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A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

nytimes.com

291–300 of 582 posts

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#291

The Fourth Way, Gurdjieff, and Ouspensky are worth looking into. The fallacies of man corrupt, especially when dogma serves one master.

Some of it is interesting.

The idea that humans are (in general) machines and all our reactions are stimuli/response. With occasional glimpses of real consciousness that have potential to be developed. That is interesting to me anyway.

However, a lot of it appears hooey. The numerology type stuff for instance.

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#292

You have to be careful with the line of reasoning that just because these certain managers and team members are part of a cult that is known to engage in bad acts, doesn’t mean you can cast the group’s shortcomings upon the individuals (without proof). If that were the case, I can point out a few mainstream religions that condone reprehensible practices, many of whose members you probably work with daily

At what point can you hold people accountable for the actions of the groups they voluntarily associate with?

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#293

You have to be careful with the line of reasoning that just because these certain managers and team members are part of a cult that is known to engage in bad acts, doesn’t mean you can cast the group’s shortcomings upon the individuals (without proof). If that were the case, I can point out a few mainstream religions that condone reprehensible practices, many of whose members you probably work with daily

You can certainly stop them paying themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars by giving themselves contracts as wine vendors.

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#295
post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should we forbid Catholics for the same reason?

> Should we forbid Catholics for the same reason? Your answer lies in the distinction between cults and religion. In a nutshell, cults exert control over their members such that they compel them to behave contrary to their own interests. So the modern, practical answer to that question is: No. Your average Catholic is no threat and is very likely to be acting in their own interest, free of undue influence. The Cathol…

Religion does that too

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they didn’t cover their tracks very well anyways ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I mean they actually told him where they were from (geographically, if not organizationally), so clearly they didn't consider it something that needed to be secret. Which is interesting, because it gives us insight into their way of thinking [1]. They clearly don't consider themselves to be in any way toxic like the author thinks they are. Cults are interes…

Jesus Christ dude, they're led by a man who routinely sexually assaults people. Being permissive about that is pretty damning. Kooky beliefs are one thing, but cults combine those with oppressive social structures. It's not that hard unless you're stuck in the middle of one with all it's filtering.

Sexually assaulting people just like Catholic priests or Southern Baptists ministers.

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#297

You have to be careful with the line of reasoning that just because these certain managers and team members are part of a cult that is known to engage in bad acts, doesn’t mean you can cast the group’s shortcomings upon the individuals (without proof). If that were the case, I can point out a few mainstream religions that condone reprehensible practices, many of whose members you probably work with daily

At what point can you hold people accountable for the actions of the groups they voluntarily associate with?

When they're part of those actions, like giving themselves a contract for the wine they make.

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#298
post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should we forbid Catholics for the same reason?

> Should we forbid Catholics for the same reason? Your answer lies in the distinction between cults and religion. In a nutshell, cults exert control over their members such that they compel them to behave contrary to their own interests. So the modern, practical answer to that question is: No. Your average Catholic is no threat and is very likely to be acting in their own interest, free of undue influence. The Cathol…

Catholicism has certainly compelled people to behave "contrary to their own interests" — e.g. preventing LGBT members from pursuing love, preventing unhappily-married people from divorcing, preventing women with dangerous or difficult pregnancies from seeking abortion; and that's without even referencing the many documented instances of child abuse — so I'm not sure that distinction makes a huge difference.

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#299
post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to hire. I can imagine that "someone in a high enough position" could have a pretty good competitive advantage being able to hire employees of known and consistent competence without having to slog through resumes and interviews. Once there were a few of this group already working, it would also be easier to close hires with the social pressure. I can imagine that higher ups might be inclined to look the ot…

Here's how you articulate it: the odds that the best people for the job all came from the same class at the same university are slim to none.

Also, I know people in minority groups who are fantastic at their jobs and have had year-plus job searches.

The "labor shortage" is bullshit. So many good people can't find decent jobs even today, and wages are still hilarious low compared to the outright robbery that capital gets away with.

That being said, I don't think it's necessarily because of conscious racism, sexism, or ageism that companies tend to end up redlined. It has a lot more to do with the fact that managerial decisions are made based on motives that have little to do with business at all. Silicon Valley ageism, for example, doesn't exist because middle-aged men think young people are all geniuses. (Trust me, we don't.) Rather, it exists because the subordinate's job is to make the boss feel young again, to be the Jesse to their Walter White. It has nothing to do with the needs of the business, but it also doesn't get in the way of the business, so it's not likely to be changed.

Re: A religious sect landed Google in a lawsuit

#300
post #156

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn this is a common occurrence across tech. Coming from the Midwest, the West Coast seems full of cults. Talking to people, it doesn’t take long to find someone who was raised in a cult, or has family members in a cult.

Also coming from the Midwest, how is fanatical Christianity any better?
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