Be a tech bro

We should all strive to be our brother’s keeper: to look after each other, inspire each other, and simply enjoy each other’s company. For men this usually requires a shared mission or interest. Mine has always been computers, so I happily consider myself a tech bro.

I know the term has been used to denigrate anyone who has done well with computers or who dares to be excited about them in ways that rub some people the wrong way. But who cares? There is no reason to surrender a perfectly pleasant term of endearment just because small-minded people deploy it to discredit opinions they dislike.

There is even less reason to be ashamed of an earnest interest in computers, the businesses around them, and the merit-based communities that keep forming because of them. You should beam with pride at being part of that progress.

Is the label a free pass to be an asshole or a scammer? Of course not. We can simply call those people assholes and scammers. Their interest in computers, or their skill with them, is not the problem.

Neither is their gender. Yes, men dominate computing. There are many reasons for that; none of them justifies collective guilt. The fact that women are a minority does not diminish the many who work in the industry, and it is more than fine to celebrate their achievements with gusto. Turning the percentages into a struggle session is nonsense.

So if you are a tech bro committed to advancing technology, celebrating progress, and rejecting managed decline, you are indeed my brother. I will always want to shake your hand and cheer you on.