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Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

businessinsider.com

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Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#41

Post by ciisforsuckas »

literallyWTF wrote: post #31
ostenning wrote: post #6

Here is a classic case of someone conflating the state of Israel and Jewish people and lumping it all together. Plenty of Jewish people that live both inside and outside of Israel are critical of the state. People can be critical of the state of Israel, but they should not be antisemitic. His comments are offensive for this reason.

This is by design. Israel and spent years associating the _state_ of Israel with Judaism. That way you can’t criticize Israel without being labeled and anti-Jewish semite. Nothing he posted was offensive. Israel is an apartheid state

and billions of dollars

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#42

Post by uh_uh »

Tomte wrote: post #3

> Instead of firing him, though, Google is moving Bobb into a STEM-focused role. That's surprising, but I think it's good. He's obviously not viable in the diversity role, but there's no reason to go ballistic over a 15 year old blog post.

Something tells me Google wouldn't be so gentle had he been a white male talking in a similar tone about women, blacks or muslims.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#44

Post by londons_explore »

londons_explore wrote: post #38

I really wish we could seperate people's private and professional lives. This guy in his private life wrote some nasty blog posts. That shouldn't impact his professional life. Nor vice versa. This blog post isn't sufficiently against the law to end up with him in prison. Yet this is a case of extrajudicial punishment. Unless there is any evidence of him bringing that thinking into his work, he shouldn't be punished.

I just have an alternative name for the world of work.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#45

Post by toss1 »

bushbaba wrote: post #15
smrtinsert wrote: post #5

Being Jewish has nothing to do with Israeli state policy. Is that so difficult to understand? Some German living in the US in early 40s was not responsible for Nazis. What is wrong with people? Lately it's seems to me simple logic has no correlation with technical ability. You're not a general genius Bob, you're just good at computers.

He directly said Jews. Quote from his blog: “If I were a Jew I would be concerned about my insatiable appetite for war and killing in defense of myself”

If that's the quote, damn, that is sooo wrong. Aside from the overt antisemitism, just replace whoever he is talking about with "X".

For any X, when they live constantly among existential threats, in particular other petro-states, who explicitly state that you should be "wiped off the map" and who use and fund impoverished neighbors to instigate and wage proxy wars against you, you should be extremely concerned if you and your nation do NOT prepare strongly by taking up arms in defense of themselves.

Characterizing a necessary defense posture as some kind of blood lust is just sick and ignorant.

The guy should be fired.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#46

Post by commandlinefan »

wonderwonder wrote: post #35

Will be interesting to see how Google handles other old examples of people writing things perceived to be offensive. Apple clearly has taken the opposite approach, with the firing of Antonio Garcia Martinez. While the google employee's comments are clearly anti Semitic, one can hope he has changed since then and give him another chance. We are too quick to condemn people for life due to their past mistakes. With that…

> one can hope he has changed since then and give him another chance

I... can't help but think that, had he been a member of a different demographic, he would have just plain been fired.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#47

Post by rightorwrong128 »

I really can't tell if this is right or wrong. On one hand, these comments are hurtful and obviously stupid. On the other hand, this post is 13 years old. We all say or think stupid things sometimes, especially when we're naive about a topic. Isn't it possible his stance has changed? All this publicity now may have ruined this guy's career forever, all because the scribbled down some random stupid thoughts more than a decade ago?

Downvote me, but I am truly sorry for him. Stuff like this makes me never want to post on the public web under my real name, who knows what will be marked as "offensive" a few decades from now.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#48

Post by MattGaiser »

literallyWTF wrote: post #31
ostenning wrote: post #6

Here is a classic case of someone conflating the state of Israel and Jewish people and lumping it all together. Plenty of Jewish people that live both inside and outside of Israel are critical of the state. People can be critical of the state of Israel, but they should not be antisemitic. His comments are offensive for this reason.

This is by design. Israel and spent years associating the _state_ of Israel with Judaism. That way you can’t criticize Israel without being labeled and anti-Jewish semite. Nothing he posted was offensive. Israel is an apartheid state

> Nothing he posted was offensive.

> “If I were a Jew I would be concerned about my insatiable appetite for war and killing in defense of myself”

How about that?

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#50

Post by commandlinefan »

Gunax wrote: post #39
dalbasal wrote: post #17

Somewhat tangential, but who is the right kind of person for a diversity job? What does a job well done look like? Changes in hiring? Changes in company culture? I'm skeptical of roles with a "my job is to care about X" kind of definition. That includes, for example, "customer advocate" and similar, especially someplace as complicated as google. I don't think they can have much success beyond the surface level. EDIT:…

The purpose of the role is to be able to show that you have a diversity officer. Whether or not that actually helps diversity, or helps at all--is secondary.

> Whether or not that actually helps diversity, or helps at all

Or even hurts.

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