zlacker

>>zdw+(OP)
I've written software for Intel, Nintendo, Samsung, LG, DirecTV, Applied Materials, Microsoft, and Apple to name a few. My last project was the basis for an entire business line at a 500m/yr company.

I am unemployable because I'm a white male whose in his 40s, has a family, and because somehow, in this industry experience is a bad thing.

It amazes me how intolerant of age and differing opinion tech culture is.

>>oceang+x4
I'd rephrase that a little: it is not because you are a white male.

It wouldn't have helped if you were a minority either: in fact that can be even harder - at least around here.

But it is annoying in a special way to hear about that male privilege thing and know it means next to nothing - and still be told you should feel bad about it.

>>reitan+A6
As someone who firmly believes in "that male privilege thing," people who tell you that you should feel bad about it are wrong. There's nothing wrong with privilege.

It's a lot like privilege in the operating systems sense. sudo isn't a bad program because it has root privileges. The kernel doesn't need to apologize for running in a privileged CPU mode. But sudo and the kernel both have abilities that regular userspace programs don't - and the ability to cause damage that regular userspace programs don't. They (or more specifically, their authors) need to be aware that they're privileged, be careful about doing things with the privilege by mistake, and realize that other programs can't do the same things they can. But that doesn't mean that they can do everything, or that it's their fault if there's something they're unable to do, and it certainly doesn't mean that it's meaningful or productive for them / their authors to feel bad about the privilege.