Re:Gitlab: don't discuss politics at work
by opportune on Wednesday October 16, 2019 @06:02PM
(#21276424)
Yeah, I was trying to figure out if gitlab’s position is a bit more morally consistent than it might seem at first glance, but I agree with everything you said. Perhaps we can say a progressive vs oppressive split is more consistent but not fully consistent
Regarding eg affirmative action, I guess that also brings up a good point that the implementation of an affirmative/positive/progressive opinion may start to get a bit hairier than a simple platitude. Platitudes or moral statements can easily be defended but once you begin to take concrete action based on those, people may disagree with how you rationalize those actions
The problem with your "negative" vs "positive" distinction is that it's quite subjective and not at all clear cut.
> “We want to empower marginalized groups” is positive and doesn’t bother that much people who.. don’t think it’s necessary, because it’s not a political position you can disagreee with per se
There are groups who have very big problems with this statement per se. See the numerous court cases over the past decade challenging affirmative action in university admissions. Many view helping one group as oppressing another (a view I find quite misinformed given the inequities in our society, but not completely irrational, given bad priors).
Maybe what you're trying to get at is progressive politics vs. oppressive politics. This distinction I can understand more clearly, however when you choose to oppress a group that is oppressing others, maybe this is justified?
For instance, banning ISIS from access to Twitter seems like a pretty morally sound decision to me as an American. Given that, is there really a difference between banning ISIS and banning white supremacists who discuss violence? Or Presidents who promote violence against journalists? What's the moral outcome of NOT banning any of these groups?
Any choice, including choosing not to act, is morally liable. I think Gitlab's stance here is quite morally lazy, if not wrong.