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the idea that being good at stem means you must be some kind of magical wizard creature was deliberately created by the people at the top, who believe that only the rational elite are truly capable of understanding things

it never felt like it fit me

but people kept trying to dress me up in it

this classical colonial approach still dominates so many areas of academia

especially economics and political science

There's a big difference between hegemony as the dominant power and associated belief system, and hegemony as total power and a universal belief system.

The former is trying to establish the latter. But it can't. The tension of that contradiction is irreducible.

the 'everyone' that loves generic beige slop is never spoken from

it is always spoken for by those that consider themselves superior to it

feeling anxiety about having anxiety is a logical and predictable result of a system that classes emotion as sinful and shameful and corrupt

doesn't stop me having it

but still helps me deal with it i think

Luxury of Hell

In Al-Mawasi or as we call it, “Open Torment” where the heat shows no mercy, and sleeping under the stars isn’t a luxury, but a necessity. Fans are mythical creatures told in bedtime stories, just like air conditioners relics from a past life.

only if you assume that criticism must be the product of a lack of care and attention

no it's based on the needs of bullshit merchants

especially their demand to be protected from any form of criticism or challenge

it's insulting tbh

no

we don't have to get on board the bullshit train

we don't want to

we know it's not intended to help people like us

?

as if they've offered you a new Approved Dinner Time and if you endorse it you will have no choice other than to treat it as an absolute natural law

such a fucked up culture

i don't actually think they're trying to stop people from being able to eat dinner at any other time

usually that principle is just 'because I said so' 😫

That's something that happens in reverse as well.

My grandad was a former science teacher who'd seen a lot of talented female students put off by the bullshit and his support made a lot of difference I think.

the most famous one is probably Richard Dawkins

I remember that professor from undergrad 😫

just been musing on how many times i've been described as intimidating despite making a lot of conscious effort not to be

i think in some ways that made it worse actually

they didn't break their brains

they chose the side they were already ideologically aligned with

the one proclaiming that the civilised and enlightened in group is superior to the uncivilised irrational out group

I don't think they're actually better at it. They're more likely to be educated according to classical models that assume objective certainty and that means they reject most of what's been discovered since Newton.

Yeah, I think I was trying to get at something between the two with the wizard framing where it's special and powerful but also arcane and disconnected from IRL.

I don't see how that's the primary function. Engineers are one of many groups it applies to.

are you expecting him to come into this thread and start telling people off?

if he isn't anticipating media attacks then i'd tell him i disagree with his strategy

but i doubt that would be the case

just been musing on how many times i've been described as intimidating despite making a lot of conscious effort not to be

i think in some ways that made it worse actually

Yeah. Rote learning isn't intended to develop understanding. It's more about the external performance.

it's intended to gatekeep knowledge it's intended to scare most people and put them off even trying to get their heads around it

thinking you are inherently superior and therefore more deserving than others is supremacist by definition

the idea that being good at stem means you must be some kind of magical wizard creature was deliberately created by the people at the top, who believe that only the rational elite are truly capable of understanding things

it never felt like it fit me

but people kept trying to dress me up in it

Then after a year or two they'd realise the promises were lies and many of the issues the front line staff had been raising from the start were actually real and massive and cancel the new thing. Leaving the existing systems even more wobbly and overloaded.

One of the most frustrating things about working in the public sector was the constant cycle of leaders getting bewitched by shiny promises about tech and buying in to big projects while saying they didn't need to improve the systems we had because they'd be replaced entirely.