R. E. S. P. E. C. T. isn't dealt with by discrimination training and proactive management

Hmmm. Well this is kind of fun... I am at the apex of what I suspect is an epithany trying to assimilate the view.

Recap:

So my colleague described a minor incident, which she commented about normally being able to laugh it off, which means it had happened more than once before. And there was enough in it for me to get a chill of recognition.

So I was trying to think of other times when I didn't recognise sexism.  Both in my own work and it happening to others when it was just 'minor' but there. And I remembered a chemical engineer I knew who changed jobs and she tried to give me a reason why. And what she said.

And I had read this article Why women are leaving the tech industry in droves and had been nodding along going ... yup yup... and then she concludes "respect" and I'm going "yes of course".

And then, while doing some training today for one of those must-take-so-we-can-tick-off-business-rules stuff I noticed I had been enrolled in discrimination training (again) last month - odd as we weren't told about it - so I thought I would knock that off while I was there.

And... respect doesn't come into discrimination/bullying/victimisation ... in a sense. I mean... it's obvious that if you're not disrespectful of someone you won't do those things... but it doesn't work the other way around. As in, you can not do those things... and still have no respect... but who wants to work in a place like that? And that was the end of that article - the note they decided to conclude on.

I've also been reading Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller.  Which goes through reasons why work exists in this world, and the value of work. Like... there was work in the garden of Eden - to tend, not paving over, not leaving wild, but to develop for the good of humans - both food and flowers. If you can't develop the world at your workplace, well then, it's a pretty dead place.

So... what is 'respect'? Still thinking about that. What it is and what it isn't. When who/what I respect often shows a lot more about me than the person/object that is my focus. And this is helping me tease apart a little of my history and what happened to me.

And then I come home from work and I found this:Why sexism and inequality in tech is bad proven by maths by a journalist I respect because from the start of the gamer gate (deliberately separated for obfuscation) he has had the guts to fight back clearly and with care and thought. My sincerest thanks to David as his article is like the piece of sky that has been missing from this puzzle - the history, how to change, and some more of the why.

There is probably zero hope for my group at work. I mean, seriously after all this time? But it definitely changes the way I think about it. And more importantly how I think about it in relation to myself.

Hmmm. Probably be a two part post this one. But the view is mighty fine.