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At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

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Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#41

Post by phkahler »

>> Politics often don’t mix easily at work, but it’s particularly fraught in tech, where free thinking is prized yet the workforce is predominantly liberal.

It used to be free thinking. They would embrace "inclusiveness" under that banner. The problem is they've gone all-in with the notion that being a Social Justice Warrior is a morally superior ideological position and anyone else is a bad person. They really have become a distinct hate group even though in some places they are a majority.

I no longer associate with people who throw around the terms misogyny, patriarchy, and rape culture. I'm a pretty simple guy but I'm tired of hearing how bad I am just because I have a Y chromosome. The war on masculinity is very real.

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#42

Post by stult »

chrisabrams wrote: post #2

I grew up in Texas but worked in Silicon Valley for a few years. One of the toughest adjustments was going from a small conservative town to a major liberal populace. It was astonishing the number of people who got angry _at me_ for having a different opinion then they did. At one workplace I saw two coworkers get into a fist fight because the liberal was "offended" that the conservative differed on a viewpoint. Go t…

Having moved from the liberal coasts to Texas, I can tell you that you're right about the opposite experience happening too, and you definitely don't have to go looking for it.

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#43

Post by gumby »

Oh boo hoo. For every supposedly "pro liberal" tech company there are plenty of "conservative" ones you can work for (EMC and Lockheed have huge presences in the Valley). Or you could just, you know, enjoy your technical work and not worry about the politics within a private sector organization.

If you really think there's a change that needs to happen you could drive for it, but no, it's not inherently going to make you popular. The same issues faced by people who struggle/have struggled for more diversity in the private sector over the decades.

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#44

Post by candiodari »

LyndsySimon wrote: post #23
StavrosK wrote: post #7

I don't think it's even just conservatives, anyone who has an even slightly different opinion than the golden calves US libertarian society has set up is shunned. It's closer to religion at this point. I consider myself liberal, but (and?) I disagree on various topics, mostly on affirmative action. However, if you think that introducing more bias is a bad way to solve existing bias, you're a racist. It's not "I disag…

> than the golden calves US libertarian society has set up is shunned This doesn't make any sense to me - as an (extreme) libertarian, I see very little progress on that front. The Democrats and Republicans have each used the libertarian "brand" when it has suited them, but neither have implemented any actual libertarian positions in my lifetime, at least not that I can recall. Out of curiosity, are you perhaps viewi…

No, he looks at it like left and right. From a European perspective American politics are simple:

Republicans: extreme right (slight adjustment: closed borders, mostly for laissez-faire economic reasons)

Democrats: extreme right (slight adjustment: (ever so slightly more) open borders, mostly for laissez-faire economic reasons)

Libertarians: extreme right

Even the bloody US communist party does not want to abolish markets. Think about how crazy that is.

On the borders point of view, a traditional leftist (one from the 70s or 80s) might even say that the republicans are clearly to the left, politically, of the democrats. Why ? Closed borders protect the rights, and increase living conditions and wages of laborers. Or, as we might say today, of "the 99%".

But yes, those same closed borders will make your iPads more expensive. A leftist should not care.

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#45

Post by anbende »

brookside wrote: post #6
chrisabrams wrote: post #2

I grew up in Texas but worked in Silicon Valley for a few years. One of the toughest adjustments was going from a small conservative town to a major liberal populace. It was astonishing the number of people who got angry _at me_ for having a different opinion then they did. At one workplace I saw two coworkers get into a fist fight because the liberal was "offended" that the conservative differed on a viewpoint. Go t…

That anger could be reasonable or not, depending on your opinions.

Anger at another perspective might be argued to be reasonable. There are some pretty abhorrent perspectives in the world. Getting into a fistfight with someone because they hold a different point of view, no matter how heinous, is absolutely and unequivocally unacceptable.

The idea that there are points of view (not actions or laws but ideas) that warrant violence is a large and growing problem.

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#46

Post by archagon »

LyndsySimon wrote: post #34
archagon wrote: post #22

If your politics, or the beliefs of those who share your politics, make your coworkers feel hurt, scared, and angry, then I see absolutely no reason to bring them to your workplace. It's basic human interaction 101. And sorry, but insisting that people grow a thicker skin won't work, because that's not how people operate. I discuss controversial topics in person with my close friends, and I don't feel any poorer for…

> If your politics, or the beliefs of those who share your politics, make your coworkers feel hurt, scared, and angry, then I see absolutely no reason to bring them to the workplace. On one hand, I would argue that getting angry because someone doesn't share your views is unprofessional. On the other, I would like to point out that the point of this article is that this is a one-way street: If Progressives experience…

Well — yeah, that's how it works when most people around you share certain opinions. You can't change human nature all by your lonesome. You certainly wouldn't find me chatting about the Clintons, universal healthcare, etc. in a conservative office. (Or any office, for that matter.)

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#47

Post by 0xcde4c3db »

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #10

Can't we just keep politics out of the workplace? Who really wants to sit next to the guy who's going to spend a half an hour telling me about my company's “social justice agenda”?

What gets labeled as "politics" is itself a product of politics, so it's basically unavoidable.

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#48

Post by 2017Dude »

AndrewDucker wrote: post #30
subru wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's not reasonable. It's a vote, not justification to throw fists or anything in between, even.

A vote to treat people badly is _absolutely_ a good reason to be angry at someone. If you're voting to take away people's healthcare, or to discriminate against them based on who they love, or their gender, then of course they are angry!

What if you vote for someone willing to pardon long-overstaying illegal aliens?

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#49

Post by Frondo »

My heart goes out to those lonely people.

I think, though, the reality is that politics (and concomitant voting choices) has consequences on the lives of others, and this pattern of some social isolation is in turn a consequence of that.

It isn't Star Wars vs Star Trek, it's whether Jim the SRE can marry his long-term boyfriend Mike, or whatever.

It's not just politics. It never is. Votes make a difference in people's lives.

What do conservatives expect, when society is moving away from the social views their party has aligned itself with?

And, to remain solution-focused, how should the rest of us befriend them when the conservative party in this country has such views? What's the common ground we can look for?

To go with gay issues (I have a lot more gay friends than people of color friends, so I'm more sympathetic to their issues day-to-day), to you folks out there who oppose gay marriage now, or supported Reagan when AIDS was decimating the gay community in the 80s, or any number of examples...

How may I find common ground with you when your politics and votes have hurt so badly the community so many of my friends are a part of?

Re: At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated

#50

Post by classybull »

gumby wrote: post #17
classybull wrote: post #8

Aren't these the same sort that will moan ceaselessly about the ludicrousness of "safe spaces" and "snowflakes"? I don't particularly care. You're free to speak your mind. You're not free to force people around you agree. Either get over it, or move on. I hear welding is an in-demand industry and I bet they'll find more receptivity to their viewpoints there.

> I hear welding is an in-demand industry and I bet they'll find more receptivity to their viewpoints there. I know what point you're trying to make here, and it's true that there may be more receptivity, but welders are more likely to be, say, pro union than your run of the mill SV bro. Your point about the "safe spaces" is hilarious!

Yes, I was mostly being flippant there. I've known several welders and iron workers and they tend to mostly be apolitical and when they have opinions they're a fair mix of both left and right.

But welders is what came to mind first when I was thinking of "stereotypically right wing jobs". Whoops.

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