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A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

antivalue.blogspot.com

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Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#51

Post by bonoboTP »

blowski wrote: post #7
seibelj wrote: post #3

Another problem with politics-in-the-workplace is it seems like there is only one accepted political dogma. If people were constantly blasted in the face with my politics they would be very annoyed. But I’m supposed to accept their politics unquestionably. Totally agree with this article - just do your job and get on the soap box during your own time.

Your comment begs the question: what is politics? Discouraging people from voting for Trump? Pushing for equal pay across genders? Believing the business should do more to diversify its hiring? Pushing for transgender bathrooms? Being opposed to working on defense contracts? For some people, these conversations are “obvious facts”, not politics.

What is religion? For some people the Ten Commandments and the need to follow the Lord Jesus Christ are facts. It's the very creator of the universe ordering things! Or the laws in the Quran are undisputed truths for some, not some wishy-washy matter of debate.

How did we ever manage to get past that?

A lot of tribal, identity-based politics is much like religion in this way. For the believers it's simply truth. For outsiders it's just one faith out of many that you should keep private in a secular society.

Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#52

Post by spacemanmatt »

threeseed wrote: post #26

It would have been nice to see a nuanced, thoughtful, insightful look at the various viewpoints that exist within this complex issue. Because many parts of this "activism" are important e.g. how women are treated in IT or what values does a company need to defend in this modern age. Instead we get an utterly cringeworthy "everyone should just be quiet and follow the wisdom of Lord of the Rings" which adds absolutely…

I also found the LotR reference to be a heap of distraction, in an article that was 100% predictable cringe.

Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#53

Post by threeseed »

Veen wrote: post #9
spacemanmatt wrote: post #2

I could hardly disagree more with the premise that activism is anti-fellowship. This seems like a very narrow take on activism.

Activism is necessarily divisive unless everyone already agrees on a political ideology and the solutions to issues activists focus on. If you are an activist, you might think this is a good thing—it may please you to create an environment hostile to people you don't agree with. But if you're trying to run a company, division is antithetical to your goals.

> But if you're trying to run a company, division is antithetical to your goals

Weird because at companies like Apple where I worked diversity in viewpoints was an important part of the fabric of the company.

But then again they don't seem to be doing so well.

Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#54

Post by papito »

I talk to like-minded individuals at work all the time, but these are my friends, I know their views, I know what subjects I can safely bring up. I don't want some wokester accusing me of not being in on The Cause because I ditched a BLM All-Hands at lunch time.

The problem is that in the current hyperactive cancel culture, seeking and destroying anyone who said an off-color joke on social media ten years ago, the workplace becomes a minefield, and it has enough complexities as it is.

There is a reason why we don't talk about politics and religion in the office openly. We learned these lessons the hard way.

Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#55

Post by pavel_lishin »

> A fellowship is "a group of people that join together for a common purpose or interest".

You're very explicitly not describing a job or a company here, as most of them exist today. For all the comparisons to the LoTR trilogy, almost none of us here are working on anything that impactful, or anything that important, and neither are our employers. Most of us are going to show up to work tomorrow and work on another endpoint in a CRUD app, not combat an existential threat.

> If you put other things above your fellows and mission, you're a mercenary, not a fellow.

Yeah, man - I am a mercenary. I joined my currently employer because they are paying me money in exchange for the services I provide them.

Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#58

Post by cblang »

ali0sha wrote: post #41

> Joining together for a common purpose ... is political. What is that purpose, why is it common, and how does the joining work - these are the fundamental political problems. > If you put other things above your fellows and mission, you're a mercenary, not a fellow. Yes. At work, you are a mercenary. Your safety, family, health, concern for the decent treatment of your fellow humans, ought to come before your produc…

A lot of the activists are docile lambs and corporate ladder climbers inside the companies.

Their activism focuses on saying the right words and dis-empower Gen-X and older.

Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#59

Post by Ensorceled »

Strange analogy. The Fellowship, after banding together to fight the greatest evil of all time, disbanded a third of the way into the mission to allow the founders to continue the mission alone; while other members went off to overthrow a despot and a shadow ruler or hang out with Ents.

Basecamp, meanwhile, is building good project management tools and privacy focused email ... for lots of money ... while saying don't even TALK about society evils such as deeply entrench racism.

But, sure, let's call the activists "mercenaries".

Re: A Policy of Activism in the Workplace Is Anti-Fellowship

#60

Post by howfrontoage »

blowski wrote: post #7
seibelj wrote: post #3

Another problem with politics-in-the-workplace is it seems like there is only one accepted political dogma. If people were constantly blasted in the face with my politics they would be very annoyed. But I’m supposed to accept their politics unquestionably. Totally agree with this article - just do your job and get on the soap box during your own time.

Your comment begs the question: what is politics? Discouraging people from voting for Trump? Pushing for equal pay across genders? Believing the business should do more to diversify its hiring? Pushing for transgender bathrooms? Being opposed to working on defense contracts? For some people, these conversations are “obvious facts”, not politics.

Too much politics is the stuff that gets one fired. After a few iterations the calibration might be reached.
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