NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #18/NN_1992_18.iso/spool/misc/writing/2522

Internet Message Format | 1992-08-12 | 3.7 KB

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From: [e-mail] (Maureen Tan)
Newsgroups: misc.writing
Subject: Nasty accusations
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 12 Aug 92 19:27:47 GMT
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <s0067284.713623707@ursa> <[e-mail]>
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In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Len
Olszewski) wrote:

> On the other hand, when I tell people I'm a writer, and elaborate by
> explaining that I write manuals for computer software, nobody ever tells
> me they liked what I've written. In fact, very few people have ever read
> what I've written, and they still get mad at *me* for bad computer
> manuals that OTHER people have written. Many of them begin to berate me,
> though I never let that go very far before responding in my own defense.
>
> Any other technical writers out there suffer through THAT scenario
> before?

  Not that specific one, Len.  But I've been taking a lot of hits lately
from the pea-counters in this politically correct society of ours for
being racist and sexist in my publications' of the University of Illinois
College of Engineering.

 I'm going to rave on about this--about the total and absolute
stupidity of some *readers* for the next few paragraphs and the
ethical dilemmas confronting publications people working in
academic settings.  So, dear  net-friends, some of you might
want to quit reading at this point.

One of the biggest parts of my day job is writing, editing, and
organizing photography for Engineering Outlook.  It's a glossy little
mag that highlights the teaching and research at the University
of Illinois College of Engineering.    Outlook goes out to 26,000+
readers and a few of them  are pea-counters.  I also do lots of little
promo-pieces for the college, and some of them have photos, too.

The problem is, you see, that  engineering is now being touted as a really
great profession for  women and minoritiesQa philosophy that I
totally agree with.  Unfortunately,the philosophy is relatively new so,
guess what?  Most of the senior administrators and super-accomplished,
long-established researchers are  white males.  Most of the
classroom  instructors are white males.   And, for God's sake, this campus
is located in a smallish city in east central Illinois and there's a good
job market  for non-white-male engineering faculty in places with scenery!
 So even when I go out of my way to feature women and minorities in
articles,
 they are far outnumbered by the still- valid stereotype.

 Photos of minority and female students are, at the moment,
politically correct.  Foreign students (my god, Martha, they're
using our American tax dollars to educate the yellow peril!) are not.
 I've recently discovered that there are apparently truly gifted people
among my readership who can determine people's national and
ethnic origins  just looking at  them. All black faces are, of course,
underprivledged students from a big U.S. ghetto and  all Asian faces are
foreign born--probably Japanese.

Finally, there's the issue of proportion.  If for every photo I run of a
white male, I also run one with a  minority student of either gender,
and a female of any race, am I not implying that only one-third of our
students
are white males?  If you were a minority parent or student and made
that assumption, wouldn't you be pissed?

Well, that's the end of *my* rant.  I feel BETTER.  If you've read
this far--thanks for listening!  (Now do you see why I write murder
and mayhem to relax?)

Maureen  (a.k.a. Jane)