Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant • Hacker News Board

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#91

Post by tyingq » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 3:04 AM UTC

anigbrowl wrote: post #87

throwawayboise wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah well, I guess not then. I imagined someone a lot older. Some form of schizophrenia perhaps.

There's an entire subculture that promotes and amplifies this kind of thing for political ends. Is it really so hard to believe that maybe the guy is just a closet nazi? It's not that uncommon for people to make very bad decisions about internet activity under the influence of alcohol or recreational/abused prescription drugs.

He did double-down in his "apology", which is a bit unusual.

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#92

Post by cbfrench » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 3:04 AM UTC

tyingq wrote: post #61

throwawayboise wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I've never heard of him but saw that he was retired as CEO and wondering how old he is. Could be a sign of dementia or Alzheimers. Something has gone wrong in his head.

>Could be a sign of dementia or Alzheimers He appears to be pretty young, see the photo at the top: https://forward.com/fast-forward/480359/david-bateman-entrat... So, perhaps some other kind of mental illness. It was telling that he basically doubled down with a sort of "sorry, sorry, but it's still a Jewish plot" in his apology. Edit: He's likely 42 or 43, based on some old (2002/2003) stories about founding the co…

Although, being young doesn’t entirely exclude certain forms of dementia (namely, frontotemporal dementia). See, e.g.: https://www.wired.com/story/lee-holloway-devastating-decline...

It seems likelier he’s just adopted (or felt emboldened to give voice to) extremist views. But it’s also possible that some mental disturbance is behind the behavior.

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#93

Post by q1w2 » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 3:11 AM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #13

This man is seriously unwell. This wasn't just normal politics - This was deep conspiracy theory nonsense. The fact that he thought others would appreciate the message is further proof that he is in the midst of a serious crisis. He has completely lost touch with reality. Unfortunately, being a wealthy ex-CEO and ex-pat living in another country, away from his former social circles, has likely removed all social supp…

I'm not going to join on the outrage/mental illness bandwagon based on the media's interpretation of an email they are not releasing.

I'm guessing that the email is indeed anti-semitic, and I'm guessing that the media doesn't want to legitimize anything he's saying by publishing the entire email.

...but I'm not going to throw stones without seeing the evidence myself. This is the trade-off. Unfortunately, the media knows full well that accusations alone are all it takes these days - evidence is optional.

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#94

Post by speechLaw » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 3:13 AM UTC

krapp wrote: post #74

iamstupidsimple wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's perfectly okay to be pro-free-speech while acknowledging people like this exist. Plus the guy resigned, not hounded into quitting by a Twitter mob.

Plenty of resignations, firings, bans and other things have been denounced as "cancel culture" by the free speech brigade which didn't involve a Twitter mob hounding anyone. But the article says he resigned after "condemnation throughout Utah's tech community." Surely that's cancel culture? The chilling effect of the mob, the jackboot of censorship? The only reason no one is standing up and giving a full-throated def…

I support complete free speech and also law. If some speeches are very bad for society make a law and enforce it. Otherwise it gives random group powers to accuse and persecute without a just trial.

All laws are human made and can be changed if society agrees. Even some kind of "canceling " can be part of law, if society wants to keep the absolute free speech.

From outside, if such emails can create violence then as a society we need to figure out how to develop more non violence in our culture other wise we will be just treating the symptoms and not the cause.

Edited part below: On more thoughts, if a person is making an accusations without substantial proof, a similar accusations can be made against that person without substantial proof. I think that is fine. However will like that to be in the law and done by proper procedure. Allowing groups to act as mob is dangerous.

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#95

Post by cycrutchfield » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 3:33 AM UTC

abnercoimbre wrote: post #80

cycrutchfield wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unfortunately, being a wealthy ex-CEO and ex-pat living in another country Puerto Rico is another country?

Is that where he is currently living? Puerto Rico is proper American territory and they're all American citizens there, so I definitely wouldn't call it another country (source: I'm Puerto Rican.)

Per the article that’s where he established residency, in order to avoid paying taxes.

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#96

Post by olliej » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 3:41 AM UTC

simplestats wrote: post #68

olliej wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah, it's fairly standard anti-semitism. It's not remotely outside the normal bounds.

It's not like he was caught by a hot mike or something. This guy widely sent out an emotional email to politicans and others pleading them to consider his "discovery". This in a world where you are advised to never say "you guys".

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here?

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#97

Post by LudwigNagasena » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 4:34 AM UTC

kthejoker2 wrote: post #83

LudwigNagasena wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you name some politicians that claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine is part of a plot by "the Jews" to exterminate people or something similar?

Ron DeSantis spokeswoman https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida-governors-press-secret... Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/... Ohio US Senate candidate Josh Mandel https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-jewish-go... https://ktxs.com/news/local/shackleford-county-gop-chairwoma... And these are just the outright ones, there is plenty of this stuff…

>Ron DeSantis spokeswoman

There is no direct antisemitism, only some sort of wink-wink dog whistle accusations.

>Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers

Demographic concerns are common across the world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_threat). There is really nothing special about it. And there are always fears of "voter importation". It is not comparable to "Jews want to exterminate others with vaccines".

>Ohio US Senate candidate Josh Mandel

I guess if he weren't Jewish, he would also be accused of antisemitism because he mentioned Soros? Thankfully for him he ticked the right box when he was born. And yeah, this seems to be the only person who openly articulated conspiracy theories. But again, that's your run-of-the-mill "deep state is puppeteering social movements to keep power", it doesn't look like "similar claims about the Jews".

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#98

Post by happytoexplain » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 5:05 AM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #13

This man is seriously unwell. This wasn't just normal politics - This was deep conspiracy theory nonsense. The fact that he thought others would appreciate the message is further proof that he is in the midst of a serious crisis. He has completely lost touch with reality. Unfortunately, being a wealthy ex-CEO and ex-pat living in another country, away from his former social circles, has likely removed all social supp…

I agree with everything you said and it was all thoughtful, with the one caveat that I think this exact style of writing and object of concern is now in the realm of the "normal" political spectrum. Yes, that may mean that being emotionally/mentally unwell is a part of the "normal" political spectrum, though small - but it seems to be true.

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#99

Post by fundad » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 5:15 AM UTC

krapp wrote: post #74

iamstupidsimple wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's perfectly okay to be pro-free-speech while acknowledging people like this exist. Plus the guy resigned, not hounded into quitting by a Twitter mob.

Plenty of resignations, firings, bans and other things have been denounced as "cancel culture" by the free speech brigade which didn't involve a Twitter mob hounding anyone. But the article says he resigned after "condemnation throughout Utah's tech community." Surely that's cancel culture? The chilling effect of the mob, the jackboot of censorship? The only reason no one is standing up and giving a full-throated def…

I guess if it’s hounding by other rich men, it’s not a mob. It’s the people who have earned the right to do the cancellation.

Re: Utah tech executive resigns after anti-semitic email rant

#100

Post by fundad » Wed, Jan 05, 2022, 5:19 AM UTC

throwawayboise wrote: post #51

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #13

This man is seriously unwell. This wasn't just normal politics - This was deep conspiracy theory nonsense. The fact that he thought others would appreciate the message is further proof that he is in the midst of a serious crisis. He has completely lost touch with reality. Unfortunately, being a wealthy ex-CEO and ex-pat living in another country, away from his former social circles, has likely removed all social supp…

Yeah I've never heard of him but saw that he was retired as CEO and wondering how old he is. Could be a sign of dementia or Alzheimers. Something has gone wrong in his head.

Racism isn’t a disease