Fiat Lux

I know I said at the end of my last post that perhaps we should have a 'blog against sexism in technology' week, and strictly speaking this isn't a post about that, but I think it's relevant anyway. Check out this anecdote from Anthony Bourdain:

I will careful tell you of an equally horrifying episode. At a recent event, I was introduced to the incoming (Beard House honcho whose position I will not describe here). Suffice to say it was a high position. Very high.

When she inquired about the possibility of my involvement in some tandem Beard event with my friend Eric Ripert, I declined, saying it would be hypocritical of me--given what I've said and written--to take part. I explained that I would be an enthusiastic supporter and participant of all things Beard when and if I saw some kind of an effort to acknowledge the people who are actually doing the cooking in this country--the between 30 and 70% of restaurant employees of Mexican and Latino origin--of varying legal status. I was thinking a few bucks set aside for free para-legal advice. Maybe a widely accessible library. English lessons.

Her response? She looked at me with an expression of absolute sincerity and said, "Oh..we're very aware of the important contribution of our Lateeeno population." Then, proudly boasted about the good works Beard House has been doing on their behalf: "Why...just last week at a dinner at the House, 7 out of 10 of the waiters we hired were Lateeno!" She looked at me, guilessly, as if expecting a pat on the head.

Here, it's Latino workers in the food industry instead of women in technology, but the unthinking cluelessness is all too familiar. "The extreme carelessness of the very rich" is how F Scott Fitzgerald put it, and that sounds just about right. The real prerogative of being in a position of power is that you don't have to care. You can slide through your comfortable, privileged life without ever once having to think about how food gets on a table, or why everyone else in the boardroom looks just like you.

I was raised to believe that there's a responsibility that comes with power, though. No one person can do something about all the problems in this world, but you can have an impact if you set a goal and make a real effort to do something about it. Some people like to make fun of Hollywood stars who so earnestly champion their pet causes. I don't. There's few enough people in this world who both want to do something good and are in a position to have that kind of an impact. As far as I'm concerned, the more the merrier.