can’t even believe it’s a real thing. I choose the most bizarre section, print it out in the computer lab, and start an erasure poem, a poem where you cross off lines to make a completely different point. I love the results, so I decide to post it on our blog.
WRITE LIKE A GIRL BLOG
Posted by Chelsea Spencer
James Damore’s Google Memo—An Erasure Poem
Personality differences
Women, on average, have more:
?Openness directed toward feelings and aesthetics rather than ideas. Women generally also have a stronger interest in people rather than things, relative to men (also interpreted as empathizing). vs. systemizing).
oThese two differences in part explain why women relatively prefer jobs in social or artistic areas. More men may like coding because it requires systemizing and even within SWEs, comparatively more women work on front end, which deals with both people and aesthetics.
? Extraversion expressed as gregariousness rather than assertiveness. Also, higher agreeableness.
oThis leads to women generally having a harder time negotiating salary, asking for raises, speaking up, and leading. Note that these are just average differences, and there’s overlap between men and women, but this is seen solely as a women’s issue. This leads to exclusory programs like Stretch and swaths of men without support.
? Neuroticism (higher anxiety, lower stress tolerance).
oThis may contribute to the higher levels of anxiety women report on Googlegeist and to the lower number of women in high stress jobs.
-------------------------------------------
loulou reposted
magicalme commented: Can’t believe someone would even write something like this. Makes me so angry! Thanks for sharing.
mslucas commented: I was just reading about this, and am appalled! So shocking and disheartening. Would love to see more of these erasure poems. Very interesting form!
brandilux commented: Never even knew what an erasure was, and now I’m trying it out all the time. I have even started sharing some of my poems at school, and my teacher asked if I wanted to share at our next assembly. I can’t wait. Keep sharing and posting please!
writelikeagirl commented: So glad you’re writing. Can’t wait to see some of your new poems!
cindyb liked this
elreyes commented: I had the same situation in my STEAM class last year. The teacher only called on the boys in the class, and when a coding program came to our school, he only recruited the guys—he did this openly. He told me he didn’t think the girls would be interested, and that there was already a fashion and songwriting program after-school, and we might like those better.
brooklynforever liked this
writelikeagirl commented: So sorry to hear this. Let’s keep spreading these stories!
m.barns reposted this
-------------------------------------------
The only way to change things is from the inside out, I say to myself. It’s the end of the day, and I love the way Write Like a Girl is shaping up. I’m already thinking about doing a whole series of erasure poems around the tech industry. I’m sure I’ll find a ton of material.
“Spencer, should I be worried about you? First, you blow up in the cafeteria, and now you’re walking around talking to yourself? I feel like you’re starting to go a little crazy,” James says.
“Don’t call me crazy. That’s a way men have been silencing women for decades. Please don’t fall into the group of men who put all women who don’t fit into their nice and neat little box into the category of crazy. You’re too smart for that.”