Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

economist.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 1001 posts

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#91

Post by meowtimemania »

nxmnxm99 wrote: post #57
archsurface wrote: post #2

I have no tolerance for politics at work. As far as woke at work goes, not too long ago someone in my office commented on slack "I don't approve of unnecessarily gendered emoji" - I can't even begin to imagine what sort of mind produces such thoughts. First world problems? No idea.

Yeah. I grew up in a third world country and moved to North America pretty late. I never realized how sheltered and weak Americans were till I joined a well known YC company.

Can you expound? In what ways do you find them weak? I can think of many but curious on your perspective

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#92

Post by lliamander »

tshaddox wrote: post #15
lliamander wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What then is the purpose of demanding others make a public stand on an issue over which they have no practical control?

There are plenty of purposes. Why are you and I talking about the issue right now despite presumably having little influence over the outcome?

I think we're in a much better position to change the culture at Google by having a discussion here on HN than Google is to improve the Palestine/Israel situation by making a statement.

I would even say it's a noteworthy possibility, given that many people who are or will be influential at Google read HN.

But the distinction here about having a discussion vs. making a demand is also relevant. When someone is demanding you make a statement for seemingly no purpose, the real purpose is to assert control over you.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#93

Post by throwaway3699 »

foota wrote: post #46
stephc_int13 wrote: post #33

The reason why politics is traditionally frowned upon in the workplace is to avoid toxic peer pressure and the resulting uniformity. It is illegal to discriminate against employees for their political opinions, religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnic background, etc. Allowing or even encouraging open political debates in the workplace jeopardizes it.

This isn't true, political opinions aren't a protected class in the US.

Legality is not the same as morality. Remember that slaves were not a protected class at one point. A coarse analogy, I admit, but it's true: we can change this to include politics if necessary.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#94

Post by userbinator »

disposekinetics wrote: post #86
postalrat wrote: post #64

Don't talk politics. Don't talk about how much you make. Just do as you are told!

That sounds way better than the current “parrot the right politics as you’re told”.

Or as the case may be, "parrot the left politics"...

(Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#95

Post by ed25519FUUU »

nxmnxm99 wrote: post #57
archsurface wrote: post #2

I have no tolerance for politics at work. As far as woke at work goes, not too long ago someone in my office commented on slack "I don't approve of unnecessarily gendered emoji" - I can't even begin to imagine what sort of mind produces such thoughts. First world problems? No idea.

Yeah. I grew up in a third world country and moved to North America pretty late. I never realized how sheltered and weak Americans were till I joined a well known YC company.

Good times make weak men, and all that.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#96

Post by geofft »

eric4smith wrote: post #7

People are human. But work is work. The canonical point of a workplace is to come together to fulfill the aims of the entrepreneurs. The personal aims of the workers are fulfilled best outside of work. Just stop to think about it logically for a minute... is the workplace the best place to circulate a petition condemning something that has nothing to do with work? The workplace necessarily is going to bring together…

> The canonical point of a workplace is to come together to fulfill the aims of the entrepreneurs.

Absolutely not, and for a very clear reason: the aims of the entrepreneurs are to make money and reduce costs. My aim, in asking for raises, is to increase costs. Are you saying this is inappropriate?

I am at work because the company and I came to a mutually beneficial arrangement. They need things done that are better done if I'm there; in exchange, I have a number of demands of them, starting with a sizable chunk of money. They're willing to meet those demands, so I work.

If I make political demands of my employer, it may be novel, but it is not a fundamental change of a relationship where I am already making financial demands of my employer. If the employer doesn't like my demands, they are free to try to find someone else, and the process works the same in both cases.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#97

Post by yakshaving_jgt »

bsanr2 wrote: post #85
eric4smith wrote: post #7

People are human. But work is work. The canonical point of a workplace is to come together to fulfill the aims of the entrepreneurs. The personal aims of the workers are fulfilled best outside of work. Just stop to think about it logically for a minute... is the workplace the best place to circulate a petition condemning something that has nothing to do with work? The workplace necessarily is going to bring together…

Unfortunately, in the never-ending struggle to force employees to conform to some platonic ideal of efficient production, companies have spent a lot of time and energy - not just in their own policy, but also in lobbying to the government and the public at large - trying to make work the center of the average American's life. Think of all the things you have to pass by your boss before making decisions about your own…

> We're not like Germany or Sweden, where the means to simply exist are widely accessible outside of work, and where work ends when it ends, on the dot

This is a curious fantasy that many Americans hold.

After having spent the best part of a decade working mostly in Sweden and Germany, I can tell you this has no basis in reality.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#98

Post by newsclues »

duped wrote: post #21
eric4smith wrote: post #7

People are human. But work is work. The canonical point of a workplace is to come together to fulfill the aims of the entrepreneurs. The personal aims of the workers are fulfilled best outside of work. Just stop to think about it logically for a minute... is the workplace the best place to circulate a petition condemning something that has nothing to do with work? The workplace necessarily is going to bring together…

The office exists within society. Some things exist everywhere you go in society. You don't give up ethics and morals because you cross the threshold of your place of business. Ignoring social problems in the workplace because it is a workplace is how we avoid solving those problems as a society. The office is exactly where we should be advocating for things, because it is where we spend the most time and can affect…

Critical race theory applies its lens to everything.

School is racist, police are racist, government is racist, of course work and the office will become targets.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#99

Post by _jal »

eric4smith wrote: post #67
jdgoesmarching wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was about to say, this is the most chilling HN sentence I’ve ever read. The totality of our existence from 8-5 is not owed to someone who profits from our labor and skills because they got lucky with some seed money or an inheritance a decade ago. That’s just the divine right of kings with extra steps.

Wow. Most businesses are started with neither. But with the sweat off the back of the founders. When will we acknowledge that one of the most noble pursuits in human history is to provide paid employment for your fellow man??

> When will we acknowledge that one of the most noble pursuits

Christ, this Superhero CEO bullshit has to stop. It is beyond absurd. Is the multi-hundred X income multiplier really insufficient, they need their egos stroked constantly, too?

I have co-founded a startup, and otherwise have worked at them for almost the entirety of my adult life. I know how much work, risk, and pain is involved.

But this apparent need for Glorification of the Supremely Worthy Job Creator nonsense is just cultish and gross.

Re: Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

#100

Post by jellicle »

UnpossibleJim wrote: post #80
stephc_int13 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, really? I am not from the US, so I am a bit ignorant about the laws there. In France it is illegal to discriminate against an employee because of his political views. It is not allowed to ask.

Here's the best I could find... I was a little bewildered by this, TBH. I thought, as long as your political beliefs didn't cause a distraction at work to yourself or others, you were safe from being fired. Guess I was wrong. At least on a federal level. Different states have different rules: https://sanfordheisler.com/can-you-be-fired-for-your-politic...

There are only a couple of US states that have something along the lines of "or political beliefs" appended to their workplace discrimination laws. In most US states, it's perfectly legal to announce that you're firing all Democrats, effective immediately. In those couple of states you wouldn't want to announce that, though you could still lay them all off and dare them to try to prove it in court (very difficult unless you've explicitly announced).
Post reply on HN