STEM And Sex

https://cosmosmagazine.com/society/girls-are-just-as-good-at-stem-study-finds?utm_source=Cosmos+-+Master+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=76e3a61790-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3f5c04479a-76e3a61790-180555153

Social justice warriors and radical feminists have a habit of becoming frantic (dare I say hysterical?) when it is suggested that anything other than cultural differences and patriarchal prejudices can explain the differences between the performance of males and females in STEM performance,  this type of irrationality is wrong for several reasons. 

The two most important are that answering one mindless prejudice with another mindless prejudice is a malfunctional way of thinking and does not do anything to solve the problem, it only makes the problem more complex and difficult to resolve.

The second is that denying that reality is real because of your ideological or religious prejudices completely shuts out the possibility of finding out what is actually happening in the real world.  To deny even the possibility that one should study why males and females perform differently as a sort of patriarchal suppression is madness. A properly constructed study would uncover patriarchal suppression while refusing to conduct that study leaves the true nature of the problem obscured and probably unimaginable.

If the results of this particular study are born out, it shows that there is in fact a difference in the structure of male and female brains which does not mean females are inferior at STEM activities, but rather that they process their thinking in a slightly different manner.  A very small adjustment in the strategy of administering tests could be all that is required to eliminate the imbalance. No outrage needed. No protest needed.  Only careful studies, and an open mind.

Being offended, being oppressed, being the victim, and so many other maladaptations to life in a society with our fellow human beings are becoming the norm on both sides of the political landscape. (I must add that it is the absolute default position of conservatives and Republicans while Democrats are beginning to experiment with this tool.)  This is a very serious mistake.It inevitably leads us to a fatal flaw, replacing our facultative capacity to reason and actually solve problems with our obligate capacity to become irrational and emotional.

We each are empowered to make the choice for ourselves — use the capacity our brains have to think clearly and actually solve problems or simply allow our emotions to drown our rationality.

That’s the kind of empowerment I prefer.