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I am disappointed with Thiel's decision to donate money to Donald Trump, but I don't care what Ellen Pao or her organization thinks about it. It's their preroga

I am disappointed with Thiel's decision to donate money to Donald Trump, but I don't care what Ellen Pao or her organization thinks about it. It's their prerogative, but I laughed at the tagline 'Sometimes hard decisions aren't that hard after all'. I don't believe an attempt to pressure outside parties into severing business ties with someone because of their questionable political judgement should be treated as if it is some sort of noble crusade e.g. > We have hope for YC;... Today it is clear our values are not aligned. And make no mistake, it's either an attempt to pressure YC or a PR play for the organization (possibly both)

timehastoldme 10y ago
Or it's a stand against a movement which opposes their moral principles. To Pao (and, to the extent that it matters, me), D. Trump's movement is so vile that any prominent supporters of it waive their right to being tolerated. I am sure you'd agree that doing so would be acceptable if Thiel supported Strom Thurmond, Viktor Orban, or Mao Zedong; it's just a matter of how bad D. Trump is.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- hood_syntax 10y ago
  > doing so would be acceptable if Thiel supported... I can concede that point.
- Turing_Machine 10y ago
  "Strom Thurmond" How about Hillary Clinton's "friend and mentor", a man of "eloquence and nobility" (her actual words) Robert C. Byrd? You know, "KKK Kleagle" Byrd? "Tried to filibuster the 1964 Civil Rights Act" Byrd? "I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side. ... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds." Byrd? Remember him? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryweuBVJMEA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryweuBVJMEA
  - paulv 10y ago
    Nope. "I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times ... and I don't mind apologizing over and over again. I can't erase what happened." -- Robert Byrd "Senator Byrd reflects the transformative power of this nation," stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. "Senator Byrd went from being an active member of the KKK to a being a stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and many other pieces of seminal legislation that advanced the civil rights and liberties of our country. "Senator Byrd came to consistently support the NAACP civil rights agenda, doing well on the NAACP Annual Civil Rights Report Card. He stood with us on many issues of crucial importance to our members from the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the historic health care legislation of 2010 and his support for the Hate Crimes Prevention legislation," stated Hilary O. Shelton, Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau and Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy." http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/ http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/
    - Turing_Machine 10y ago
      Strom Thurmond also repudiated his earlier racism, but that didn't stop the OP from using him as a litmus test. Why is that?
      - purephase 10y ago
        You'll need to source that. Despite some evidence in his later actions, Strom never vocally repudiated his earlier racism. I couldn't find any sources on it. His filibuster against the Civil Rights Act put him in this position. Had he succeeded, his impact would have been far more detrimental to the rights of those protected under the act today then anything Byrd had/has done. Both are disagreeable sorts, but Strom's lasting impact would have been much, much worse.
        Turing_Machine 10y ago
        "His filibuster against the Civil Rights Act put him in this position." "His"? Singular? Both Byrd and Thurmond attempted to filibuster the Civil Rights Act, so I don't know where you're getting "anything Byrd had done" from.
- lukasm 10y ago
  How come Viktor Orban support is bad as Mao Zedong?
  - timehastoldme 10y ago
    It's not.
darklajid 10y ago
Out of curiosity: What were your feelings about Brendan Eich? I wasn't really part of that debate, but I seem to recall that ~everyone~ here and elsewhere called for him to step down. Then again, cultural differences and nuances especially around potentially offending stances might make this seem more similar a case than people from the US would agree upon - I'm arguing from afar and in a language that is still hard to get right at times.
- debacle 10y ago
  > ~everyone~ here and elsewhere called for him to step down. Many, many people did not. Many people said that it was unfair, and a witch hunt. Many people, myself included, also did not speak up. Theil may have good reasons to donate to Trump. It's really none of our business. A society who is continually drawing lines in the sand is no society at all, and Ellen Pao is the last person anyone should be giving any attention to on the topic.

timehastoldme 10y ago

Or it's a stand against a movement which opposes their moral principles. To Pao (and, to the extent that it matters, me), D. Trump's movement is so vile that any prominent supporters of it waive their right to being tolerated. I am sure you'd agree that doing so would be acceptable if Thiel supported Strom Thurmond, Viktor Orban, or Mao Zedong; it's just a matter of how bad D. Trump is.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
hood_syntax 10y ago
> doing so would be acceptable if Thiel supported... I can concede that point.
Turing_Machine 10y ago
"Strom Thurmond" How about Hillary Clinton's "friend and mentor", a man of "eloquence and nobility" (her actual words) Robert C. Byrd? You know, "KKK Kleagle" Byrd? "Tried to filibuster the 1964 Civil Rights Act" Byrd? "I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side. ... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds." Byrd? Remember him? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryweuBVJMEA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryweuBVJMEA
- paulv 10y ago
  Nope. "I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times ... and I don't mind apologizing over and over again. I can't erase what happened." -- Robert Byrd "Senator Byrd reflects the transformative power of this nation," stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. "Senator Byrd went from being an active member of the KKK to a being a stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and many other pieces of seminal legislation that advanced the civil rights and liberties of our country. "Senator Byrd came to consistently support the NAACP civil rights agenda, doing well on the NAACP Annual Civil Rights Report Card. He stood with us on many issues of crucial importance to our members from the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the historic health care legislation of 2010 and his support for the Hate Crimes Prevention legislation," stated Hilary O. Shelton, Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau and Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy." http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/ http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/
  - Turing_Machine 10y ago
    Strom Thurmond also repudiated his earlier racism, but that didn't stop the OP from using him as a litmus test. Why is that?
    - purephase 10y ago
      You'll need to source that. Despite some evidence in his later actions, Strom never vocally repudiated his earlier racism. I couldn't find any sources on it. His filibuster against the Civil Rights Act put him in this position. Had he succeeded, his impact would have been far more detrimental to the rights of those protected under the act today then anything Byrd had/has done. Both are disagreeable sorts, but Strom's lasting impact would have been much, much worse.
      - Turing_Machine 10y ago
        "His filibuster against the Civil Rights Act put him in this position." "His"? Singular? Both Byrd and Thurmond attempted to filibuster the Civil Rights Act, so I don't know where you're getting "anything Byrd had done" from.
lukasm 10y ago
How come Viktor Orban support is bad as Mao Zedong?
- timehastoldme 10y ago
  It's not.

darklajid 10y ago

Out of curiosity: What were your feelings about Brendan Eich? I wasn't really part of that debate, but I seem to recall that ~everyone~ here and elsewhere called for him to step down. Then again, cultural differences and nuances especially around potentially offending stances might make this seem more similar a case than people from the US would agree upon - I'm arguing from afar and in a language that is still hard to get right at times.

debacle 10y ago
> ~everyone~ here and elsewhere called for him to step down. Many, many people did not. Many people said that it was unfair, and a witch hunt. Many people, myself included, also did not speak up. Theil may have good reasons to donate to Trump. It's really none of our business. A society who is continually drawing lines in the sand is no society at all, and Ellen Pao is the last person anyone should be giving any attention to on the topic.