4 ms·

As much as I hate to admit, I do agree with Thiel's point (barely mentioned after the first paragraph) that the vast majority of thought is being driven by poli

by kosei 9y ago

As much as I hate to admit, I do agree with Thiel's point (barely mentioned after the first paragraph) that the vast majority of thought is being driven by politically intolerant left-leaning liberals. I am absolutely one of them, but it's amazing that in multiple major tech companies in Seattle, there has been a near-100% shared liberal mentality, that has only exploded post-Trump. It's very difficult to make products and apps for everyone, when the people making them represents only one viewpoint. And interestingly, unlike companies that localize/culturalize their products by opening local offices, I don't know of any companies opening satellite offices in Alabama/Mississippi or even conservative counties in Washington and California. I remember when it used to be taboo to talk politics in the office. I find that doesn't even exist anymore, when everyone shares the same left-leaning mindset.

bmarquez 9y ago
> there has been a near-100% shared liberal mentality, that has only exploded post-Trump This is mainly because anyone who doesn't share that liberal mentality has learned to keep their mouths shut or risk their career.
- specialist 9y ago
  I'm okay with racists, xenophobes, misogynists, flat earthers, vaxxers, truthers, etc. keeping their thoughts to themselves.
  - cristianpascu 9y ago
    It's not only these that have learned to keep their mouth shut. I'm even skeptical that they do. Extreme positions are uncontrollable, they demand to be heard. The more moderate, the more nuanced a position is, harder it is to put it on card board and hide your face behind it. And by moderate, nowadays, we should understand anything that is not extreme left or right. There's a deep commonality, unconscious most of the time if not always, between those extremes. That's why they only think and act and hate as if only they exist. They and their enemies.
    - specialist 9y ago
      We agree that extreme demands attention. We probably disagree on what to do about it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance I grew up believing silence is death. The distinction, lost on all the defenders of hate speech, is punching up vs punching down.
      - colordrops 9y ago
        No, not all. I would never trash an under privileged group of people but I do recognize the reason that hate speech is protected constitutionally and why it has been upheld in the Supreme Court. Fuck censorship.
        specialist 9y ago
        See? We don't even share the same definition for hate speech.
        colordrops 9y ago
        What do you mean? I'm just saying that I wouldn't use hate speech but I defend the right of others to do so. You said "lost on all the defenders of hate speech". I am a defender, but not user, of hate speech.
  - mattmanser 9y ago
    So anyone who doesn't agree with you becomes just a label? That kind of dehumanisation and humiliation is exactly what helped create Brexit/Trump. And I'm still seeing it happen, so I can only imagine it's going to create even worse things than those two.
    - colordrops 9y ago
      Exactly. I'm further left than most democrats, maybe a socialist, and got vilified as reactionary capitalist Trump supporter more than once during the last election cycle because I didn't support Hillary, even though I supported Trump even less. The Left cut off their nose to spite their face and fractured the unity. They've been captured by the same fox news style brainwashing that took over the conservatives during the last Bush administration.
    - csmattryder 9y ago
      > That kind of dehumanisation and humiliation is exactly what helped create Brexit/Trump. I hate seeing this, as it's become massively apparent that these political events have given the green flag for racism to decamp from the shadows into public life. I'm following a pretty funny Twitter account now, that posted exactly what I'm talking about, only a few days ago.[1] I'm 100% fine with conservative/liberal viewpoints, just as long as they're not completely charged with prejudice for another person. "Fierce austerity is required for our economy, and welfare must be curbed" - fine, I disagree, but absolutely fine. "We voted for Brexit to get those f*ng foreigners out of our land" - nah, mate. [1] https://twitter.com/AnInfiniteDaz/status/968042985924517888 https://twitter.com/AnInfiniteDaz/status/968042985924517888
      - specialist 9y ago
        My deal breakers are hypocrisy and punching down.
  - depressedpanda 9y ago
    You should take a moment and critically contemplate why you think that someone who is not a leftist liberal is automatically a racist, xenophobe, misogynist, flat earther, vaxxer, truther or other arbitrary pejorative. A self righteous, binary "us vs them" outlook is a sure sign of an impoverished mind.
    - specialist 9y ago
      I have far more experience with the left than you. I happily ignore my tribe's kooks too. All the whackadoodles are a distraction. Don't fall for it.
      - depressedpanda 9y ago
        I've no idea if you or I have the most experience with the left, but I live in a socialist country where the leftist 'whackadoodles' have had way too much cultural/political power, and they have been very successful in labeling all viewpoints that do not agree with their narrative as evil. What is such behavior trying to distract me from?
- speby 9y ago
  And this is kind of the problem with politics. Something I've never understood with people is why they have a desire to punish others who disagree or don't share their political beliefs. Sadly, it is this opposing views between people that causes wars and yet on a local/individual level, it results in things like not promoting someone who doesn't share your views or limiting a salary increase or bonus. It's really disappointing about ourselves, I guess.
- treebeard901 9y ago
  The same is true on the opposite end of the spectrum. Red state groupthink exists and is not exactly welcoming to outsiders.
dogma1138 9y ago
The first portion of the Joe Rogan podcast with Douglus Murray touched this very specific issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBp4afbDeLk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBp4afbDeLk The core of the issue here is that the left is not uniformly liberal a large part of what is associated with the left is not liberal but ranges from authoritarian to old plain tyrannical just like with the right.

by kosei 9y ago

bmarquez 9y ago

> there has been a near-100% shared liberal mentality, that has only exploded post-Trump This is mainly because anyone who doesn't share that liberal mentality has learned to keep their mouths shut or risk their career.

specialist 9y ago
I'm okay with racists, xenophobes, misogynists, flat earthers, vaxxers, truthers, etc. keeping their thoughts to themselves.
- cristianpascu 9y ago
  It's not only these that have learned to keep their mouth shut. I'm even skeptical that they do. Extreme positions are uncontrollable, they demand to be heard. The more moderate, the more nuanced a position is, harder it is to put it on card board and hide your face behind it. And by moderate, nowadays, we should understand anything that is not extreme left or right. There's a deep commonality, unconscious most of the time if not always, between those extremes. That's why they only think and act and hate as if only they exist. They and their enemies.
  - specialist 9y ago
    We agree that extreme demands attention. We probably disagree on what to do about it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance I grew up believing silence is death. The distinction, lost on all the defenders of hate speech, is punching up vs punching down.
    - colordrops 9y ago
      No, not all. I would never trash an under privileged group of people but I do recognize the reason that hate speech is protected constitutionally and why it has been upheld in the Supreme Court. Fuck censorship.
      - specialist 9y ago
        See? We don't even share the same definition for hate speech.
        colordrops 9y ago
        What do you mean? I'm just saying that I wouldn't use hate speech but I defend the right of others to do so. You said "lost on all the defenders of hate speech". I am a defender, but not user, of hate speech.
- mattmanser 9y ago
  So anyone who doesn't agree with you becomes just a label? That kind of dehumanisation and humiliation is exactly what helped create Brexit/Trump. And I'm still seeing it happen, so I can only imagine it's going to create even worse things than those two.
  - colordrops 9y ago
    Exactly. I'm further left than most democrats, maybe a socialist, and got vilified as reactionary capitalist Trump supporter more than once during the last election cycle because I didn't support Hillary, even though I supported Trump even less. The Left cut off their nose to spite their face and fractured the unity. They've been captured by the same fox news style brainwashing that took over the conservatives during the last Bush administration.
  - csmattryder 9y ago
    > That kind of dehumanisation and humiliation is exactly what helped create Brexit/Trump. I hate seeing this, as it's become massively apparent that these political events have given the green flag for racism to decamp from the shadows into public life. I'm following a pretty funny Twitter account now, that posted exactly what I'm talking about, only a few days ago.[1] I'm 100% fine with conservative/liberal viewpoints, just as long as they're not completely charged with prejudice for another person. "Fierce austerity is required for our economy, and welfare must be curbed" - fine, I disagree, but absolutely fine. "We voted for Brexit to get those f*ng foreigners out of our land" - nah, mate. [1] https://twitter.com/AnInfiniteDaz/status/968042985924517888 https://twitter.com/AnInfiniteDaz/status/968042985924517888
    - specialist 9y ago
      My deal breakers are hypocrisy and punching down.
- depressedpanda 9y ago
  You should take a moment and critically contemplate why you think that someone who is not a leftist liberal is automatically a racist, xenophobe, misogynist, flat earther, vaxxer, truther or other arbitrary pejorative. A self righteous, binary "us vs them" outlook is a sure sign of an impoverished mind.
  - specialist 9y ago
    I have far more experience with the left than you. I happily ignore my tribe's kooks too. All the whackadoodles are a distraction. Don't fall for it.
    - depressedpanda 9y ago
      I've no idea if you or I have the most experience with the left, but I live in a socialist country where the leftist 'whackadoodles' have had way too much cultural/political power, and they have been very successful in labeling all viewpoints that do not agree with their narrative as evil. What is such behavior trying to distract me from?
speby 9y ago
And this is kind of the problem with politics. Something I've never understood with people is why they have a desire to punish others who disagree or don't share their political beliefs. Sadly, it is this opposing views between people that causes wars and yet on a local/individual level, it results in things like not promoting someone who doesn't share your views or limiting a salary increase or bonus. It's really disappointing about ourselves, I guess.
treebeard901 9y ago
The same is true on the opposite end of the spectrum. Red state groupthink exists and is not exactly welcoming to outsiders.

dogma1138 9y ago

The first portion of the Joe Rogan podcast with Douglus Murray touched this very specific issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBp4afbDeLk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBp4afbDeLk The core of the issue here is that the left is not uniformly liberal a large part of what is associated with the left is not liberal but ranges from authoritarian to old plain tyrannical just like with the right.