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Why does this feel like such a witch hunt? Because you like him. If he were somone you did not like you'd be "good riddance". How do you fell about James Damo

by rimliu 7y ago

Why does this feel like such a witch hunt? Because you like him. If he were somone you did not like you'd be "good riddance". How do you fell about James Damore?

bluecalm 7y ago
It's not true. I don't particularly like RMS, I don't agree with his views about free software and I don't like GPL as a license. I also think his views on many political issues are naive, go against human nature and if implemented would cause a lot of harm. Still, I think the way he was forced to go is shameful. Some journalists couldn't interpret a simple statement (sadly very common), started an outrage and the pressure became too much. I hope he sues them and wins enough money to have a peaceful retirement. I don't want a world where some of the biggest contributors to technological wealth we have access to can't freely state their views, qualms and doubts or even start a discussion about controversial moral issues.
- CathedralBorrow 7y ago
  When you say "freely", do you mean free from any and all consequences?
bigbugbag 7y ago
I disagree, it feels like a witch hunt because it is one. I read the original post that started this witch hunt and my baloney detector went off all along, in particular when I read the quote from RMs stating one thing and the author calling for his removal misrepresenting and misunderstanding them as if they said the exact opposite.
chroma 7y ago
> How do you fell about James Damore? That was definitely a witch hunt. He worked hard to give advice that he thought would be useful for improving diversity at Google. Nothing he said was outside of the scientific consensus, yet he was demonized[1] and fired for it. The whole thing is absurd. 1. Check out some Googler's responses to his document (which, in case you forgot, was deliberately leaked without diagrams or citations): https://imgur.com/a/S48QN https://imgur.com/a/S48QN Several want him physically battered for his opinions.
- kelnos 7y ago
  Just because you write up something that sounds "intellectual" and appears to have "reputable sources", it doesn't mean it is or it does. Damore's garbage post was just that: garbage. It's really sad that people felt the need to stoop to threatening him with physical violence, but that doesn't mean he wasn't completely wrong and had to go.
  - chroma 7y ago
    People who said Damore got the science correct include Peter Singer[1], Scott Alexander[2], and Steven Pinker[3]. 1. https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/google-wrong-article-1.3399750 https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/google-wrong-article-1.3... 2. https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/08/07/contra-grant-on-exaggerated-differences/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/08/07/contra-grant-on-exagge... 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-JOINlddM&t=40m23s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-JOINlddM&t=40m23s
    - kelnos 7y ago
      I'm not aware of Peter Singer's work, but from my reading of Scott Alexander and Steven Pinker, as well as rebuttals to their writing, I'm not sure I'd consider them authoritative.
  - manfredo 7y ago
    Care to explain what was "garbage" about the memo? Word of caution: the memo did not claim that women were worse performers in tech due to biology, or that tech jobs are not and should not be people-focused. These were things stuffed into his mouth by shoddy coverage (the journalist that broke the story admitted that he did not actually read the original memo).
throwmeoneaway 7y ago
I personally hate to see important free software and opensource contributors quitting because of some stupid reason that could have been handled without immediately weaponizing what someone said to start a twitter or news shit storm.

by rimliu 7y ago

Why does this feel like such a witch hunt? Because you like him. If he were somone you did not like you'd be "good riddance". How do you fell about James Damore?

bluecalm 7y ago

It's not true. I don't particularly like RMS, I don't agree with his views about free software and I don't like GPL as a license. I also think his views on many political issues are naive, go against human nature and if implemented would cause a lot of harm. Still, I think the way he was forced to go is shameful. Some journalists couldn't interpret a simple statement (sadly very common), started an outrage and the pressure became too much. I hope he sues them and wins enough money to have a peaceful retirement. I don't want a world where some of the biggest contributors to technological wealth we have access to can't freely state their views, qualms and doubts or even start a discussion about controversial moral issues.

CathedralBorrow 7y ago
When you say "freely", do you mean free from any and all consequences?

bigbugbag 7y ago

I disagree, it feels like a witch hunt because it is one. I read the original post that started this witch hunt and my baloney detector went off all along, in particular when I read the quote from RMs stating one thing and the author calling for his removal misrepresenting and misunderstanding them as if they said the exact opposite.

chroma 7y ago

> How do you fell about James Damore? That was definitely a witch hunt. He worked hard to give advice that he thought would be useful for improving diversity at Google. Nothing he said was outside of the scientific consensus, yet he was demonized[1] and fired for it. The whole thing is absurd. 1. Check out some Googler's responses to his document (which, in case you forgot, was deliberately leaked without diagrams or citations): https://imgur.com/a/S48QN https://imgur.com/a/S48QN Several want him physically battered for his opinions.

kelnos 7y ago
Just because you write up something that sounds "intellectual" and appears to have "reputable sources", it doesn't mean it is or it does. Damore's garbage post was just that: garbage. It's really sad that people felt the need to stoop to threatening him with physical violence, but that doesn't mean he wasn't completely wrong and had to go.
- chroma 7y ago
  People who said Damore got the science correct include Peter Singer[1], Scott Alexander[2], and Steven Pinker[3]. 1. https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/google-wrong-article-1.3399750 https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/google-wrong-article-1.3... 2. https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/08/07/contra-grant-on-exaggerated-differences/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/08/07/contra-grant-on-exagge... 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-JOINlddM&t=40m23s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-JOINlddM&t=40m23s
  - kelnos 7y ago
    I'm not aware of Peter Singer's work, but from my reading of Scott Alexander and Steven Pinker, as well as rebuttals to their writing, I'm not sure I'd consider them authoritative.
- manfredo 7y ago
  Care to explain what was "garbage" about the memo? Word of caution: the memo did not claim that women were worse performers in tech due to biology, or that tech jobs are not and should not be people-focused. These were things stuffed into his mouth by shoddy coverage (the journalist that broke the story admitted that he did not actually read the original memo).

throwmeoneaway 7y ago

I personally hate to see important free software and opensource contributors quitting because of some stupid reason that could have been handled without immediately weaponizing what someone said to start a twitter or news shit storm.