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

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

#211

Post by isaacremuant » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:14 AM UTC

ffggvv wrote: post #159

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.

no you get this magical thing called a salary for your work. your compensation isnt woke virtue signaling. they arent "profiting off your labor because they got lucky on some seed money". youre profiting off their ingenuity and idea. If many other entrepreneurs didnt do this, you wouldnt have a job because they wouldnt be available. and most people dont have the risk appetite to do something like that. so no youre no…

I love how you don't think that many of us have worked both freelance and "employed" jobs.

I have value and most people here probably do as well. How do I know that? Because I can make others earn money by solving their problems through different means (usually technological in nature).

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

#212

Post by fapjacks » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:14 AM UTC

efitz wrote: post #165

> according to a new Harris poll commissioned by Paradigm, a diversity consultancy, more than two-thirds of adults in America want to be able to discuss racial-justice issues at work I just plain do not believe this poll.

We live in the age of the lie. It's impossible to take anything at face value, because it seems like every organization we interact with is just lying to us all at every opportunity.

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

#213

Post by cblconfederate » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:14 AM UTC

I wonder why companies don't take advantage of such rivalries. Separate the wokes from the unwokes and make them compete who will deliver first

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

#214

Post by pmorici » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:15 AM UTC

imbnwa wrote: post #81

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…

In that same vein, shouldn't office dating/sexual pursuits be a no-no?

They generally are.

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

#215

Post by suetoniusp » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:15 AM UTC

GeneralMayhem wrote: post #150

ixacto wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Advocating for what things exactly? It might be a strawman, but I’m going to guess and it would be something like an end to perceived workplace raceism/sexism/*isms. If you let in political advocacy movements from the left do you really want political movements from the right? Or is it just ok if the left is advocating for it? I kinda think the left is trying to have their equity cake and eat it too… To some people (…

This is a really disingenuous false equivalency. First, you're implying that all opinions are equally valid. That is... I'll be polite and simply call it nonsense. "Gay people should have rights" and "gay people shouldn't have rights" are not opinions of equal value, and it's not "eating your cake and having it too" to say that the latter opinion is unwelcome. Second, there's a very clear relationship between the "le…

"Gay people should have rights". What "rights" currently are being denied to gays? Honest question

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

#216

Post by lliamander » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:15 AM UTC

efitz wrote: post #165

> according to a new Harris poll commissioned by Paradigm, a diversity consultancy, more than two-thirds of adults in America want to be able to discuss racial-justice issues at work I just plain do not believe this poll.

Me neither, but to the extent that it is a valid poll I'll bet what it actually means is the opposite of what they claim here.

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

#217

Post by lliamander » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:17 AM UTC

SeanBoocock wrote: post #43

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.

Political opinions are not protected in the same way, nor should they be, as the protected classes you cite (gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc).

Religion is a protected class. Why not politics?

We either need to add more protected classes or do away with the whole concept and return to free association.

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

#218

Post by spamizbad » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:20 AM UTC

chairmanwow1 wrote: post #69

duped wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I worked at place like this at Lyft and to be honest it made me pretty uncomfortable. I was aligned with most people about most of the causes circulated freely, but not all. And on the items I wasn't fully onboard with the party line, I felt there was a huge risk to my job if I ever were to voice that. I won't ever work in an environment like that again. Once I cross the threshold with my coworkers to be friends I fe…

This sounds like a problem found in fancy valley tier-1 unicorns then. I keep hearing stories of people bombarded with political discussions on a daily basis and can hardly believe them. I'm not doubting anyone's sincerity but jeez... I feel like this perhaps localized to certain segments of the industry.

I've worked in this industry for over a decade and really haven't had any major political discussions with coworkers outside of a few pertaining to extremely boring local politics. and I only engaged in them because I knew my colleague wasn't sensitive to the matter and it was out of earshot of any other coworkers (it was about zoning).

(Also, as an aside, I find it painfully hypocritical anyone at a gig company like Lyft struts around the office being "woke" after what the company did with Prop 22)

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

#219

Post by kwdc » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:20 AM UTC

Most political discussions fall apart due to people's inability to tolerate dissenting views. The inability to tolerate disagreement in a civil manner is likely just one cause.

The amygdala hijack kicks in and suddenly people are frothing at the mouth shouting and are then soon reaching for their metaphorical pitchforks. Online its all about silencing that dissention. Shut up! You can't disagree! Steps are soon taken to make such disagreeing wrongthink disappear.

It suits a child-like yet patronising view of the world but really its anti-intellectual / anti-diversity / anti-tolerance.

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

#220

Post by triceratops » Sat, May 22, 2021, 1:20 AM UTC

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 stop fetishizing and lionizing "job creation"? The ideal business would employ zero people, have zero expenses, and make a 100% profit margin.

From a purely business perspective, every job created is an inefficiency. No one sets out to create jobs when they start a business. They set out to make money and create products or services of value - in that order. Employing people is an unfortunate side-effect of that.