Remember when Al Gore and his dippy wife Tipper’s biggest concern was Eminem lyrics? Back then, Elton John defended Eminem’s art. Now, more leftists from Chelsea Handler and Lena Dunham to random Google feminists feel the need to name, shame, fire, and beat up people who believe differently. The so-called free-speech Leftists are not so hip about freedom or more speech. They are for silencing people who disagree – especially those with less power than them. Will there be an Elton John around to defend the common man or does the defense of free speech and thought only apply to “artists”?
In case you missed it, over the weekend a Googler dude wrote a thoughtful piece that decried the lack of ideological diversity at Google and suggest that, and this is where things went really sideways, men and women are different. He suggested that the company create “psychological safety” for opposing viewpoints so people don’t fear punishment for saying something outside leftist accepted orthodoxy. He was promptly punished.
The letter from Google in response reads as follows (please go to the link and read his “screed” first to get context):
Googlers,
I’m Danielle, Google’s brand new VP of Diversity, Integrity & Governance. I started just a couple of weeks ago, and I had hoped to take another week or so to get the lay of the land before introducing myself to you all. But given the heated debate we’ve seen over the past few days, I feel compelled to say a few words.
Many of you have read an internal document shared by someone in our engineering organization, expressing views on the natural abilities and characteristics of different genders, as well as whether one can speak freely of these things at Google. And like many of you, I found that it advanced incorrect assumptions about gender. I’m not going to link to it here as it’s not a viewpoint that I or this company endorses, promotes or encourages. [Emphasis added]
Diversity and inclusion are a fundamental part of our values and the culture we continue to cultivate. We are unequivocal in our belief that diversity and inclusion are critical to our success as a company, and we’ll continue to stand for that and be committed to it for the long haul. As Ari Balogh said in his internal G+ post, “Building an open, inclusive environment is core to who we are, and the right thing to do. ‘Nuff said. “
Google has taken a strong stand on this issue, by releasing its demographic data and creating a company wide OKR on diversity and inclusion. Strong stands elicit strong reactions. Changing a culture is hard, and it’s often uncomfortable. But I firmly believe Google is doing the right thing, and that’s why I took this job.
Part of building an open, inclusive environment means fostering a culture in which those with alternative views, including different political views, feel safe sharing their opinions. But that discourse needs to work alongside the principles of equal employment found in our Code of Conduct, policies, and anti-discrimination laws.
I’ve been in the industry for a long time, and I can tell you that I’ve never worked at a company that has so many platforms for employees to express themselves—TGIF, Memegen, internal G+, thousands of discussion groups. I know this conversation doesn’t end with my email today. I look forward to continuing to hear your thoughts as I settle in and meet with Googlers across the company.
Thanks,
Danielle
Feel free to share your “incorrect assumptions about gender” and know that those views won’t be endorsed, promoted, or encouraged. They won’t even be linked to.
Google’s VP of Diversity, Integrity & Governance just proved the random non-group-think Googler with an “alternative” opinion’s point. There’s no room for opinions from guys like him. Googlers will submit. “Change is hard and often uncomfortable.” But, change you will.
Meanwhile, Lena Dunham is tattling on conversations she overhears from the working class – in this case, flight attendants – and using her power to publicly shame them for “transphobic talk.”
Not to be outdone, Chelsea Handler suggested imprisoning Racists. Was she being ironic? With unfunny, people, it’s difficult to know whether their words are jokes or parody.
This brave new world disturbs rational people. The problem is that there are too few vocal rational people and too many big mouthed fascists making it seem like they have outsized influence.
This.#GoogleManifesto #googlememo pic.twitter.com/SFWXYIBhsF
— Pelle Billing (@pellebilling) August 7, 2017
“Shut up” is becoming the standard response to people with differing opinions. It’s institutionalized in some businesses, maybe many businesses.
The bigger problem is that too few are vocal in response to the Lena Dunham’s of the world. She feels emboldened to double down on her thought policing. She views tattling on others impolitic speech as a good thing. No force of the state. No laws needed. No blackmailing of her family. On her own, she’s become a cultural enforcer and she’s marching with the zeal of a true believer. Her ideology is being encoded and enforced in businesses.
How does a flight attendant fight against Lena Dunham? How does a random Google engineer fight the VP of Diversity? Answer: They don’t unless they’re willing to lose their livelihoods in the process. The Left is ruthless. They’re coming for you and they feel completely justified in their tyranny.
UPDATE: Google fired the employee. Way to go and prove his point.
