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A comment on To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided. Parent comment

Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by cscurmudgeon on Sunday November 22, 2020 @11:47AM (#25178820)
> How do you deal with "hateful" user-generated content

Consistently. Whatever you policies, apply them as consistently as possible.

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by danarmak on Sunday November 22, 2020 @11:48AM (#25178830)
Then all political camps will be against you, as you violate each of their norms in turn.

Once at least one major (political) group calls views held by tens of millions of people hate speech, there is no way to avoid being in someone's black book. This is why many companies are aligning with one party - they can't have both, and it's better than none.

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by spiderfarmer on Sunday November 22, 2020 @12:11PM (#25179050)
People shouldn’t care if trying to do the right thing makes you end up in someones black book. There will always be people who are on the wrong side of things. Just do what you think is best for our society.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by judge2020 on Sunday November 22, 2020 @03:53PM (#25180984)
But "the right thing" differs from person to person. A 10 person company [say, running a local grocery store] comprised entirely of conservatives will think it's right to allow customers to decide if they want to wear a mask, while the same company comprised entirely of liberals will think that it's right to make customers wear masks and otherwise refuse servicing them. Who decides which company is doing the right thing? You?
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by spiderfarmer on Monday November 23, 2020 @03:25AM (#25184663)
Yes. And you're allowed to be wrong. To make mistakes. Own up to them if you do.

But never stop trying to do what you thing is right because it's unpopular in certain circles. You'll be very unhappy if you do.

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by cercatrova on Sunday November 22, 2020 @12:17PM (#25179095)
That is fine. Consistently being on no one's side is better than being on someone's side.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by danarmak on Sunday November 22, 2020 @12:58PM (#25179439)
Then you'll have to withstand at least one party: twitter mobs, editorials, maybe employee protests or resignations. Both you personally, and your company. It's not surprising that many companies give in. They want to make a product and make money, not to make a political or moral stand.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by cercatrova on Sunday November 22, 2020 @01:03PM (#25179477)
That's also fine, Coinbase is doing that, and giving generous severence packages to leaving employees as well. There will always be detractors but most people won't really care.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by nullc on Sunday November 22, 2020 @01:34PM (#25179741)
Conveniently not mentioned in the article, though it saw fit to point out that "About 60 Coinbase employees, or 5 percent of the work force, have resigned,"
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by m0ck on Sunday November 22, 2020 @11:54AM (#25178876)
>black book

Careful with those metaphors!

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by sandworm101 on Sunday November 22, 2020 @11:51AM (#25178859)
Then the side you take will be determined by whatever content you move against first.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by octoberfranklin on Sunday November 22, 2020 @05:38PM (#25181787)
"our policies are a living document" -- Twitter
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by dredmorbius on Sunday November 22, 2020 @12:07PM (#25179011)
The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread.

-- Anatole France

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by cscurmudgeon on Sunday November 22, 2020 @01:08PM (#25179523)
The law, also in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to murder, physically harm others etc.

Less fancy.

Consistency is not perfect but it is better than dictators picking favorites.

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by sandworm101 on Sunday November 22, 2020 @12:24PM (#25179152)
And when short of bread, both rich and poor alike are free to eat cake.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by disposekinetics on Sunday November 22, 2020 @01:01PM (#25179465)
I’ve never gotten this quote. On the face of it it seems like a high priority that the law should not respect the station of a person. If a society has made something illegal it needs to apply from the least to the greatest, or the law is unjust.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by AlphaSite on Sunday November 22, 2020 @02:43PM (#25180378)
I think what I would take from it is that it all though the laws are the same, they do not effect each person in the same way.

How likely is it for the rich to sleep I under a bridge, beg or steal bread? Those are crimes to punish those too poor to be able to afford anything else.

Or to put it another way, it’s a crime to be poor.

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by disposekinetics on Sunday November 22, 2020 @05:02PM (#25181521)
Isn't that just to say that murder is a crime both for the pacifist and the psycopath? If society deems something to be illegal it is illegal for both those who would never do it and those who could gain from doing it. That is fundamental for all laws.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by dredmorbius on Sunday November 22, 2020 @07:00PM (#25182247)
There is law and there is justice.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by disposekinetics on Sunday November 22, 2020 @08:42PM (#25182804)
To my mind that is what I am advocating for, a law must apply universally to be just.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by octoberfranklin on Sunday November 22, 2020 @11:13PM (#25183509)
There is social justice and there are social laws.

Oh wait, footgun...

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by octoberfranklin on Sunday November 22, 2020 @11:12PM (#25183502)
It's one of those quotes you shouldn't think about too much, because it really makes no sense. It's meant to make people feel. Because feelings are easier to manipulate than thoughts.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by AnimalMuppet on Sunday November 22, 2020 @11:30PM (#25183595)
I strongly disagree. It has a clear point, one you can understand quite clearly with your mind.

Laws against doing things that only desperate poor people do may appear equal, since they in theory apply just as much to the rich. But in practice they only affect the poor. And the way they affect the poor is to close off options, and thereby increase the desperation.

Sure, you should feel that. You should also understand it with your mind.

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by thaumasiotes on Sunday November 22, 2020 @03:38PM (#25180833)
> On the face of it it seems like a high priority that the law should not respect the station of a person.

Generally the opposite is true. Consider, say, sumptuary laws.

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by dredmorbius on Sunday November 22, 2020 @02:30PM (#25180273)
Equally-applied law sustains inequity.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by disposekinetics on Sunday November 22, 2020 @05:06PM (#25181566)
Any sort of bettering that is not globally experienced equally sustains inequity. To go to an absurd place the improvements I made to my garden this year sustain inequity since I now have and enjoy them and others do not, but they would if I had donated the same amount of time to a community garden. That alone should not be a compelling reason to act.
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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by thesuperbigfrog on Sunday November 22, 2020 @04:38PM (#25181344)
Inequity is a natural state.

Should discrimination be applied to achieve "equity"?

If so, how is that fair to those being discriminated against?

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Re:To do politics or not do politics? Tech startups are divided by dredmorbius on Monday November 23, 2020 @02:33PM (#25190696)
Inequality sustained or increased by the law of man is entirely artificial.

Discrimination has long been applied to achieve inequality. I'm willing to try the opposite as a countermeasure.

https://www.newberry.org/newberry-and-restrictive-covenants

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