Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#121

Post by zarkov99 » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:49 PM UTC

sp332 wrote: post #71

zarkov99 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because political discussions are incredibly polarizing, specially these days, and once they are allowed they pulverize the company into factions that cannot work together until the more strident or powerful of these factions takes over and pushes everybody else out or into silence. And when this happens, you have an homogeneous political body as the gatekeeper to the worlds information. What could go wrong?

So the key to a diverse organization is not talking about politics? Seems unlikely.

In this day and age, with the gutter level of discourse used daily by politicians? With a media designed to elicit outrage and a populous that has been led to believe that what divides is far more important than what brings us together? Absolutely, at least until the madness goes away.

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#122

Post by eli_gottlieb » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:49 PM UTC

webwielder2 wrote: post #59

It's funny how we pigeonhole "things that actually matter" as "politics" and that those things are somehow taboo. I mean, what's MORE worth talking about than human rights, the environment, history, etc.?

It's funny how there's always some weird overlap between "human rights and public policy" and "culture war over which cartoons are problematic or who was honored with a Google Doodle today".

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#123

Post by gaze » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:49 PM UTC

BurningFrog wrote: post #24

taurath wrote: post #17

Why shouldn’t employees of the company with the goal of organizing all the worlds information debate politics? Everything is political. Especially information.

Because they have work to do. That's why they're there.

Yes but what work? Should that work be done? Google just wants everyone to be good little soldiers and do what they’re told.

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#124

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:49 PM UTC

SkyBelow wrote: post #64

>I think they just overestimated the ability of their employees to respect each other when they hold differing world views. I think this can be quite difficult to do just because of the political views involved. For example, how should a gay man respect a colleague who honestly thinks that homosexuality should be punished with death. In such a case, I would say that even asking the first individual to tolerate, much…

[deleted]

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#125

Post by yters » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:50 PM UTC

michaelt wrote: post #74

doitLP wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they overestimated just how willing certain people are to not do their jobs and sit around arguing while being paid.

If timewasting was the problem, wouldn't they be clamping down on all unproductive conversation, not merely the political? I mean, wasting 10 minutes is wasting 10 minutes, whether I'm talking about politics or football or TV.

Right, if counterproductive conversation was the real problem, then Google should shut down access to HN, b/c I'm sure the aggregate drain on Googlers' productivity is much more than point to point office conversations...

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#126

Post by ixtli » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:50 PM UTC

frenchyatwork wrote: post #9

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Guns shouldn't be political Guns are power, power is political.

By that standard, most interesting work is political.

Yes. Also, the most boring work. Also all work. Also work itself.

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#127

Post by anoncake » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:50 PM UTC

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #50

Talk about work at work. If you meet someone at work who you think you want to be friends with, invite them for coffee before work and talk about non-work stuff then. But at work, just talk about work.

You must be fun at lunch breaks.

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#128

Post by azffz » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:50 PM UTC

tdb7893 wrote: post #115

SkyBelow wrote: post #64

>I think they just overestimated the ability of their employees to respect each other when they hold differing world views. I think this can be quite difficult to do just because of the political views involved. For example, how should a gay man respect a colleague who honestly thinks that homosexuality should be punished with death. In such a case, I would say that even asking the first individual to tolerate, much…

I've seen people at work defend trans hate as a "conservative value". It's fine if people have different opinions on taxes but to reject people's identity like that, especially one held by some of their colleagues, should cross a line and they shouldn't be able to hide behind "conservative values".

That's the point, you should be able to hold that opinion, but you should not publicly state it openly at work in the first place.

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#129

Post by big_chungus » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:50 PM UTC

dev_dull wrote: post #36

I expect them to loosely categorize politics, while still encouraging open corporate discussion of LGBTQ, racial, and other such issues. People may have different opinions about that.

"I expect them to block most things, but still allow things I care about but which the "other side" doesn't regard as serious issues."

Fixed that for you. No one is the sole arbiter of what is "important", so I've usually found just not discussing to be the best solution at work.

Re: Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore

#130

Post by ceejayoz » Fri, Aug 23, 2019, 4:51 PM UTC

dunkelheit wrote: post #87

ceejayoz wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an example: https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1120320958382755840 @Pinboard has collected a bunch of these. https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Apinboard%20PAC

The sums in question are for some reason ridiculously small. Seriously, $2500 donation? That is some serious political spending from Google!

It's remarkable how little it takes to get on the radar of a Congressional representative.