This term, along with “cryptobro” are used a lot on TYT. I’m not going to lie it bothers me a little bit. Not enough to make me never want to watch TYT ever again. But it bothers me enough to make this post to advocate against using the term/
Its always used as a slur, and never a term of endearment, which is what bothers me. I think it comes from the belief that all or most tech workers are super wealthy and right leaning. I’ve been working in the tech field since 2010. I have never known a single co-worker to be a right winger.
Also, I think the postfix “bro” implies white male. Yet throughout my career, I would say less than 10% of my co-workers were white. The most common race is by far Asian and Indian.
It is correct that 99% of my co-workers are male, none of the companies were really a “bro” culture where women weren’t welcome. The term “bro” implies misogyny, which I have never experienced.
Lastly, it would be one thing if TYT broadcast their show using 1920s technology, but they are not. It was the “techbros” that they ridicule that make TYT possible.
I call myself a "Nerd. We even have a “neeerrrdddssss” channel over in the TYT Official Discord but it’s more for things like SCi-Fi, Comics, Fantasy, etc. “Dweeb” tho I agree with. That one still hurts some
The reason that many terms in language have become offensive is due to their use to denigrate, minimize, reinforce stereotypes, dehumanize, and generally separate people into the “other” category to justify treatment that can be as terrible as torture or genocide. In general, at a societal level, we do not have any reason to delegate techbro and similar terms as offensive, because In general, they have not been used that way.
If your coworkers are treating you this way, you should probably go talk to your supervisor or human resources, as required. If not, you should probably look inward and figure out why you find this term offensive, and address the mental issues at hand. You should discuss with friends and family that the term bothers you, and discuss with them what is going on.
Because techbro and similar terms are descriptive of a certain kind of person that in general is negatively perceived by others, you should just distinguish yourself as not a techbro. If you are legitimately a techbro, which it does not sound like you are, you would just have to accept that people in general do not have a favorable view of techbros, in the same way that many people do not have a favorable view of billionaires like Elon Musk.
I live in this world too and it is really one sided in many ways. Everything you said is correct so far but incomplete. While I am with you I find the term offensive to some degree I also understand why they feel social pressure to disparage these men.
In this world lots of money flies around and everyone sees it. My friends are all pulling crazy salaries in other words. The problem that most don’t understand is that these salaries aren’t easy to hold down. The bigger your bill the more the company wants to cut you at any given point.
This leads to job security being a really big deal. This also leads many to either hold on to their job tightly or be willing to change jobs at the drop of a dime.
The change jobs at the drop of the dime or the fair weather tech bros seem to be the ones that rub others the wrong way sometimes. This is because at its root they are perceived to be smart and often have dubious ethics especially in marketing.
Lies drive marketing in many ways and not just any lie but a certain type of lie. This at its root seems to be the cause of the ire.
As for TYT’s pejorative framing has to do with the knock on effect. They think by framing people in this way they are discouraging this behavior amongst the young and impressionable. They fail to understand that many of the tech bros are progressive or libertarians. It is just those at the very top and very bottom are tech bros in their eyes. This makes no sense to me either.
When a tech bro is pushed to define their libertarianism they tend to get lost in a morass of defining freedom as a paramount keystone to this philosophy. This puts them ideologically more aligned with progressives than the right in my opinion. Progressive media fails to realize that when they frame tech bros to broadly they are doing damage to brining them into the fold.
I am not sure how to prevent this really. At its root seems to be the comfortability in a certain level of ridicule and degrading that seems to be rooted in gender. These men are considered the winners in life to some degree so this is tolerated. I think others don’t understand that it is a huge struggle between a bunch of super smart dudes carving up a pie that is heavily controlled by investors / investment institutions. A lot of these guys would have more money than the average bear but they are swimming in a sea of sharks.
TYT and others should know that these bros are really on the fence ideologically and it doesn’t do your cause any good to group them together / disparage them.
This is beyond the identity of being a nerd or dweeb those spheres of identity are long gone. By those older definitions many would fall under them. This is really more about blockchain technology and a bit of fear of grifting / unknown.
The problem with comparing the term “techbro” with the term “nerd” is two fold:
1, Nobody self identifies as a “techbro”. Lots of people will call themselves a nerd. Its very common to hear a person refer to themselves as a nerd.
2, The people that use the term are never in the tech industry. It’d be another thing if TYT employees were all programmers, but they are not. If I call someone a techbro, it wouldn’t be offensive because the term applies to me. When someone not in the tech industry uses it (for instance, everyone at TYT), then it’s offensive.
If you find the term offensive then maybe you need to ask yourself WHY it is offensive to you. For me it is just a term that describes somebody in the IT/Tech field. And as far as comparing it to “nerd”; I remember when if you said you were on your Commodore 64 or Tandy 1000 doing a little Basic Programming that you were called a “nerd” or a “geek” or a “dweeb”. Then the tech boom of the 90’s hit and everyone figured out that there was money in being a “nerd”. That is when we TOOK the name and made it a badge of honor for us. And that is why I do not see “techbro” as a negative term but one that I will embrace and make sure that people do not see it as a negative thing but a positive one
Because the word is meant to be offensive. Every time it is used, it is meant to be offensive. The word “nerd” is never meant to be offensive. “Nerd” just means “huge fan of something”. Everyone is a nerd in some way. Every time the word “nerd” is used, it is coming from someone who is a nerd themselves.
“Techbro” on the other hand does not describe everyone. The definition of techbro is not “anyone who likes technology”, the definition is clearly “people who work in the tech industry”
Look up any video on TYT where the word “techbro” is used, and examine the context. Every time, it’s used disparagingly. The context is always “those stupid techbros are at it again”.
Also, you can’t just say something is not offensive. If people are offended, then it’s offensive.
If there was a huge group of tech workers who are calling themselves “techbro”, then maybe you’d have a point. But that is not happening.
Did you miss where I said back in the 70’s/80’s that “nerd” was a derogatory name? Being called a nerd back then meant you were the “smart kid in school who couldn’t get a date unless it was your mom or another relative”. It is where “Waldo” came from.
My point is that a term like “techbro” is only as derogatory as you let it be. It only has power if you give it that power. And as far as TYT using the term in a derogatory way goes; I have seen them use it that way but I also see it as them directing it at the people they are talking about and not a big group of us Tech-nerds. Remember, you can have good nerds and also bad nerds Hi Elon & Zuckerburg. I have also seen them use the word “politician” to mean a bad politician like all of Washington DC and then use it to mean a good group like the Squad.
That’s stupid though. Are you going to say the same thing about the N-word? Do black people just need to “get over it”. Its only offensive because they let it be offensive?
It’s all about context. Show me one time when TYT or anyone else have ever used the term “techbro”, or “cryptobro” in a positive way? Literally every time the “bro” postfix is used, it’s to make a negative point about the person in question.
I am of the persuasion that things that are initially considered offensive by a small portion of the population will probably be phased out. In example, the word “retarded” was used as slang for a good amount of years until "persons with developmental disabilities (aka ID/DD) became the normal usage in the late 2000’s. Society, the legal world, and verbiage take a minute to catch up to shifting micro linguistics.
This is exactly why humanity as a whole will never accomplish anything. I actually thought the conversation on the TYT members platform would be different than social media but it looks as if I was wrong. Just a little advice I have found helpful in my lifetime…you cannot control everyone around you, especially the words that come out of their mouth, for self peace and a clear head to think clearly it is best to learn to control yourself.
If "humanity as a whole will never accomplish anything’, it will be because of idiots like you that make terrible arguments.
Are you also going to make this same argument against those who are offended by racial slurs? Do they also need to lean to just “control themselves”. That’s is absurd.
What do you get out of using this term? Why can’t you just say “tech worker”? Why use the term that offends, when a perfectly non-offensive term is available. Do you just not want tech workers to be progressive? Then just come out and say it.
Yeah it is being used a pejorative by most TYT hosts. This doesn’t earn you friends when people identify with both communities.
The term nerd was used as a pejorative for many years and was slowly destigmatized by technologies ubiquity.
I think techbro is used due to crypto markets predictable pump and dump cycle. This does prey cycle does prey on ill informed. I will say that this cohort (younger men) are traditionally pushed to the bottom of the hierarchy in the unskilled workers category. Attempting to curtail their access to the economy will have deleterious effects on a society.
Are you implying that black people are inherently better than tech workers? And therefore such comparison is something that should never be done? If so, then explain why. Why are black people inherently better than tech workers?
neeerrrdddssss” channel over in the TYT Official Discord but it’s more for things like SCi-Fi, Comics, Fantasy, etc. “Dweeb” tho I agree with. That one still hurts some