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

Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

blog.mozilla.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

651–660 of 1001 posts

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#651

Post by zemo »

xaa wrote: post #431

My father-in-law is a high-level official in the "Alliance Defending Freedom", which is essentially the conservative counterpart to the ACLU, providing legal advice to conservative causes. For years, he's been telling me about the "gay liberal agenda", which, to him, was not just about promoting gay rights, but also about silencing any freedom of speech advocating opposing viewpoints. I always pooh-poohed him and gen…

the reality is that at the end of the day, Mozilla is a civil rights organization. Although it is ostensibly a technology company, their actual agenda is deeply rooted in civil rights, and Brendan Eich's Proposition 8 donation is antithetical to civil rights.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#654

Post by PhasmaFelis »

hackinthebochs wrote: post #432
oneeyedpigeon wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"sanitized to the extreme" "Hold a view that isn't mainstream" We're not talking about slightly controversial views, 'colorful' language, or a 'racy' past here, we're talking about out-and-out homophobia, wanting people to be treated as lesser humans simply because of who they love. Please, that is a LONG way from being 'sanitized to the extreme'.

Personally I think your characterization is hyperbole. There are a lot of rational reasons to oppose gay marriage (if you allow one their irrational premises). Opposing the state recognizing gay marriage is far from "treating people as lesser humans".

> There are a lot of rational reasons to oppose gay marriage (if you allow one their irrational premises).

How can you have a rational reason with an irrational premise? If the premise is irrational, so is anything based on it.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#655

Post by hkphooey »

xaa wrote: post #577
ewoodrich wrote: post #532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fail to see how a CEO facing criticism for personal political contributions to be evidence of some sort of "gay liberal agenda". He has every right to donate to Prop 8 or whatever cause he likes. He has every right to vocally advocate his position. He does not have a right to be the public facing chief executive of a private organization. I would see no issue with a pro-gay rights CEO being forced to leave Hobby Lo…

I have a problem with the very idea that a mostly apolitical organization like Mozilla should have a sweeping political/social/cultural alignment. If Eich were opposed to net neutrality, or against open internet standards, etc, those would be damning beliefs for someone in the Mozilla CEO spot. Gay rights, however, have nothing whatsoever to do with Mozilla. (I agree with you that Hobby Lobby would fire a pro-gay-rig…

Bingo.

It seems that some Mozilla employees and members of the public deluded themselves into thinking Mozilla was some kind of political charity fighting for social causes, rather than being a technology company.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#656

Post by Zigurd »

Touche wrote: post #128

This really saddens me. It is a black-mark on the gay rights movement. Eich made a mistake when he supported prop 8. History will clearly show this, like history has shown those who opposed interracial marriage were wrong. Being on the right-side of history isn't about stomping out those who opposed you when you finally win. It's not about retribution for past slights. Did we learn nothing from Nelson Mandela?

> Did we learn nothing from Nelson Mandela?

You mean like overtly advocating violent overthrow of an oppressive government? Mandela was right. Just not in the way his sanitized image would lead one to expect.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#657

Post by ubernostrum »

return0 wrote: post #435
bashinator wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So registering an opinion about the actions of a public figure is bullying, but making a monetary donation to restrict the rights of a minority is not?

I can't believe i have to say it, but donating to a cause, no matter how misguided, is meant to effect the public opinion in a certain way through certain channels. Asking for his job, his head or his property because of his opinions is bullying [mob rule is a better term], not civil discourse!

Proposition 8 was not a campaign to change the political views of people. It had but one purpose, and that purpose was to declare a subset of the population legally unequal to everyone else.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#658

Post by thrwwwy »

Eich's outing was as a result of a leak from an IRS employee.

Could he sue the US government, and/or the IRS employee that leaked the donor list?

It pains me to use a National Review blog as a source but it seems that the Obama administration hasn't made an effort to prosecute the leaker: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/362667/investigation-i...

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#659

Post by worklogin »

6cxs2hd6 wrote: post #486
mkr-hn wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He didn't get a pass. A lot of people made a huge issue out of it from the day he announced to the day he changed his views. He also didn't stand in the way of the advancing equality movement while he mulled it over. Brendan Eich did, to the tune of $1000.

Actually, with respect to civil rights, acts of omission matter >= acts of commission. Therefore the POTUS withholding support is a far, far greater impact than some dude contributing $1000. Yet I imagine a super-majority of the people pitchforking Eich also voted for Obama. Whatever justifications they had -- "lesser of two evils", "he's right about most other things" -- should apply to both people. But of course th…

Furthermore, this man supported a controversial cause to the tune of peanuts worth of money, and his job is to run a tech non-profit.

There are probably thousands of of other companies and people HN'ers interact with every day that have done worse things than this man. It's a point about which to rally; it's not that important in the grand scheme.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#660

Post by hkphooey »

zemo wrote: post #651
xaa wrote: post #431

My father-in-law is a high-level official in the "Alliance Defending Freedom", which is essentially the conservative counterpart to the ACLU, providing legal advice to conservative causes. For years, he's been telling me about the "gay liberal agenda", which, to him, was not just about promoting gay rights, but also about silencing any freedom of speech advocating opposing viewpoints. I always pooh-poohed him and gen…

the reality is that at the end of the day, Mozilla is a civil rights organization. Although it is ostensibly a technology company, their actual agenda is deeply rooted in civil rights, and Brendan Eich's Proposition 8 donation is antithetical to civil rights.

Firstly, Mozilla is a technology organization, not a political one.

Secondly, is marriage really a civil right? If you say yes, explain why campaigners aren't fighting to allow brother to marry sister, mother to marry son, or polygamous marriages which have a long history in many cultures?

I think there are many people who would agree that Eich should not have been forced out for his views and donation, and those who pushed the issue are just as intolerant and bigoted as they claim Eich to be. Tolerance works both ways.

Post reply on HN