Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces • Hacker News Board

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

#471

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:16 PM UTC

castlecrasher2 wrote: post #302

lgleason wrote: post #247

Live by the sword, die by the sword. That said, firing him, like they did with Damore would have been more consistent. Because everyone is under arbitration agreements that always benefit the company, vs the courts where you might have a shot at justice, they have no incentive to do that. As repugnant as his past anti-semitic rant was, people change and sometimes say and do stupid things. In a sane world this guy wou…

>Google apologized for his comments and said he was being reassigned to a role on the company's STEM team. He wasn't fired, just reassigned.

[deleted]

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

#472

Post by whimsicalism » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:16 PM UTC

cjohnson318 wrote: post #365

whimsicalism wrote: post #330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course not. I was seeing how far people would go with Damore, and it really saddens me how much my comment was upvoted. People here are the type of people I work with... they all hold these views? Of course, now that I've clarified, I expect the Damore-types to downvoted my comment, it peaked at +5.

Jfc. You had me there. I need to calm down and get back to work. This whole thread is way too much.

What's even more interesting is that it wasn't flagged and taken down until I clarified that I was trying to be critical of Damore.

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

#473

Post by MajorBee » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

throwaway09223 wrote: post #440

michaelscott wrote: post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In terms of getting people fired/removed/cancelled for remarks, yes absolutely. That may be a function of social media and the scale of communication in modern times, but either way the sensitivity of the vocal minority has definitely changed even in my relatively short life.

You say yes, but can you explain how it is different? As far as I can tell it's the same as it was a century ago. The only change is the subject matter. Do you think you'd keep your job after saying something anti-Christian in the 1950s? Look at what happened to Sinead O'Connor in the early 90s after she spoke out against child abuse in the Catholic church. Maybe the biggest difference is that now we write when we co…

Not to mention if you uttered something even vaguely socialist/communist sounding a few decades ago, you would be fired from your All-American job, be socially ostracized, and have the FBI on your tail before you can say "Stalin is bad".

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

#474

Post by thereare5lights » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

throwkeep wrote: post #306

agentofoblivion wrote: post #40

Only the purest of the pure can lead a diversity effort. And it doesn’t count unless you were pure from the beginning. Growing to overcome past problems is not sufficient.

It's worse than that, only the purest of the pure can be employed. Look at Apple's recent mob firing of Antonio García Martínez. Who made the mistake of writing a best selling and critically acclaimed book just 5 years ago. Featured as one of NPR's best books of the year, recommended by NYT, Washington Post, etc. But now it's suddenly a fireable offense. “An irresistible and indispensable 360-degree guide to the new…

I have little doubt plenty of women didn’t want to work with someone that writes the things he writes about women.

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

#475

Post by nojokes » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

duxup wrote: post #389

megamindbrian2 wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you people ever met a Jew? They literally idolized "never again" which is what this guy's is talking about. They literally live by the principal that this guy was removed from his position over. And questioning any Jewish philosophy is labeled anti-Semitic and condemned. Write a story about being "God's chosen people" doesn't make you righteous, it just makes you last to do it.

I've met Jews. I didn't get the impression that they have an "insatiable appetite for war and killing". Would you say the Jews I met have an "insatiable appetite for war and killing"?

I have met Jews (Israelis to be more precise), Russians and Americans. All have been very nice people.

But I think it could be said about all of them as nations to have to some degree "insatiable appetite for war and killing" considering their recent history.

Naturally the Russians would label me a russophobe for saying that. Not sure what Americans would label me.

I also understand the position Israelis are in and I understand their actions. But they have made a critical mistake from the beginning and what they continue to make - not giving a fair compensation to the people they displace.

I think most problems would not exists today if that had been followed from the beginning. Perhaps I am mistaken, so please enlighten me.

I also envy Israelis that they can be in such position.

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

#476

Post by janeroe » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

throw1103 wrote: post #85

anm89 wrote: post #12

This is the only instance relating to offensive social media I've ever heard of where someone got reassigned and not fired

Should you really be fired for things you said 13 years ago? Also we didn't see the entire context..

> Should you really be fired for things you said 13 years ago?

I think, you shouldn't. Unless you're a head of diversity. Then you must be.

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

#477

Post by whimsicalism » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

zpeti wrote: post #348

antisemtexism wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Criticism of Israel's apartheid policies isn't antisemitism. It's such nonsense how the two have been conflated in recent years.

Most of the stuff I've seen recently is not criticising the "apartheid policies" (debatable) of Israel. It's actual anti jewish rhetoric.

Seriously, most of the stuff you've seen recently?

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

#478

Post by pxc » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

megamindbrian2 wrote: post #352

duxup wrote: post #293

>will be reassigned to a STEM research role Not fired, just reassigned. I'm ok with that as a policy. Presumably he isn't ok with those old statements and can move on. At the same time the folks who need to post some general statements about a whole group of people, religion, or whatever ... As far as I can remember I've never felt a reason to talk about a whole category of people and "insatiable appetite for war and…

Have you people ever met a Jew? They literally idolized "never again" which is what this guy's is talking about. They literally live by the principal that this guy was removed from his position over. And questioning any Jewish philosophy is labeled anti-Semitic and condemned. Write a story about being "God's chosen people" doesn't make you righteous, it just makes you last to do it.

> Have you people ever met a Jew?

yes.

My Jewish friends are anti-war and anti-imperialist.

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

#479

Post by busterarm » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

thereare5lights wrote: post #450

busterarm wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sarah Silverman's blackface sketch that lost her movie roles in 2019 was from 2007. Alexi McCammond's tweets as a 17 year old were made in 2011. She had already publicly apologized for them in 2019. James Gunn's old tweets were from 2011. Josh Hader's social media posts were from 2012, while in high school. Hartley Sawyer's tweets were from 2014. Where is that line?

McCammond’s 2019 “apology” was along the lines of “sorry you’re offended”, not “I’m sorry for what I said”.

She also called her comments "deeply insensitive". How bent out of shape are you going to get over what a 17 year old says? "Sorry you're offended" is much closer to accurate. I'm nothing like 17 year old me and if you asked me to take present day responsibility for that person I would tell you to toss off.

How much did you do at 17 that you aren't proud of today?

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

#480

Post by GranularRecipe » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:17 PM UTC

nso wrote: post #362

donatj wrote: post #55

What I have learned in recent years is how shockingly accepting of antisemitism people apparently are on both sides of aisle. Growing up in a prominently Jewish neighborhood in Minnesota I never really encountered it until maybe ten years ago. The fact that he was just shifted rather than fired in this political environment speaks volumes.

Reading his blog post it seems to me like he is commenting on Israeli state politics and the extremists within its borders rather than "any" jew. Yes he uses the word jew in a general way, which of course is unfortunate as Israel does not solely consist of jewish people. His points are presented without hyperboles, and while they certainly do not paint Israels state politics in a good light, how is this anti semitism…

Anti-Zionists deny being anti-Semites, claiming they make a clear distinction between Israel as a political entity and Jewish people in general, and are only against the former.

Bobb conflated Israeli politics with Jewishness and thus making the latter responsible for the actions of the former.

The fact that Israel defines itself as a Jewish state does not mean that all Jews see themselves as Israelis or are pro-Israel.

It is like criticising Arabs for the actions of Saudi-Arabia, or any other Arab (or Muslim) country, which is unfortunately an recurring theme in the West and justifiably regarded as a form of racism (Islamophobia).