Jonathon Stern argues many great points concerning the connection between race, computer technology, and education. Stern creates many connections between the three latter subjects, but these connections are as stretched as a pair of jeans several sizes too small.
I agree with Stern’s notion that society, including the figures mentioned, has a tendency to glue the ideas of race and economic status together leading to stereotypes in computer advertisements directed toward the Black American cyber space. However, the irony makes its way through the article as Stern perpetuates this stereotypical connection automatically connecting race with lower class, and thus less opportunity. You can’t make an argument calling out a stereotypical tendency; yet have the whole article follow suit.
Stern is correct to mock the idea that cyberspace is a raceless space in which race is a nonexistent variable, because that is easily proved a mere utopia when reading a youtube comment section. Racial slurs, pride, and neutrality all roam the pages that make up cyberspace. The world through computers is only a mere reflection of society, so it would only make sense for there to be a mixture racial negativity, positivity, as well as neutrality yet, I disagree with Stern’s tendency to lean toward the more negative over the positive. However, Stern makes a statement that assumes a lack of black American presence on the internet comes from the nullness of race translating to whiteness through a personal search through CYHIST’s archive. He searched for words such as “race”, “minority”, and “ethnic” and assumed that their lack of observable results was proof for the “whiteness” has been the assumed cyberspace users rather than those of color. Yet Stern fails to take into consideration one simple thing here. No person of color would consider themselves automatically as “ethnic” or a “minority”. These terms come from a superiority of the white perspective casting those of color as lesser and when using the technological spaces, people of color would not have a tendency to associate themselves in these belittling terms.
The law that never actually became a law that Stern refers to is also compelling at its surface. However he blows a miniscule incident into a revolutionizing concept that changed race relations on the internet. I’m not trying to downplay the effect that the tax return had on the contribution of technology in certain schools and areas, however, I am saying that I do not believe that this bill that never became a law made this impact. Stern means well, but his connections of loosely correlated events are prevalent throughout this analytical piece.
Stern is attempting to make a great connection here between race and the technology in schools, or r
ather lack thereof in “minority” schools, but the results are merely a compelling slippery slope argument that makes a basket full of assuming arguments. Yes there are racial aspects in cyberspace, Yes there are socioeconomic biases that allow preferential resources to schools in affluent areas, and yes it appears that technology is not as prevalent in “minority” schools. However do I believe that the connections made by Stern are well based? No, I observe quite the slippery slope.
I agree with Stern’s notion that society, including the figures mentioned, has a tendency to glue the ideas of race and economic status together leading to stereotypes in computer advertisements directed toward the Black American cyber space. However, the irony makes its way through the article as Stern perpetuates this stereotypical connection automatically connecting race with lower class, and thus less opportunity. You can’t make an argument calling out a stereotypical tendency; yet have the whole article follow suit.
Stern is correct to mock the idea that cyberspace is a raceless space in which race is a nonexistent variable, because that is easily proved a mere utopia when reading a youtube comment section. Racial slurs, pride, and neutrality all roam the pages that make up cyberspace. The world through computers is only a mere reflection of society, so it would only make sense for there to be a mixture racial negativity, positivity, as well as neutrality yet, I disagree with Stern’s tendency to lean toward the more negative over the positive. However, Stern makes a statement that assumes a lack of black American presence on the internet comes from the nullness of race translating to whiteness through a personal search through CYHIST’s archive. He searched for words such as “race”, “minority”, and “ethnic” and assumed that their lack of observable results was proof for the “whiteness” has been the assumed cyberspace users rather than those of color. Yet Stern fails to take into consideration one simple thing here. No person of color would consider themselves automatically as “ethnic” or a “minority”. These terms come from a superiority of the white perspective casting those of color as lesser and when using the technological spaces, people of color would not have a tendency to associate themselves in these belittling terms.
The law that never actually became a law that Stern refers to is also compelling at its surface. However he blows a miniscule incident into a revolutionizing concept that changed race relations on the internet. I’m not trying to downplay the effect that the tax return had on the contribution of technology in certain schools and areas, however, I am saying that I do not believe that this bill that never became a law made this impact. Stern means well, but his connections of loosely correlated events are prevalent throughout this analytical piece.
Stern is attempting to make a great connection here between race and the technology in schools, or r
ather lack thereof in “minority” schools, but the results are merely a compelling slippery slope argument that makes a basket full of assuming arguments. Yes there are racial aspects in cyberspace, Yes there are socioeconomic biases that allow preferential resources to schools in affluent areas, and yes it appears that technology is not as prevalent in “minority” schools. However do I believe that the connections made by Stern are well based? No, I observe quite the slippery slope.