4 ms·
Section 3 is most troubling to me as well, even if I can mostly agree with some of his other points. I particularly enjoyed the notion of the manifesto's author
by Inconel 9y ago
Section 3 is most troubling to me as well, even if I can mostly agree with some of his other points. I particularly enjoyed the notion of the manifesto's author being punched in the face while at work, and this being a reason Mr Zunger couldn't have other people working with him, rather than perhaps requiring those people not punch others in the face. In a different scenario this kind of attitude towards workplace violence might be labelled victim blaming.
As an aside, I always wonder whether people like Mr Zunger, who are seemingly so nonchalant in their casual dismissal of the use of violence against those they disagree with, have every had this kind of violence visited upon themselves. In an effort to be charitable, I'm going to assume it comes from a position of privilege and ignorance, rather than malice.
- nl 9y agoYou realize that the "punch in the face" line is a philosophical point about how angry the author made people, right? If someone did actually punch the author in the face they would (and should) be fired and charged with assault.
- Inconel 9y agoHmm, I'm not a native English speaker, although I do consider myself fluent at this point, and I'm not terribly bright, so I fully admit I could be misinterpreting things, but the quote didn't seem particularly philosophical to me, it read quite literal. I suppose I might categorize it as hyperbole, although even in that case, I typically don't like the use of such hyperbole when it comes to violence. It has a habit of detracting from otherwise sensible points.
- nl 9y agoI agree it has clearly detracted from the point as this discussion shows. But it's pretty important to realize that "punching someone in the face" is a crime, and no company can allow that.
- thehardsphere 9y agoMaybe you missed it, but there's been a distinct trend in America lately to suggest that violence can be OK in political contexts. I would not assume that the author was apeaking figuratively, because many authors who would likely agree with the author would not be.
- avisser 9y agoHere here. "Punch a Nazi" is no longer figurative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvmGWqFYBGk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvmGWqFYBGk