Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO • Hacker News Board

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#711

Post by general_failure » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:32 PM UTC

rpearl wrote: post #122

Oculus wrote: post #6

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, Brendan Eich had some beliefs that were against Mozilla's core values, but on the other hand we just showed that when a mob on the Internet wants something - they get it. It's scary because this mob has global reach, unlimited power, but isn't always right.

You know what? great. I'm glad that there was so much political pressure that someone who does not support gay rights simply could not hold the position of CEO at a tech company. That's absolutely fantastic.

Not sure why you are getting downvoted here. Especially given that everyone was raging about it here before this happenned.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#712

Post by Borogove » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:32 PM UTC

baddox wrote: post #380

dopamean wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally agree with you but I think the problem here is that being against gay marriage is more than just a "political view." Being for low taxes is a political view. Being for smaller government is a political view. Believing a certain group of people don't deserve to live their lives like other simply because of who they love is not a political view. It reads as extremely hateful and that makes people uncomforta…

> I generally agree with you but I think the problem here is that being against gay marriage is more than just a "political view." Not necessarily. It's quite possible to support gay partners' legal right to live together, file taxes together, set up wills and visitation rights, adopt children, etc., but still oppose changing the legally-defined notion of marriage.

You'll forgive me if I find expanding the definition of "marriage" in state and federal law to be a more reasonable approach than having to fight separate battles for each of the 1000+ legal rights and obligations which currently accrue to married couples.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#713

Post by JasonFruit » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:35 PM UTC

bowlofpetunias wrote: post #521

I am stunned at how many people on HN seem to thing Eich should not be judged on his personal so-called "political" views. If he was a racist in favor of segregation would people still take that position? I seriously doubt it.

I would absolutely take that position. How is it relevant to his position? Can't someone pragmatically act as is appropriate to the world that is, while working to remake it as they believe it should be?

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#714

Post by general_failure » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:35 PM UTC

DangerousPie wrote: post #45

I am a strong supporter of gay marriage, but I have to say that I find this very unfortunate and worrying. Apparently many Mozilla supporters seem to think it is okay to bully a qualified person out of his job only for his political views, even if they had absolutely no effect on his qualification or his actions on the job. I can't help but feel like this campaign has done a lot more harm to him than his $1000 donati…

Well, this is exactly what people wanted after the learnt about this stance and his reactions. I don't understand why you find this worrying. It's mob justice but justice nevertheless. As a CEO, he simply has to accept and support popular opinion and views. That's how people in top management survive.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#715

Post by meowface » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:36 PM UTC

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #238

pessimizer wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>even if they had absolutely no effect on his qualification or his actions on the job. There's no evidence of this either way, and the qualifications for being a CEO are nearly orthogonal to the qualifications for being a developer. He's clearly an outstanding developer; though javascript seems the product of a damaged mind, it's the water we all swim in. As a CEO, he chooses the direction of the company and manages…

What evidence is there that he's a "homophobe"? 7 million other Californians also voted for Prop 8. Does that make them all homophobes?

>Does that make them all homophobes?

It does.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#716

Post by momentarily » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:36 PM UTC

amadeus wrote: post #612

gfodor wrote: post #572

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are someone who believes gay people should be allowed to form civil unions, but are offended by the idea that those unions be called marriages, supporting prop 8 is consistent with those views even though it doesn't mention civil unions. I have no idea why Brendan donated $1,000 to support prop 8, and I'd be skeptical that he'd do so if he didn't actually have much stronger beliefs than the civil unions point.…

You're still stretching the point. If you have an issue with the term marriage, then you're coming at it from a religious perspective. There's separation of church and state, it's a constitutional thing. If you want to redefine something as a Civil Union, then you help create and vote for that specific legislation. There was/is no logical or rational reason to vote for Prop 8.

I, personally, have an issue with witch hunts, with McCarthyism, with bigotry.

Eich's persecution for his beliefs was bigotry.

Everyone complicit in it is a bigot.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#717

Post by general_failure » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:38 PM UTC

Everyone has a right to opinion. Brendan has his opinion. The internet also had it's opinion. Nobody is right or wrong here, just the way it is. OKCupid was well within it's rights to denounce firefox - just like brendan was within his rights to support prop8.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#718

Post by pkroll » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:42 PM UTC

twoodfin wrote: post #496

ceejayoz wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Left-leaning folks are going to be gun-shy about third parties for a while. The memories of 2000 with Gore/Nader in Florida aren't fading all that fast.

So there's no view a Democrat could express that wouldn't disqualify him in left-leaning folks' minds? That would be depressing. Winning isn't everything.

That depends entirely on the expressed views of the person they're running against. I accept anyone I vote for is going to do things I don't like. Maybe most things. Avoiding the vote because there's no candidate that's "perfect" leads to people getting in that will do EVEN MORE things I don't like, so while winning isn't everything, it's a lot.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#719

Post by quaunaut » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:44 PM UTC

facepalm wrote: post #451

dopamean wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I saw no reason to believe that he would use Mozilla to further an anti-gay agenda. I agree. However, it's a little weird if you say you are a company who values diversity and different lifestyles but you have a CEO who is openly against a particular group of people. That kind of contradiction at the very top makes things weird.

Has he ever said anything against gays? Being opposed to gay marriage is not the same as being opposed to gays.

Yes it is. Lets not make useless differences here, it is. To think there isn't is somehow thinking someone having fewer rights than you do is still legally equal to you.

Re: Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO

#720

Post by mindslight » Thu, Apr 03, 2014, 10:44 PM UTC

bashinator wrote: post #321

return0 wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On top of it, the resignation shines a bad light on gay-marriage activism, nobody likes a bully.

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?

The second half of your statement does not follow in any way, shape, or form. Both actions are essentially bullying, and the problem is that it's not truth or justice that has won today, but simply the currently-stronger bully.