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Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

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Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#261

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

krapp wrote: post #260
ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn't care less what the conservatives think. Their blatantly fake support of freedom of speech was always conditional and self-serving.

Almost everyone's support of freedom of speech and any freedom is conditional and self serving, that's just human nature. Why are you going out of your way to only complain about the "illiberal left?"

Because 1) conservatives rarely bother to speak up on HN; they know they are quite unwelcome here and 2) the illiberal left claims to be allied with liberals and that's clearly false.

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#262

Post by giraffe_lady »

nickff wrote: post #248
giraffe_lady wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah fair, I also figure they mostly weren't expecting to get fired. But once you have been you might as well use the system as fully as you can, eke something out of it.

Using the process seems like ‘abuse of process’ in cases like this where the protesters clearly violated the law and their obligations to their counterparty (in this case their employer).

Well, whether they did that is not completely clear? That's what the process is there to decide right.

But in any case and far more importantly protests have goals they want to achieve and being a pain in the ass is absolutely a valid tactic. Protest movements have rarely accomplished their aims by acting fully within the social preferences of their opponents.

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#263

Post by keefle »

acoard wrote: post #245
linearrust wrote: post #242

What a difference a few years makes. Top comment here : "Don’t do it at work." Top comment a few years ago : "If you work at Google and you have participated in this protest: Thank you." https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17776276 The comments back then were very supportive of google employees protesting against china's censorship. While the top comments here seem to be against google employees protesting israeli w…

> Why? A bit of a head scratcher. It is because not everyone sees Israel as committing war crimes. I'm not looking in getting into a debate about it, I don't think this is the appropriate thread and do not want to run afoul of HN guidelines. But to treat your question as if it is serious and sincere (i.e. not a rhetorical question) the answer is because many do not see Israel as committing war crimes but basically ev…

While true, i think this answer misses the hypocrisy of the situation.

1. The same people who were supportive of the previous protests, are today's people who suggest "don't do it at work". 2. Regardless of whether Israel is commiting war crimes or not, if one is to be consistent, they must advocate that both the China censorship and genocide protests be done outside of work. 3. The main takeaway here is the bias (justified or not), and disappoint and disturbing hypocrisy in the reaction to the aforementioned protest

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#264

Post by archagon »

BobaFloutist wrote: post #244
bjourne wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who says that a totalitarian attitude is desirable?? Freedom of speech implies that expressing your opinions should not cost you your job.

Is occupying your CEO's office until removed by law enforcement speech?

Were all of the fired employees occupying the CEO's office?

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#265

Post by bjourne »

ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #254
bjourne wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who says that a totalitarian attitude is desirable?? Freedom of speech implies that expressing your opinions should not cost you your job.

Has the illiberal left not been smugly telling us " Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences " when others lost their jobs? They hardly have any right to complain when they are hoist by their own petard.

A discussion on what is right is not a game between two football teams and you don't even know what my "side" is. Fwiw, feel free to look up my seven-year-old HN comments about James Damore.

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#266

Post by greenie_beans »

nolongerthere wrote: post #247
greenie_beans wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's' in your interest to know that acronym, whether your a laborer or owner.

You assume everyone lives and works in the US. If you’re not then you have no idea that that is.

fair point! i do assume that. and i expect a US-based publisher to also assume that about their audience.

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#267

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

bjourne wrote: post #265
ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has the illiberal left not been smugly telling us " Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences " when others lost their jobs? They hardly have any right to complain when they are hoist by their own petard.

A discussion on what is right is not a game between two football teams and you don't even know what my "side" is. Fwiw, feel free to look up my seven-year-old HN comments about James Damore.

My comment wasn't a criticism of yours? It was more of a comment on the past views of others on HN.

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#268

Post by _heimdall »

bjourne wrote: post #230
_heimdall wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most articles circulating widely have included quotes from Google that the protesters that have been fired were physically disrupting those at work. I didn't expect that to be a contentious reference without a source, but sure here's one - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/google-fires-more-worke... To be clear, I'm well aware those are quotes from Google's PR department. I'm not taking them as true and was primar…

"We continued our investigation into the physical disruption inside our buildings on April 16, looking at additional details provided by coworkers who were physically disrupted," So that is what Google, one party to the conflict, claims. Not something independent sources have verified. I'm pretty sure the protestors deny that anyone was "physically disrupted". Edit: You have updated your comments. My point is that it…

The only update I made above was an explicit "Edit:" note a couple comments up, but that was before you commented here. I haven't changed any context or points I raised, in case that was a concern.

And again to be clear, I'm intentionally not trusting only Google and I called that out when I included a source (as requested). I don't think I've been misleading or unfair here, I'm not quite sure what you're taking issue with at this point.

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#269

Post by krapp »

ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #261
krapp wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost everyone's support of freedom of speech and any freedom is conditional and self serving, that's just human nature. Why are you going out of your way to only complain about the "illiberal left?"

Because 1) conservatives rarely bother to speak up on HN; they know they are quite unwelcome here and 2) the illiberal left claims to be allied with liberals and that's clearly false.

Conservatives speak up all the time on HN, and weirdly enough they sound exactly like you do, down to the inability to refer to the left without a pejorative.

Re: Google workers fired for protesting Israeli contract file NLRB complaint

#270

Post by bjourne »

cogman10 wrote: post #255
bjourne wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it does. The right to free speech is not a right if exercising it costs you your livelihood. The idea that freedom of speech only restricts the government's actions is typical American myopia. George Washington didn't copyright freedom of expression and the US constitution is not the end all to human rights.

> The right to free speech is not a right if exercising it costs you your livelihood. This sort of free speech has never existed and frankly it would be preposterous for it to exist. A company couldn't fire a salesperson that went around telling potential customers "Hey, our product is garbage you should use our competitors"? A state employee couldn't be fired for lying to the races they don't like "You don't qualify…

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/straw-man-fallacy/
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