This isn't really an HN topic, is it?
Also, anyone can fucking donate to whoever they want. Notice in the "name" column it says "Brendan Elch", not "Mozilla, Inc." What he does with his money is his business.
Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
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Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#12As a programmer living in California whose foreign-same-sex-marriage is not recognized by the state... I'm halfway to setting up a Mozilla boycott. It's not Mozilla itself that gave the money, of course... its just their most visible (and well paid) employee.
That doesn't mean they "endorse" it.
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#13I don't want to condemn Brendan Eich until I've heard his side of the story, though I think he has almost certainly acted in a way that I can't approve of here. I'm disappointed by his donation, though no more disappointed than I am about any of the other donors - I don't expect higher standards of Brendan or Mozilla than I would of anyone else, and I think that people condemning him should remember that liking Mozilla's products is not contingent on liking the personal politics of people who work for Mozilla.
His personal views have no bearing on the work that Mozilla does, or his work as part of that. As a private individual he's entitled to his own views and to support those views with his own money, and I personally believe that society benefits from allowing a distinction between the personal and professional spheres. Brendan Eich the public figure should retain respect as a pivotal figure in the development of the web, even if Brendan Eich the private individual holds views that some (though by no means all) people find deeply objectionable.
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#14This isn't really an HN topic, is it? Also, anyone can fucking donate to whoever they want. Notice in the "name" column it says "Brendan Elch", not "Mozilla, Inc." What he does with his money is his business.
It says "Mozilla" right beside his name. I think most people would have less of an issue of he donated without stating his employer.
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#15As a programmer living in California whose foreign-same-sex-marriage is not recognized by the state... I'm halfway to setting up a Mozilla boycott. It's not Mozilla itself that gave the money, of course... its just their most visible (and well paid) employee.
You're entitled to boycott any company for any reason, however I would encourage you to reconsider your position. This is what you are asking of Mozilla:
1) To have a political position on this issue. 2) To enforce that political position on all of its employees.
#1 is somewhat reasonable (that is, it's a bit abnormal for a company to have a specific political position not related to their business but not completely unheard of), but #2 is very impractical and I would argue damaging.
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#16As a programmer living in California whose foreign-same-sex-marriage is not recognized by the state... I'm halfway to setting up a Mozilla boycott. It's not Mozilla itself that gave the money, of course... its just their most visible (and well paid) employee.
You're entitled to boycott any company for any reason, however I would encourage you to reconsider your position. This is what you are asking of Mozilla: 1) To have a political position on this issue. 2) To enforce that political position on all of its employees. #1 is somewhat reasonable (that is, it's a bit abnormal for a company to have a specific political position not related to their business but not completely…
I understand where you're coming from with point 2. It can be very damaging for a company. Firing people because they're a Democrat or a Republican (or forcing all your employees to vote for Romney or Santorum) is going to get you in trouble, and quickly.
However, I believe the split here comes whether this is a "political issue" or a "human rights issue". In my opinion, it's human rights. And I believe any company should ensure that its employees are not fighting against equality. I guess this also ties into equality for its employees. I assume there are LGBT employees of Mozilla, and I think they must feel pretty uncomfortable right now.
Unfortunately (again, in my opinion, etc.), it's treated as a political standpoint, something that big parties can argue about. But it isn't - it's about whether LGBT individuals have the same rights as straight people.
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're entitled to boycott any company for any reason, however I would encourage you to reconsider your position. This is what you are asking of Mozilla: 1) To have a political position on this issue. 2) To enforce that political position on all of its employees. #1 is somewhat reasonable (that is, it's a bit abnormal for a company to have a specific political position not related to their business but not completely…
I understand where you're coming from with point 2. It can be very damaging for a company. Firing people because they're a Democrat or a Republican (or forcing all your employees to vote for Romney or Santorum) is going to get you in trouble, and quickly. However, I believe the split here comes whether this is a "political issue" or a "human rights issue". In my opinion, it's human rights. And I believe any company s…
(Obviously, this instance can be taken solely as a political issue - donating to a political campaign. However, I think the underlying human rights issue is still there. This is an assumption. Mr Eich could have donated for purely political reasons... but I find that difficult to comprehend.)
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#18This isn't really an HN topic, is it? Also, anyone can fucking donate to whoever they want. Notice in the "name" column it says "Brendan Elch", not "Mozilla, Inc." What he does with his money is his business.
It says "Mozilla" right beside his name. I think most people would have less of an issue of he donated without stating his employer.
I don't know much about the law here, but isn't it required that you make such information public? That is, isn't that part of how campaign donations are tracked and regulated?
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#19The assumption here is that there's no legitimate reason for supporting a gay marriage ban. Obviously A LOT of people disagree with that fundamental assumption, otherwise the potential ban wouldn't exist.
Personally, you have to address why the government is involved in marriage at all. From my understanding, it is for the purpose of encouraging the family unit and the perpetuation of society through offspring. Gay people can't have offspring unless you count lesbians and artificial insemination, but that takes the conversation down a whole other tangent.
My main point simply being, there are non-human-rights justifications for not endorsing / encouraging gay marriage, so judgment is premature.
Re: Brendan Eich of Mozilla gave $1000 to support gay marriage ban
#20This would fall under the heading of "political discussion".