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

431–440 of 1001 posts

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

#431

Post by narrator »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #411
ThinkBeat wrote: post #371

One part of the article: This is about a guy who wrote a book on his own time, published it outside of work. Someone did not like some parts of the book and the guy had to quit his job? There is nothing to suggest the man acted improperly at work. I write fictional stories in my spare time (never at work), I enjoy doing it. Some people enjoy reading them (I can't figure out why) It is a sad day for a Democracy when I…

> There is nothing to suggest the man acted improperly at work. We've had this discussion already, but claiming sexist views is going to be a problem for you whether you do it at work or elsewhere because of how laws around hostile work environments and notice work. Particularly, if you go on to actually create a hostile work environment (as one might reasonably suppose you will, having publicly espoused the relevant…

You would never be able to hire a felon for anything since on that theory, the felon had done something outside of work that being a criminal act, might scare someone at work who had to work around them, even though their behavior at work was perfect.

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

#432

Post by travisgriggs »

I'm curious why it's a binary thing. The debate seems to wage between two camps: OnlyWorkRelated vs BareItAll.

The truth is, I want neither extreme. I want a nice comfortable balance that my peers and can both tolerate. I appreciate being able to "solve the world's problems" with fellow workers, but not all day. And especially when it starts to get emotional. I find that humor and self deprecation are great ingredients to throw in the mix when I think things are spiraling. In either direction.

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

#433

Post by 8note »

smegger001 wrote: post #163
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.

It is not "divine right of king" by any stretch of the imagination. It is a contract for exchange of service between to parties. Because you agreed to exchange their money for your labor. During that time you are obligated to do what you are agreed to be paid to do under the conditions agreed to at time of hire. And yes they are owed your skills because they are paying you for them, that is how any exchange of servic…

A cunning entrepreneur should include that their employees vote a certain way on their contracts, or to not vote at all.

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

#434

Post by bhupy »

JamisonM wrote: post #418
bhupy wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s possible to hold the following two views at the same time: - “systemic racism” is real and not 100% solved - of all the possible strategies to solve systemic racism, racializing all facets of everyday life, including emojis, may not be the most productive

"racializing all facets of everyday life, including emojis" Every representation of humans is racialized, they exist in a social context where race exists. Pretending that it is not and then complaining when someone says, "hey, we maybe should make it so not everything looks like white folks" is just silly stuff. Emoji diversity is good and 100% harmless!!

> Every representation of humans is racialized, they exist in a social context where race exists

This is only true as long as we go out of our way to make it true. The concept of “googly eyes” for example, is totally race agnostic. Likewise, emojis represent emotions that don’t inherently need to be coupled to race. Emojis aren’t even a new concept, we had emoticons in the ‘00s in AIM, where 99% of the emotions had nothing to do with race.

I say this as a brown man; it really doesn’t matter to me if the “thumbs up” I use in a coworker’s merge request is brown or the default yellow. On the flip side, emoji diversity is yet another reminder that I’m different from others, especially in a context where I would rather focus on what makes us the same.

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

#435

Post by baryphonic »

thrownaway564 wrote: post #404
meowtimemania wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Antonio García Martínez: "Most women in the Bay Area are soft and weak, cosseted and naive despite their claims of worldliness, and generally full of shit. They have their self-regarding entitlement feminism, and ceaselessly vaunt their independence, but the reality is, come the epidemic plague or foreign invasion, they’d become precisely the sort of useless baggage you’d trade for a box of shotgun shells or a jerry…

If you quoted him in context, you'd show that he regarded this particular lady friend of his as a "strong woman" in both body and mind.

Why didn't you do that?

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

#436

Post by 8note »

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??

Makes you wonder why all of these fancy tech businesses show up in California, as opposed to Niger.

If all you need is this hard work, surely the wealthy businesses would be distributed all around the world

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

#437

Post by open0 »

TimTheTinker wrote: post #429
open0 wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is such horseshit. You people on this website are far more of problem for the world than the crowd of woke 20-somethngs that as a group have very little power or money.

Perhaps you'd consider making a case for your opinion instead of resorting to attacks on people.

What case needs to be made exactly? That you useless fucks are busy destroying society while enriching yourselves?

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

#438

Post by bhupy »

crooked-v wrote: post #182
bhupy wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s possible to hold the following two views at the same time: - “systemic racism” is real and not 100% solved - of all the possible strategies to solve systemic racism, racializing all facets of everyday life, including emojis, may not be the most productive

I don't really see how that relates to my explaining the subtext of the 'blind to race' thing, though.

It relates to your explaining the subtext because that subtext is a straw man.

I can’t speak for the GP commenter to whom you responded, but I can speak for myself when I say that I strive to to treat everyone the same regardless of their race (and not make a big deal out of race), while also being well aware of the prejudices and injustices that might affect someone on the basis of race out in the world. If that doesn’t describe “race blindness”, then we probably need to come up with a phrase to represent that person.

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

#439

Post by ir123 »

0xy wrote: post #428
ir123 wrote: post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There is nothing to suggest the man acted improperly at work. That's where you are wrong. He wrote some things he genuinely believed in, and its reasonable to assume that his actions will follow similar lines. Would I want a self proclaimed nazi to work with me? Hell no. Would I want a misogynist to work with me? No.

Political beliefs are a protected class in practically every first world country, including the US. If an employee was a member of a fascist party it'd quite literally be illegal to fire them on that basis.

That sucks tbh. It should be legal to fire a fascist.

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

#440

Post by TimTheTinker »

open0 wrote: post #437
TimTheTinker wrote: post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps you'd consider making a case for your opinion instead of resorting to attacks on people.

What case needs to be made exactly? That you useless fucks are busy destroying society while enriching yourselves?

You're violating site guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Post reply on HN