Hi everyone!
Your responses have been so engaging, thank you! For anyone who might have missed a module so far, take a moment to check out your classmates responses, I think it will help situate you in the conversation.
I like to start the semester with Science Under the Scope, because I think it unveils the reality in how our environments (not just natural, think social systems too) shape our reality. There might be certain truths we think are irrefutable (tbh I even challenge 1+1 = 2 because doesn’t 2 also signify a third, new thing?) but there is no way to separate our humanness and biases from the science we do, no matter how hard we try. I’ll keep offering examples through the rest of the semester.
So, what if instead of proclaiming neutrality, we embraced our subjectivity and crafted a new world entirely? As Wang alludes to, capitalism and whiteness will always be extractive and create unbalanced hierarchies; that is their function. Is there a way for people to experience abundance outside of these systems? What if we put our energies into crafting that type of world? There are people already working towards a world outside these rotting constructs. We can look to Black women and femmes who have been sharing with us Afrofuturistic dreams forever.
In Octavia Butler’s science fiction, there is room for disabled Black femmes, they are often the heroines. This isn’t a literature course, but I highly recommend reading any of Butler’s post-apocalyptic work where the systems that were in place failed and it’s up to the true innovators to create something new.
Okay maybe that was a bit of a tangent from our text, but it’s all connected. I had a friend come over for dinner a few weeks ago, they’re a designer, and they challenged me to think about how much my life is impacted by other people’s decisions. They said “look at your phone, Steve Jobs and his team designed that, what would you have done it differently?” The School of Poetic Computation (link) states that “poetic computation is a relational practice organized around communal study” and lecturer Olivia McKayla Ross poses the question: “what if software was made by people who love us?”
For this week, let’s finish up Science Under the Scope sections nine, ten, and eleven. And please respond to any two of the questions I posed to you in this module (lol I posed a lot). I want to hear from you!
Next week we’ll change gears a bit and look at some writing in the field of engineering so that we can practice the form.
Thanks everyone!
As Wang stated, “capitalism and whiteness will always be extractive and create unbalanced hierarchies”. This is the unfortunate truth that resides in today s world. Society alludes that Whiteness is the ideal role in any career specially STEM. The field is filled predominately white males that live religiously by their objective laws. There is a way for people to experience abundance outside of these systems. For example, starting organizations that support people of color and women to pursue careers in science. As well as, allowing them to participate in any research and to accept their different methods that may oppose the traditional ones. If we put our energies into crafting this world then it will likely happen. It has already happened, people of color and women are get more opportunities to join the field but unfortunately are being treated unfairly. If we come to accept them then science would flourish to its full potential.
Yes there is a way for people to experience abundance outside of these systems, but I think that the process would be slower. Those in power have more access to resources and having to experience abundance outside of that system would have some obstacles, however those can be overcome with support from others. The process would also take time in having to find safe ways to do certain things. People in power, or sometimes people in general depending on severity, have a habit of doing what they want, when they want to and do not consider the consequences until after the fact. When trying to do an experiment or even do a normal life activity, it might take longer to have to look at all the possible outcomes and who, or what, can be harmed while doing so. Even though there are ethical guidelines in place, I feel like people find loopholes while conducting their research. I think if the right type of energy was put in, then good things can happen. The amount of positive energy put in to this type of world would show dedication and determination towards a good that could be beneficial for all.
I believe that whiteness is the ideal role in STEM fields in today’s society I also believe that there are ways people can experience the abundance outside of these systems. We can do this by boosting diversity and bringing in people from various backgrounds to provide fresh insights. Creating programs for minority students to participate in research and encouraging the youth to pursue careers in the sciences and research. Allowing the next generation of great minds to be involved in more STEM subjects, as well as allowing people of color to contribute more to healthcare and shine a light on issues in STEM.
The function of capitalism and whiteness, categorized as “extractive,” is to “create unbalanced hierarchies.” Wang alludes to this statement to highlight the idea that within society, we see inequality in various fields, more specifically in the labor force. Capitalism produces inequality in society as it is an inevitable product of capitalist activity. Therefore our community becomes stratified and structured along race, class, and even gender. Resources and opportunities are being distributed unequally among those individuals who don’t share the characteristics of whiteness resulting in them becoming underprivileged. For example, if a black woman and a white man are applying for the same job position, let’s say it’s for a job specifically in the STEM field, the white man has a high chance of getting that job position. I agree that this only happens in certain circumstances because changes have been made. However, these changes aren’t sufficient enough to create a “balanced” society. People might have the opportunity to experience abundance outside of these systems if they join those organizations already created whose goal is to diminish inequality. These organizations already have the proper resources or are working to acquire these resources to create a better, balanced society with balanced hierarchies. If we put our energies into crafting this world, there might be significant changes. For example, there have been many cases where a black woman has had high credentials and was better qualified for a job position in STEM compared to a white man. Unfortunately, in the long run, this black woman would be treated unfairly and unfavorably by others due to her race and gender. If those individuals who are in the same position as that black woman use their energies to create a space where people feel safe to have honest conversations where nobody feels singled out, or different, inequality and discrimination would not be as highly active in the workforce. We must be confident enough to believe that there would be a new world that would break the relationship established by capitalism and whiteness and instead be a world dominated by all races. Capitalism in this new world would continue to meet the people’s needs and benefit societies as a whole.
I think that there are small steps that can be taken to craft a world without subjectivity. One step would be talk to other people about biases in science. There are people that may be unaware about biases in science. Another step that can also be taken is participating in clubs that speak about inequality in the field.
I think embracing our subjectivity is a step in the right direction. Science is not purely objective as we learned from Wang. If we could craft a new mindset where all were included and subjectivity was allowed it would be much better than the current scope of science because so many groups and people are not represented in science at the present time that the objectivity in science is flawed. There are ways to experience abundance outside of Capitalism and Whiteness. The underrepresented groups can work together to beat these systems and create networks of their own. This will take time and money because the underrepresented have been at a disadvantage since colonialism.
If instead of proclaiming neutrality we create a new world-embracing subjectivity then I’m very sure that there would be a lot more conflict in the world. For example, not all world leaders’ subjective opinions or ideals line up which can lead them to engage in conflict. We are all plagued by our own biases and feelings which undoubtedly result in disagreements in this world. Now imagine if we structured this world around subjective thoughts with no repercussions at all. I don’t think that there is a way that people can feel abundance outside of the systems of whiteness and capitalism. This is because you have nothing to work for since everyone will have their fair share. There wont be any abundance because everyone will always have the same. It’s in human nature to be power hungry and greedy so without whiteness there will be another group of people who will takeover regardless of their race or anything.
I believe we should create a new world. But inequality will exist in some forms no matter what; all we can do is minimize it as much as possible. Anyway, creating a new world means we get to set our own rules for how we want society to function and how we give back to society. Today’s society’s rules were set by the whites, but by creating our own world, we can give everyone equal opportunity to do contribute and implement science for good. But this also means cutting off our ideologies and beliefs that were shaped by a society where white people were dominant. And yet we can most definitely feel abundance. Because as Wang said in her comic, even modern Europe didn’t come with all scientific advancements on their own, even though they claim to be. It was through power, colonialism, and exploration of a trade that allowed for sharing of knowledge and ideas. Each new piece of information came from somewhere, from other races outside of their own. The Europeans combined their own knowledge and knowledge from other societies and nations to forge their scientific evolution. And yet, because whites became the dominant race, the traces of other cultures’ contributions were not highlighted and eventually forgotten until you dig up the history book. But In a new world where all marginalized groups could gather and form their own identity, I believe it would be possible to enjoy abundance without the help of the whites. Numbers equal strength, and we can create many possibilities to educate, to raise those communities to a level where they can stand on equal footing as well.
I think it would be hard for a world where subjectivity is embraced because it creates a lot of confusion and questions. People need facts and people tend to find it hard to believe in things that aren’t backed up by facts or reason. We live in a world where everyone’s opinions are different and not everyone thinks to same. I feel like nothing will get settled upon if we embrace subjectivity.
As mentioned, “Wang alludes to, capitalism and whiteness will always be extractive and create unbalanced hierarchies”. I agree with him on this statement because this world will always be racist, I honestly lost hope that racism will end because the human mind is set to see skin color as a big difference. No matter how many movements or speeches we do for us black people to be seen as equal, people will always have a mind of their own. People can try to live outside of these systems by not letting life depend on the thoughts of other and creating groups they feel inclusive in.
I think crafting a world without subjectivity would be nearly impossible due to the opinions of others that would clash with the idealistic nature posed by Wang. Mainly in the way of people always having a difference, whether it be social constructs or by appearance. However, the notion is moving in the right place where to get past these biases we first need to create a new system, but it’ll take time for that to occur.
Ideally, we must push ourselves to engage with others, to make room to openly work alongside others with a fresh idealistic world on mind. Creation of an all inclusive STEM feild and a world that benefits from it equally depends on staying cognizant of and even revering of our diversity and individuality. Our diversity and cooperation can be a catalyst for a new, more human future, including a richer history and more resilient solutions; solutions that wont be reseached by the white dominant culture and others that will never be funded by capitalism.
Now I look at my iPhone, everything about this device was made to get me to spend my money on it, spend all of my time with it and give it as much attention as it can get. I often feel like I love it. The research regarding the phone was paid for to maximize my likelyhood of turning my experience into a chronic habit, not maximize my well being. It has been maximized to serve me ads and clickbait, while seeming to minimize its main job: to surveille me and sell my attention. These devices were adopted to keep us connected, and while they do accomplish that, they also drive so many new and hard to identify wedges between us. In brief conclusion, if the iPhone were made with love, it wouldnt have never showed up in a box with no headphones and a lightning cable instead of USB-C. No class, Apple, no love.