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Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

newsweek.com

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Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#181

Post by cheph »

tptacek wrote: post #63

Just a reminder that Newsweek ceased publication back in 2013, and the rights to its brand were purchased by an odd Christian sect, somewhat along the lines of The Washington Times and the Reunification Church. The new "Newsweek" capitalizes on the brand reputation of the old one, but has no connections to it; a good thing to do with Newsweek pieces is to check the byline and look up what their background is.

> Just a reminder that Newsweek ceased publication back in 2013, and the rights to its brand were purchased by an odd Christian sect, somewhat along the lines of The Washington Times and the Reunification Church.

Cite?

EDIT:

Seems like this comment is false if wikipedia is to believed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsweek#2018_investigation_an...

> The Manhattan District Attorney's office raided Newsweek's headquarters in Lower Manhattan on January 18, 2018, and seized 18 computer servers as part of an investigation related to the company's finances.[64] IBT, which owned Newsweek, had been under scrutiny for its ties to David Jang,[64] a South Korean pastor and the leader of a Christian sect called "the Community".[65]

Would not be surprising really, given what the comment is intended to do.

Waiting for that citation.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#182

Post by jariel »

Barrin92 wrote: post #145
nilkn wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This line of reasoning breaks down whenever a population is experiencing any form of mass hysteria, and I think there's a reasonable argument that the US is very much in the midst of such a phenomenon right now. Indeed, that was the point of the example being provided by the poster you replied to: her staff quit because they acted based on a hysterical rather than rational analysis of the situation. They didn't break…

I don't really see where the mass or the hysteria is. It's an individual business parting with an employee because the views shared in public are likely going to harm the business. Happens probably every day somewhere, why has this even become noteworthy?

There is no chance they would have quit were there no hubub about it. Zero.

They quit likely because they are in a rep-based business and their boss is stained.

The 'mass outrage' is to some extent, outrage on them by virtue of trickle down or association.

The public outrage adds emotional momentum to it.

That the woman did something slightly questionable makes it one of the better examples of cancel culture, because were she to have done truly noting remotely wrong, then none of the actions would have any justification at all. Because there's a shade of possibly bad acting, we see the disproportional response.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#183

Post by cheph »

ronenlh wrote: post #134
forgingahead wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question - it's obvious how you identify politically by all your posts here, but what has your comment got to do with the story? If it's a false story, say it. If it's not - what exactly are you saying with your comment?

I know it sounds like he’s “poisoning the well,” but this comment answered the question I had in my head. I thought the source was left-leaning but the article had a conservative voice. It’s important to know who’s writing: The article is not an objective list of facts. They did not reach to the publication for comment. Some nuances might have been ironed out. This is true regardless of the political side talking.

> I know it sounds like he’s “poisoning the well,” but this comment answered the question I had in my head. I thought the source was left-leaning but the article had a conservative voice.

Comment contradicts what is in wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsweek#2018_investigation_an...

Maybe ask for sources before using some random post making unverified claims as confirmation for your own biases.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#184

Post by jariel »

DetroitThrow wrote: post #156
Barrin92 wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really see where the mass or the hysteria is. It's an individual business parting with an employee because the views shared in public are likely going to harm the business. Happens probably every day somewhere, why has this even become noteworthy?

There seems to be mass hysteria about the claimed "mass hysteria", at least when it relates to private business or individuals cutting ties with someone over their actions and statements as opposed to online harassment.

Over the perception of their actions, not their actual actions.

Nobody anywhere would care a single bit were there not mass hysteria.

Also it's not necessarily harassment to call out people if they are not doing their jobs. It's just very (almost pathetically) petty.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#185

Post by roenxi »

jobigoud wrote: post #163
nilkn wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who's never been on the DC metro, my first reaction to this story was that it's pretty unreasonable to post an employee's photo to Twitter just because they ate on the train. While we can't say for sure that they wanted to get the employee fired, their intent was clearly for them to be held accountable in some way by their employer for this infraction. That said, if it's true that metro passengers have eff…

I've seen this interesting behavior in other contexts. There is a stupid rule that nobody likes. People make an effort to follow it despite hating it. When they see someone breaking the rule they feel that it's very unfair because of the effort they are making, so they report it to make it fairer. Either everyone should follow the rule or it shouldn't exist. But in doing so they have become what they hated. They are…

We all follow rules we don't agree with; that is part of the social contract. Selective enforcement of rules is one of the biggest threats to those who behave lawfully.

I see no compromise of principle in people who maintain and enforce stupid rules they disagree with. The most honest response is to argue for and support sensible rules, not to turn a blind eye.

I'm not saying that I think it is a good idea to follow bad rules - but people who disagree with rules and follow them anyway on solid moral footing and should reasonably expect others to do the same.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#186

Post by LarvaFX »

esja wrote: post #147
_o0rc wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As pointed out below, there are some states where politics are protected. I looked it up because I do plan to use that information in hiring decisions going forward. I wouldn't surprised if I get downvoted for this, but I intend to ask anyone I interview in the future (not currently in a role that involves hiring) if they voted for Trump in 2020. And a yes will be a disqualifying answer on the basis of poor judgement…

Something to ponder given the topic of this thread... your comment says very clearly that you're willing to make decisions which impact a company negatively, provided they benefit you emotionally. That's disqualifying for most positions involving hiring or any other management responsibility, and it's connected to your real identity.

"Impact a company negatively" is your opinion as much as the reversal seems to be the opinion of the parent commentor.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#187

Post by jansan »

babesh wrote: post #167
babesh wrote: post #120

People are walking chimps, organizing into tribes and beating the other tribe. Like, our cousins, we take visceral emotional satisfaction in demeaning the other tribe. Today’s US is just a grand example of this at Internet scale and energized by social media. Welcome to shit throwing and the tearing off of genitals. What you have now are threat displays to keep the losing tribe in its place. People identifying with t…

People seem to be doing what losers do when facing destruction: move away. You see movement in both physical and virtual spaces. In people and in companies to different states. In people moving to different social media. People stop fighting with you, they just avoid you. China is going to be the obvious dominant world power within Biden’s term.

In Germany there is the term "inner emmigration", if people oppose to the current system, but keep silent in fear of repression. This was coined during Nazi time, but also used to describe part of the opposition during socialism in East Germany.

What it basically describes people who:

- are opposed to the current political system (originally the Nazi regime)

- cannot speak their opinion for fear of repressions

. cannot or do not want ot leave their country

- do not want to adapt to the political system

Currently we have inner emmigration among conservatives. It is almost impossible to speak out as a conservative without fearing consequences. People are not revolting, but they are bascially done with the political system.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#188

Post by LarvaFX »

sto_hristo wrote: post #175

Being canceled for what you write, think, your opinions... That is a major part of life in any communist regime. Difference being that in communism it's the state that does the monitoring and canceling, while here - the people themselves.

True for right-wing regimes as well.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#189

Post by reitanqild »

tptacek wrote: post #101
tomcam wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m old fashioned. I judge articles not on whether they are published by “an odd Christian sect”, but how accurate and well-sourced they are. But hey, I’m a Boomer.

You can do that. I'm just pointing out that people have a conception of what Newsweek is that doesn't match what it currently is. It's worth knowing about.

You are also bothering to mention the religion of the owner, adding the (in this context) pejorative adjective "odd" and possibly more.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#190

Post by OJFord »

marton78 wrote: post #136
klausjensen wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In case somebody else were wondering, I looked it up: PoC authors in this context refers to "Persons of Color"-authors. In hindsight it is probably clear from the context - but I didn't immediately get it. :)

I feel you, as an European engineer far away from such matters, PoC means "proof of concept" to me :)

I had no idea what it meant and actually guessed it was some kind of slur (in line with PoS) until I learnt recently.

Weird term. Doesn't work unabbreviated as an adjective, an adjectival formation ('coloured') is long out of politically-correct favour (at least it is in the UK), and why, is 'of colour' different/better/at all a good description of someone anyway?

I'm, er, 'without colour', so it's hardly for me to object, but I couldn't comfortably use it. Fortunately (or I suppose that's why it 'feels' off to me) nobody ('of colour' or not) here seems to.

Or maybe it's just a lesson in tone etc. being harder to convey on the internet - for ages I thought 'MeToo' was against the alleged victims, as in 'oh yeah yeah me too, I'm Brian and so's my wife'.

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