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Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

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Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#101

Post by goethes_kind »

jeffbee wrote: post #35
c0mbonat0r wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Both side in that war are behaving badly and nobody should take either side. I look forward to the day when allying with any theocracy is recognized as an ethical mistake.

Both sides have resorted to terrorism. In fact that seems to be the modus operandi for both sides. What Israel does every day is also terrorism. The random bombings on civilians, the targeted bombings on key entities (doctors, journalists, authors, peace activists, ....), the detention without judicial recourse of Palestinians, the torture and rape, beating and murder, that happens during those detentions. The stealing of homes in the west bank, the evictions, the harassment of non-Jews (and even some non-Zionist Jewish sects) in Jerusalem and the west bank. The illegal settlement and the constant bullying and taunting of the armed settlers with their rifles and their IDF body guards. The destruction of all Palestinian means of production, whether it be shops or olive orchards. That is all terrorism and that has been happening for decades.

But that the end of the day, Israel IS the oppressor and the Palestinians are their victims. That is a very important distinction.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#102

Post by smashah »

dekhn wrote: post #52
smashah wrote: post #27

So being anti-Genocide is a fireable offense at Google?

No, of course not, and I don't even think you meant that question in good faith. More explicitly: you can be (and are encouraged to be) anti-genocide at google. However, disrupting a public company meeting is definitely a fireable offense.

[flagged]

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#103

Post by aaomidi »

fny wrote: post #61
bluefishinit wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would a big tech company be hosting an event with a state committing genocide? That (and working with said regime) is the problem, not people protesting. It's not possible to be a consumer brand and support Israel. The world is too divided and it's not getting any less so.

[flagged]

ICJ was not asked to convict Israel of committing genocide. That was not in the initial ask.

The ask was to force Israel to stop its military operation.

The ICJ's provisional verdict was _actually pretty bad_ for Israel:

"The aforementioned facts and circumstances are sufficient to conclude that at least some rights of the Palestinians to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts in Article 3 of the Genocide Convention, and the rights of South Africa to seek protection of these rights."

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/icj-president-c...

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#104

Post by bhhaskin »

mden wrote: post #37
mise_en_place wrote: post #22

My old manager put it best: No politics and religion in the workplace. Seriously, it's as simple as that. We are here to work, not philosophize about politics and current events.

A lot of work can be inherently political. If your company pivots into mass surveillance is it unreasonable to speak up if it's against your ethics framework?

Google is already a mass surveillance company...

The moral and ethical thing to do would be to not work for that company.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#106

Post by mc32 »

siva7 wrote: post #2

> Google fired an employee who disrupted an Israel executive’s conference keynote this week, CNBC has learned. Rightfully so. Name me the big tech company who wouldn't fire such an employee instantly.

It used to be, at work one would not talk about politics or religion. And, to some degree, salaries... but that was thrown out the window and companies encouraged activism, bring your pets to work, bring your freakishness to work, let it all hang out. You didn't just keep it to yourself and best friends anymore --the company was "your family and friend".

The chickens are coming home to roost and they don't like it so much anymore.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#107

Post by user_7832 »

ghaff wrote: post #50
user_7832 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Rightfully so. Name me the big tech company who wouldn't fire such an employee instantly. Just because something is done by most companies doesn't make it okay. Are mass layoffs "rightful" in any sense of that word?

If the alternative is the company going out of business? Yes? People can rightly protest the way layoffs are conducted but the idea that a company is "wrongful" to have a layoff sometimes is silly.

I'm not specifically saying layoffs are good or bad, I was giving an example of how something being common (layoffs) doesn't automatically make it good (it's of course not good for the fired people).

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#108

Post by PheonixPharts »

minimaxir wrote: post #32
hayst4ck wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why we need tech unions. We should be able to take an ethical stance without getting fired.

They weren't fired for taking a stance, they were fired for how they took the stance.

But how he did it is the important part.

I mean Aaron Bushnell could have written angry letters to his representatives, but he didn't. He lit himself on fire outside of the Israel embassy after declaring he would not take part in genocide and screamed "free Palestine" with his dying breath. And because of that, today I am writing about what he had to say.

If you think the correct response to genocide is politically discussing it with management then I don't think you really understand the gravity of the situation.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#109

Post by user_7832 »

wilg wrote: post #51
user_7832 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Rightfully so. Name me the big tech company who wouldn't fire such an employee instantly. Just because something is done by most companies doesn't make it okay. Are mass layoffs "rightful" in any sense of that word?

It's not immoral to fire multiple people from a company.

My argument is that it's not automatically right either to fire people, just because it is a common practice.

Maybe I should've used another example like lobbying or politicians' insider trading as a practice that's common but not necessarily right.

Re: Google fires employee who protested Israel tech event, shuts forum

#110

Post by smashah »

kadomony wrote: post #85
smashah wrote: post #27

So being anti-Genocide is a fireable offense at Google?

Being unprofessional about it in a way that brings reputational (and by extension financial) damage to the business is fireable, yes.

Doesn't being complicit in a plausible-Genocide bring about reputational, and by extension financial, damage to the business?

Therefore by your standards the GCP execs relating to engagements to the Israeli Einsatzgruppen Force and their co-conspirators (including the U.S military) should be fired.

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