Quote from: tekla on December 10, 2008, 10:26:15 AM
If you read academic hiring postings you see the words "Females and other qualified minorities are encouraged to apply" which is academic double speak for "we're not going to hire a white guy, so don't waste your time."

Really.  I thought it was academic speak for "personnel office not staffed by bigots, you might actually have a hope in Hel for once." 

Sorry if I come across as a bit spiky on this topic but when you've been turned down for multiple jobs on the grounds that "this is a male environment, you wouldn't fit in," "women can't use computers," and seen your mates go through similar garbage it's very hard to listen to people telling you how terribly terribly persecuted white men are.

Quote from: Lokaeign on December 10, 2008, 05:48:54 PM

Quote from: tekla on December 10, 2008, 10:26:15 AM
If you read academic hiring postings you see the words "Females and other qualified minorities are encouraged to apply" which is academic double speak for "we're not going to hire a white guy, so don't waste your time."

Really.  I thought is was academic speak for "you might actually have a hope in Hel for once."

It does seem to imply that if only certain persons are encouraged to apply, that other persons are discouraged from doing so.

No, it means that we can pretty much take it as read that white gender-conforming cis males are going to apply anyway, and don't need extra encouragement whereas a woman or a person from a minority group might well have been turned down so many times that they've become utterly disheartened and need the invitation to get them to even try.  I'd like to see signs that mentioned trans folk as well, but this is a start.

I didn't say that it meant that white men were discouraged from applying. I guess I should have been more clear in my post.

What I meant was that is seems to imply to me that a person such as myself should not consider applying as I am part of a group that is not being explictly encouraged to apply. To me, that does seem like persons like me are indeed discouraged from applying. But, that's how the subtext appears to me. That doesn't mean that what I perceive as the subtext is the actual intention of the statement. It's just how it seems to me.

Sure is the way I read it, and - because I pay attention - its the way it comes out.  You can find out who got the job after all.

I just realized that we can be Queerosexuals.

Yes, I know. Get back on topic.