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Activism is necessarily divisive unless everyone already agrees on a political ideology and the solutions to issues activists focus on. If you are an activist,
by Veen 6y ago
Activism is necessarily divisive unless everyone already agrees on a political ideology and the solutions to issues activists focus on. If you are an activist, you might think this is a good thing—it may please you to create an environment hostile to people you don't agree with. But if you're trying to run a company, division is antithetical to your goals.
- spacemanmatt 6y agoIf you run a company with problems so deep that people have to turn activist about them, maybe the division didn't start with activists.
- Veen 6y agoThat assumes the activists are in the right. You’ve chosen a side. Would you say “the division didn’t start with the activists” if it was conservative activists advocating for modest dress codes or similar? Your position assumes that progressive activists are correct, justified in bringing their politics to work, and that if they have a problem it’s the company’s fault. But you have to work with people you might disagree with, including conservatives, religious people, and so on. The point of keeping activism out of business is so that people with differing politics can work together. If you can't in good conscience do that, the honorable thing to do is resign, as happened at Basecamp.
- spacemanmatt 6y agoActivism for modest dress codes? I'll just excuse myself, here. That is a farce compared to the subject at hand.
- disposekinetics 6y agoI believe you understand why someone would object to the above, but are not willing to universalize it.
- spacemanmatt 6y agoI am unwilling to universalize a principle I believe to have only a farcical connection to the one at hand. So you're partly correct about me.
- Veen 6y agoI understand you find it cognitively and rhetorically convenient to focus on an example rather than the point it’s exemplifying. But, if you’re capable of imagining alternative viewpoints, try swapping the example to one more to your taste to help you focus on the argument.
- spacemanmatt 6y agoI do not consider it valuable to try to reason about fuzzy matters using only edge cases. It's not a matter of ability, but of value.
- Veen 6y agoI agree it's a low value discussion, but I'm just fascinated that every comment you make exemplifies my point better than I did. The popularity of your style of interaction is precisely why policitcs should be kept out of the workplace.
- spacemanmatt 6y agoI'm just fascinated that you would admit to being the kind of founder who sends a third of his company packing over personal policy.
- threeseed 6y ago> But if you're trying to run a company, division is antithetical to your goals Weird because at companies like Apple where I worked diversity in viewpoints was an important part of the fabric of the company. But then again they don't seem to be doing so well.
- Veen 6y agoYou know better than I what goes on in Apple, so I’m happy to hear they are committed to supporting and learning from employees with diverse political viewpoints beyond the usual California progressivism, including conservatism. It’s certainly not obvious that’s the case to an outsider. (If you’ll allow me an irrelevant aside, your snarky sarcasm, point missing, and cleverer-than-thou ironic posturing makes it difficult for me to take you seriously. But perhaps it’s considered polite where you’re from. I’m happy to learn.)