Indeed. Silicon Valley is either racist or a meritocracy. Silicon Valley is either sexist or a meritocracy. Corporate America is either racist and sexist, or it's a meritocracy. That's pretty much the fault line. The Jim Crow south? Either racist, or a meritocracy. Nazi Germany. Either antisemitic or a meritocracy. Pick one or the other to believe.
One of the hallmarks of geek culture is the inability to conceive that their world is not a meritocracy. Because it would basically destroy them personally if it's not, so they'll tell themselves anything to keep up the delusion.
I generally consider Michael Arrington to play something between an under informed idiot and provocateur to draw links and clicks to his website, something that you have helped him. However this does legitimately look like an attempt at CNN to construe his remarks using sensationalist tactics to generate controversy. I do get a little bit of schadenfreude seeing Arrington get outclassed by an even bigger provocateur with an even larger microphone.
However kudos to you as well on pulling off the triple lutz of highlighting the quotes to try and make Michael Arrington look like a racist idiot of some kind, while mocking him for attempting to defend himself against Soledad O'Brien's shameless rabble rousing, and then complaining about how too much attention on this important issue. Because oh dear, you really have no choice but to make that the highlight of your article because someone is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to do it.
I mean, look at how far we've come in 3 decades...from Bill Gates, an upper middle class blonde haired white guy...all the way to...to....Mark Zuckerberg...who.. uh....who is a....
One of the hallmarks of geek culture is the inability to conceive that their world is not a meritocracy. Because it would basically destroy them personally if it's not, so they'll tell themselves anything to keep up the delusion.
However kudos to you as well on pulling off the triple lutz of highlighting the quotes to try and make Michael Arrington look like a racist idiot of some kind, while mocking him for attempting to defend himself against Soledad O'Brien's shameless rabble rousing, and then complaining about how too much attention on this important issue. Because oh dear, you really have no choice but to make that the highlight of your article because someone is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to do it.
Truly it's a meritocracy.
I mean, look at how far we've come in 3 decades...from Bill Gates, an upper middle class blonde haired white guy...all the way to...to....Mark Zuckerberg...who.. uh....who is a....
Shit.
That is, if anyone not following Arrington is aware of who he is without context. Never leave that information until the second paragraph!
I'm blinded by my white privilege.