4 ms·

Replace "Thiel" with "communism" and much of this article (and many of these comments) could be taken from the 1950s. McCarthyism is unacceptable from the right

Replace "Thiel" with "communism" and much of this article (and many of these comments) could be taken from the 1950s. McCarthyism is unacceptable from the right or the left.

smt88 10y ago
McCarthyism was not about firing rich people for donating massive amounts of money to public political candidates. There is no similarity here.
- projectileboy 10y ago
  So, none of the Hollywood writers who were blacklisted were rich? And none of them donated time or money to Communist causes? The intolerance is almost exactly the same.
  - projectileboy 10y ago
    No one dislikes Trump more than me. But you can't divorce 40% of the country.
  - smt88 10y ago
    I don't have a problem with a private company, such as YC or a production company, firing someone for publicly donating a massive amount of money to a political candidate. McCarthyism was different because: 1. Many of the people who were fired, blacklisted, or persecuted were only suspected communists. 2. Somewhat related: if any of the blacklisted people were rich enough to do so, they didn't publicly donate their day's equivalent of $1.25M to any communist cause. 3. There is no threat of violence, prison, or losing his livelihood for Thiel in this case.
    - macspoofing 10y ago
      >McCarthyism was different because ... ... you really really dislike Trump and/or the GOP. That's the difference here.
    - lotharbot 10y ago
      > "Many of the people who were fired, blacklisted, or persecuted were only suspected communists" would it have been OK to fire, blacklist, or persecute them if they had been actual communists, then?
      - smt88 10y ago
        It would have been OK with me to fire (and only fire) them if they were actual communists. Political beliefs are not a protected class in the United States.
- macspoofing 10y ago
  It sure as heck had to do with your political beliefs.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

Replace "Thiel" with "communism" and much of this article (and many of these comments) could be taken from the 1950s. McCarthyism is unacceptable from the right or the left.

smt88 10y ago

McCarthyism was not about firing rich people for donating massive amounts of money to public political candidates. There is no similarity here.

projectileboy 10y ago
So, none of the Hollywood writers who were blacklisted were rich? And none of them donated time or money to Communist causes? The intolerance is almost exactly the same.
- projectileboy 10y ago
  No one dislikes Trump more than me. But you can't divorce 40% of the country.
- smt88 10y ago
  I don't have a problem with a private company, such as YC or a production company, firing someone for publicly donating a massive amount of money to a political candidate. McCarthyism was different because: 1. Many of the people who were fired, blacklisted, or persecuted were only suspected communists. 2. Somewhat related: if any of the blacklisted people were rich enough to do so, they didn't publicly donate their day's equivalent of $1.25M to any communist cause. 3. There is no threat of violence, prison, or losing his livelihood for Thiel in this case.
  - macspoofing 10y ago
    >McCarthyism was different because ... ... you really really dislike Trump and/or the GOP. That's the difference here.
  - lotharbot 10y ago
    > "Many of the people who were fired, blacklisted, or persecuted were only suspected communists" would it have been OK to fire, blacklist, or persecute them if they had been actual communists, then?
    - smt88 10y ago
      It would have been OK with me to fire (and only fire) them if they were actual communists. Political beliefs are not a protected class in the United States.
macspoofing 10y ago
It sure as heck had to do with your political beliefs.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]