Thoughts on the unconscious gender bias
It is popular these days to see articles such as this in the press:
So why aren't there more women represented in math, engineering or atheist groups? The obvious default answer is always discrimination. And if it is not overt sexism (and for the most part most guys aren't) then there must be an unconscious sexist bias among men. And I would agree to a certain extent with the following famous example:
A boy and his father were involved in a car crash. The father dies but the boy lives. The boy is rushed to the hospital with a severe subdural hematoma. He is rushed to the operating room wherein the chair of Neurosurgery is about to perform the craniotomy but then stops and says "I can't operate on this child for he is my son." How can the boy be the neurosurgeon's son?
I will freely admit that I got this wrong and failed to recognize that the chair of Neurosurgery was indeed the boy's mother. Instead I said that the father who died was his stepfather or some other explanation which implied that the neurosurgeon was male. Indeed even though I don't consider myself to be sexist, my assumption was based on gender bias which was likely the consequence of social programming from childhood onwards. And it is interesting that when this story is told to many children today, they will either say that the neurosurgeon was the boy's mother or that the boy has 2 fathers in a homosexual relationship.
This is all great. We can educate our young in a nurturing culture that promotes diversity and equality. But how far will that take us? Despite this wonderful social engineering, I predict that in 50 years social psychologists will have similar studies as described in the article above explaining that we still live in a sexist or racist society. And there are 2 explanations for why I forsee this:
1. Humans will always have innate cognitive biases based on groups ie. we will always discriminate a person based on his/her group.
2. Social psychologists themselves have a tribal morality (as detailed by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/haidt11/haidt11_index.html) and a sacred taboo to provide explanations of group differences other than discrimination ie. they get their jollies vilifying the "privileged" group
And it is the second explanation that annoys me like that ever growing itching hemorrhoid. It is their insane quest for the perfection of human nature. In fact often liberals annoy for similar reasons. We will never, never, never achieve a social or cultural utopia. In fact, no one has a blueprint for one. Marxists have tried over and over again and failed at it. it is this pathetic insistence that men (particularly white men) always have and always will be bad as a group.
And if there are unconscious gender biases either they will improve or they won't with social programming. And if some form of advanced social programming fails to perfect us, then will social psychologists shoot themselves? What is their ultimate solution?
In the long run should they not offer practical solutions? That life for an individual regardless of his/her race, gender, age, class, physical appearnce or sexual orientation will always be like walking through a field of roses with a lot of hidden thorns. If you as an individual don't make it math or engineering is it remotely possible that you're simply not good enough in the end despite the elimination of all barriers? And inevitably there will always be individuals who are exactly like you who are not good enough. Will all of you collectively continue to shout discrimination or instead point arrows at yourselves?
Folks, I think we can evolve into a better society wherein we educate our young better and eliminate all barriers. But unfortunately, I forsee in the long run (even when my kids become grandparents) an outcry of alleged discrimination and there will always be articles like the one at the beginning of this thread. There will never be a perfect society wherein every group is equal. And even if we eliminate groups and we're all equal we could ultimately end up like these guys and torment the universe:
Cause, really there is a bad side to us that we will never get rid of.