For a long time, tech culture has focused too narrowly on technical skills; this has resulted in a tech community that too often puts companies and code over people. Greater Than Code is a podcast that invites the voices of people who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of color, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of software development and technology. Greater Than Code is providing a vital platform for these conversations, and developing new ideas of what it means to be a technologist beyond just the code. Featuring an ongoing panel of racially and gender diverse tech panelists, the majority of podcast guests so far have been women in tech! We’ve covered topics including imposter syndrome, mental illness, sexuality, unconscious bias and social justice. We also have a major focus on skill sets that tech too often devalues, like team-building, hiring, community organizing, mentorship and empathy. Each episode also includes a transcript. We have an active Slack community that members can join by pledging as little as $1 per month via Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/greaterthancode)
Episode 021: Social Justice Warrioring and Codes of Conduct with Phil Sturgeon
00:28 – Welcome to Greater Than Code: The SJW Takeover
00:53 – Origin Story, Superpowers, and Bike Messengering
Had pesto chicken pasta for dinner, in honor of @philsturgeon’s interview on @greaterthancode today. 😋
— Sam Livingston-Gray (@geeksam) February 23, 2017
07:59 – Long-form Blogging (aka Rants)
08:50 – Codes of Conduct: Adoption, Enforcing, Conspiracy Theories
“Codes of Conducts are so full of slippery slope arguments, they could open a waterslide park.” @philsturgeon
— Greater Than Code (@greaterthancode) February 23, 2017
17:40 – What it means to be a “Social Justice Warrior”, Tolerance, and “Being Nice”
Tolerance is not a moral precept
Coraline Ada Ehmke: On Opalgate
27:46 – False Reports vs Genuine Issues; Dogmatic Logic vs Empathy
Susan J. Fowler: Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber
Phil Sturgeon: Talking About Diversity: Marginalization
39:40 – Transitioning From a Men’s Rights Activist and Being a Good Ally
I Was a Men’s Rights Activist: One man’s journey from misogyny to feminism
“Being an ally isn’t a badge that you earn. Being an ally is a process and you’re going to fuck it up.” @CoralineAda
— Greater Than Code (@greaterthancode) February 23, 2017
47:56 – PHP vs Ruby
Greater Than Code Episode 002: Avdi Grimm
Reflections:
Jessica: Turning confusion into something that assuages everyone else’s. Also, failing upwards: When something doesn’t work out, something better will.
“Being an ally isn’t a badge that you earn. Being an ally is a process and you’re going to fuck it up.” @CoralineAda
— Greater Than Code (@greaterthancode) February 23, 2017
Sam: In tech we have tools for doing root cause analysis, and we’re really used to using those to figure out technical issues, but those very same tools can work for social issues as well. Try The 5 Whys on something that isn’t technical.
Coraline: Thinking about how to get past people’s visceral reactions against social justice issues and think about how to create better allies.
Phil: Start bookmarking things that are helpful.
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Special Guest: Phil Sturgeon.