Today, I read Cindy Hoang's blog titled, "What It's Like to Be a Girl Who Codes." One thing she said stuck out: as a clear demonstration of how gender inequality impacts everyone negatively: "During that entire week, I struggled to see the guys as equals. To me, they always seemed to know so much more, use bigger words, and essentially, be better programmers. "
There is nothing beneficial about making gods of a group of people or an individual. Role models, people who inspire us, people who encourage us to be better versions of ourselves--a good things. But, when we use categories to make people into pure saints (or sinners), we are denying the most basic aspects of humanity--most especially its complexity. Even the best among us have made, make and will make more mistakes. Sometimes the best role model is the person who teaches us how to admit to making bad choices and to move forward, making better ones for the future.
When a woman enters a so-called "male domain" with the connected belief that it is a male domain because men are best at that thing, it can decrease her willingness to question the behavior of these "superiors." Alternatively, when a person enters a domain with a belief that they are systemically inferior to the majority in that system, the opportunities for manipulation and abuse grow.
The fact is, whether or not someone is better at a given skill or activity than you are, they do not get any extra moral value. You can be a fantastic mathematician and be a total asshole. You can be a fantastic mathematician and still make mistakes.
No category should ever keep us down and out. You should value your skills because they are yours and you can develop and explore them with others. You should see others as worthy of notice in a field not because they are better than you, but because of their efforts in relation to themselves. Often times we have the great fortune of learning from people who have much more knowledge on a given subject, and, when we are lucky, these people help us realize the value of that knowledge for ourselves without idealizing them or degrading ourselves.
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