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I've typically found my employment via companies who deal with a variety of contracts, some of them for weapons or defense contractors. I could go down the rab

I've typically found my employment via companies who deal with a variety of contracts, some of them for weapons or defense contractors. I could go down the rabbit hole of chasing down all those contracts and would probably find that many of the products my company makes get sold to groups and causes that I don't support. But in the end; I've gotta eat. Do I want to throw away my career which is 99% unrelated to the SJW cause I support just because 5% of our products eventually get used against that cause. What about the 95% of our products which go to worthy causes? I'll say it again... I just gotta eat, man. What's good for the gander is probably good for the goose too.

whatshisface 6y ago
Products that may be sold to terrorists include canned beans and Toyota trucks. Your situation might actually be less morally compromising than the Facebook stuff being discussed, because in their case they are the "questionably motivated 'freedom fighters,'" (i.e. they're directly doing the morally questionable stuff) whereas you're just selling stuff to a broad market that may include questionably motivated "freedom fighters." It's sort of the difference between selling lockpicks that may eventually be used in a burglary or might also be used to get Grandma's safe open, versus breaking in yourself.
eropple 6y ago
Forgive me for the bluntness, but nobody with any set of technical skills "gotta eat" by supporting those kinds of efforts. I've worked to practice what I preach, too; I've consistently worked in do-no-harm jobs. I make rowing machines today and the worst you can hang on me from the past is that I had a daily-fantasy-sports site for a client for a while (which I'm not proud of but it's a pretty venal sin)--and I have made more than enough money to do very well for myself.
peruvian 6y ago
If you're working for defense or weapons contracts you're supporting the industry that has kept us in the Middle East for almost two decades. I agree that it's often a moral grey zone but in this case it's pretty clear. If you're an engineer there's plenty of other companies to choose from.
- zelon88 6y ago
  While that is true, I've worked in manufacturing environments with high tech equipment. This manufacturing equipment is so sensitive it gets covered with tarp during dog-and-pony shows. We are using equipment and techniques in the USA that other nations could only dream of implementing. Why do you think most airplane manufacturers are located in the USA? Don't you think an airline would buy aircraft engines from China if they could? Keeping America on the forefront of technology has its benefits. If we don't invest in cornering these technologies; our adversaries will. Unfortunately it's the same technology that has kept us in the middle east that's also been a forceful deterrent which safeguards all Americans.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
lallysingh 6y ago
Are all your employment options equally in the moral grey area? Or did you just not want to think about it? Look, do what you want, it's your life. I spent a decade working in defense and now I don't. Some times were uncomfortable. I hope you keep your eyes open when making decisions to avoid some of the discomfort I've felt in the work I've done.
DavidVoid 6y ago
Makes me think of a quote from an old West German anti-napalm film "Nicht Löschbares Feuer" (The Inextinguishable Fire) [1]. "The students of the Harvard University write that I should leave the criminal Dow Chemical Company. I'm a chemist. What should I do? If I develop a substance, someone can come and make something out of it. It could be good for humanity, or it could be bad for humanity. Besides napalm, Dow Chemical manufactures 800 other products. The insecticides that we manufacture help mankind. The herbicides that we manufacture scorch this harvest and cause him harm." [1] https://vimeo.com/107990231 https://vimeo.com/107990231
minkzilla 6y ago
Are you actively looking for employment elsewhere so that you can transition away from supporting harmful causes? Or are you using the excuse that you have to eat as a reason not to do hard things in your life? I have used that excuse myself. I'm trying to get better at not using it.

whatshisface 6y ago

Products that may be sold to terrorists include canned beans and Toyota trucks. Your situation might actually be less morally compromising than the Facebook stuff being discussed, because in their case they are the "questionably motivated 'freedom fighters,'" (i.e. they're directly doing the morally questionable stuff) whereas you're just selling stuff to a broad market that may include questionably motivated "freedom fighters." It's sort of the difference between selling lockpicks that may eventually be used in a burglary or might also be used to get Grandma's safe open, versus breaking in yourself.

eropple 6y ago

Forgive me for the bluntness, but nobody with any set of technical skills "gotta eat" by supporting those kinds of efforts. I've worked to practice what I preach, too; I've consistently worked in do-no-harm jobs. I make rowing machines today and the worst you can hang on me from the past is that I had a daily-fantasy-sports site for a client for a while (which I'm not proud of but it's a pretty venal sin)--and I have made more than enough money to do very well for myself.

peruvian 6y ago

If you're working for defense or weapons contracts you're supporting the industry that has kept us in the Middle East for almost two decades. I agree that it's often a moral grey zone but in this case it's pretty clear. If you're an engineer there's plenty of other companies to choose from.

zelon88 6y ago
While that is true, I've worked in manufacturing environments with high tech equipment. This manufacturing equipment is so sensitive it gets covered with tarp during dog-and-pony shows. We are using equipment and techniques in the USA that other nations could only dream of implementing. Why do you think most airplane manufacturers are located in the USA? Don't you think an airline would buy aircraft engines from China if they could? Keeping America on the forefront of technology has its benefits. If we don't invest in cornering these technologies; our adversaries will. Unfortunately it's the same technology that has kept us in the middle east that's also been a forceful deterrent which safeguards all Americans.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

lallysingh 6y ago

Are all your employment options equally in the moral grey area? Or did you just not want to think about it? Look, do what you want, it's your life. I spent a decade working in defense and now I don't. Some times were uncomfortable. I hope you keep your eyes open when making decisions to avoid some of the discomfort I've felt in the work I've done.

DavidVoid 6y ago

Makes me think of a quote from an old West German anti-napalm film "Nicht Löschbares Feuer" (The Inextinguishable Fire) [1]. "The students of the Harvard University write that I should leave the criminal Dow Chemical Company. I'm a chemist. What should I do? If I develop a substance, someone can come and make something out of it. It could be good for humanity, or it could be bad for humanity. Besides napalm, Dow Chemical manufactures 800 other products. The insecticides that we manufacture help mankind. The herbicides that we manufacture scorch this harvest and cause him harm." [1] https://vimeo.com/107990231 https://vimeo.com/107990231

minkzilla 6y ago

Are you actively looking for employment elsewhere so that you can transition away from supporting harmful causes? Or are you using the excuse that you have to eat as a reason not to do hard things in your life? I have used that excuse myself. I'm trying to get better at not using it.