So a big part of TWITT is not just the encouragement of women in and looking to get into Technology. This could be within what is thought of as the traditional technology ie coding or in the wider definition of technology today ie gaming, mobility & back office roles.
It’s also about challenging bias whether unconscious (internal) or conscious. I’m talking about this because as an individual I hold myself to a high standard of being open and accepting of anything & just accepting what is. This does not mean I don’t challenge situations if it does not feel right but I don’t question people’s life choices . It’s their decision, and I’d they are happy who am I to argue. (NB I do raise and flag concerns as a good friend but then pull back and support them ) .
However, this morning I found myself having a conversation with a fellow neighbour who is in a mixed marriage ( he is white & she is black ).
We got talking about Blackpool where my in-laws live. As part of this conversation he referred to his wife by her name – which for the purpose of this blog we will name Betty and I felt surprised. The conversation continued, with him telling a rattling tale of cross-country pursuits of lost luggage, missed connections, and unwelcome attempts by strange women to feel him up in a bar. My neighbour’s wife and I shared a couple of looks of “really?”, “not a good move”, and so on, but nonetheless it was a sharing of commonality around location, and gender interpretation of the contact. We then said our polite good byes and went on our way.
The point is I got into the car and said to my husband ‘I am a horrible, horrible person’. Naturally he looked at me bemused. ‘No you are not? Why would you say that?’
‘Simply every time I see them I forget her name is Betty. I always think it is something exotic and very traditionally African like Nuba or something – I don’t know why but I do’
His statement came back very simply. and said a lot of things in a few small words.
‘You’re not a horrible person. This is just proof that you are human. And that everyone, regardless, of who they are, and what they stand for, have internally bias’ they have to fight against’.
He is right. I am not a bad person. I was just shocked by own thought processes. I had never considered myself to be biased by people based on colour, race or religion. The simple interaction above shocked and challenged me.
It also taught me that it does not matter who you are and no matter what you think, your internal dialogue/bias will always colour your perceptions and understanding of people. We must always aim to question and challenge those voices to make sure that when making decisions they are truly made, as far as possible, without bias, without reservation.
It is only in our attempt to do so that can we truly try to achieve a fully diverse, and accepting workforce of all people, regardless, of race, gender, ethnicity or disability. It is only be doing this will we see a truly more accepting society around us, and a world where our children are more accepting and accommodating of others. By doing this will we see a more peaceful world a more accepting one, filled with love and compassion as opposed to one filled with fear and hate.
We must all question our internal voices and look towards a brighter future where the words such as bigotry and bias become archaic words of the past and not one which builds our future!
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