What it's like to be cancelled • Hacker News Board

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#201

Post by hexenduction » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:12 PM UTC

Anyone go dig up the public apology from last year? No wonder it isn't linked, it literally is him saying he preyed on women, and pressured them into sex, with alcohol involved, verbatim, I'm not trying to stretch it.

Turning that around into his own personal trauma narrative from the consequences of those actions is really hitting the wrong nerve for me here. Sure, apologize, learn and grow, people can change, but maybe don't write a post what you learned from a large public backlash, is that the backlash was the problem.

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#202

Post by mixmastamyk » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:12 PM UTC

radmuzom wrote: post #66

Earlier this year when Richard Stallman was re-instated to the Board of the FSF, there were a lot of tweets expressing dismay. To one of them, I replied that I personally don't think he has done anything wrong at all - and linked to a well-known article by a woman who defended him better than me. While I found some support among a few people, the amount of hate I received shook me a bit. People started adding me to l…

Sounds like another round of thought-crime and obsessive reactions to stamp it out, a la McCarthyism, etc.

Reminds me of a great ST:TNG episode "The Drumhead" with Jean Simmons as an admiral, who goes on a conspiracy witchhunt. Not until the proceedings go off the rails does anyone have the confidence to resist.

It is a bit of a different category since it is regarding organizations or government, but I believe the angry, obsessive mob angle is the same.

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#203

Post by reidrac » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:12 PM UTC

laurent123456 wrote: post #100

It seems it's better to stay away entirely from certain sensitive topics. No matter your intentions, no matter what you actually think, it just takes a bit of misunderstanding or bad faith and the whole thing explode.

I think you are right.

And it really bothers me because sometimes I see something really unfair, and it is hard to not say anything, but it is not real life and you only need a handful of anonymous people with enough time on their hands to make your life hell. Just because you're not anonymous.

I almost regret being my real me online. We always had trolls, but this is something else.

I almost deleted this comment before sending it. That's the level of self-censorship because what for? What's the point of sharing my opinion here? Is it worth it? Probably not!

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#204

Post by GPerson » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:13 PM UTC

bigbillheck wrote: post #130

nkohari wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you read the original article? This is covered.

I did miss that, there was only so much self-pity I could take.

It’s barely into the first section. Just admit that you’re commenting in bad faith and don’t try to defend yourself by feigning special distaste for “self-pity”. Have some integrity internet people.

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#205

Post by Filligree » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:13 PM UTC

daenz wrote: post #43

I just assume at some point in my life, if I achieve my dreams, I'm going to get cancelled. If you have big aspirations, you should assume this too. Start preparing mentally for it.

Why bother?

It’s much easier not trying for anything like that. You can live a comfortable life without ever trying to make waves. Leave politics to the psychopaths.

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#206

Post by liotier » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:14 PM UTC

b215826 wrote: post #135

ThaDood wrote: post #10

I guess the simple rule of not being a dick still holds a little truth.

But who gets to decide what counts as "dickish" behavior?

The bartender. But seriously, different places have different rules - hang out in a club that welcomes you !

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#207

Post by lookdangerous » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:14 PM UTC

foldr wrote: post #176

lookdangerous wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your point well taken, but my issue is not so much that these companies decided to terminate his employment. I think that was cowardly and in essence caving to an imaginary mob, but let's leave that aside. My contention is that this whole spiraled up from discovery of some bad behavior from the past, that seems to have been inflated into an exaggerated character assassination. My contention with the grandparent comme…

I think the point in this case is pretty simple. A company can't employ this guy and also credibly claim to be concerned about creating a safe environment for women at conferences and other events. There's nothing 'exaggerated' about that. Sometimes actions have long-lasting consequences. Apologies can't magically wash those away.

There is an assumption being used by these companies, and Twitter generally, that I disagree with: "Once someone has behaved in a certain way, they can never be trusted not to behave in that way again".

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#208

Post by leafmeal » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:14 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #154

My life ended on June 21, 2020 Who wrote this post then? I know you go on much later to say that not everyone gets a chance to start over again but I have , so do you have some perspective. At a high level, you got fired from your job, lost some friends, got depressed, but found light at the end of the tunnel and are working again, a year later (a year where a lot of people found themselves out of work for many reaso…

I'm dying to know if this post is satire.

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#209

Post by dfxm12 » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:14 PM UTC

Animats wrote: post #143

What he's supposed to have done: “I was terrible to women. I preyed on them. I ceaselessly hit on them. I pressured them into sex. I got too drunk and did all manner of dumb things.” None of which is illegal. It's not even a matter for civil litigation. He was not accused of doing this as a boss in an organization. Or in a workplace context. There were apparently no criminal charges. No EEOC complaints filed.[1] No a…

FYI, in most states, for most jobs, in most situations, you can be fired for pretty much any reason or no reason at all. If you are interested in workers' rights, please support collective action for labor and politicians that support workers' rights.

Re: What it's like to be cancelled

#210

Post by caddemon » Mon, Jun 21, 2021, 7:14 PM UTC

mandmandam wrote: post #151

radmuzom wrote: post #66

Earlier this year when Richard Stallman was re-instated to the Board of the FSF, there were a lot of tweets expressing dismay. To one of them, I replied that I personally don't think he has done anything wrong at all - and linked to a well-known article by a woman who defended him better than me. While I found some support among a few people, the amount of hate I received shook me a bit. People started adding me to l…

Good for you for doing the right thing. Let me ask you - did you feel like the hate thrown at you on Twitter was completely organic? Was there anything that made you question the motives of the involved Twits? I ask because the whole smear job vs Stallman felt quite manufactured to me; from the initial Vice article horrifically misquoting him, to the weirdly rabid hate towards anyone defending him on forums like this…

I agree that what Stallman said was misrepresented, and perhaps the later stages of the "cancelling" were more manufactured, but the initial anger that popped up on various MIT mailing lists felt very organic to me. A bit mob-like, definitely driven moreso by emotion than a good-faith reading of what Stallman said, and probably amplified by people who disagreed feeling afraid to speak out. But I wouldn't describe any of it as manufactured.