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HN is full of reactionaries who are easily triggered by any sort of diversity-related language and seem to lose their ability to think critically. Everyone comp

HN is full of reactionaries who are easily triggered by any sort of diversity-related language and seem to lose their ability to think critically. Everyone complaining about that line is making a whole lot of assumptions about what it actually means. FWIW I would be interested to know what the CEO actually meant by that. My assumption is it's more lip service than anything else.

monocularvision 4y ago
I love seeing people defend this statement by basically saying “it actually meant nothing”… as if that is a really strong defense.
dilap 4y ago
I agree the statement is ambiguous. However, it does seem to be hinting at something. What do you think "layoffs were carried out through an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens" means? Like, what concrete actions do you think they took to justify that statement? Do you think it's purely window-dressing? That they did absolutely nothing different, and just included the statement? I don't know if it's an authoritative source, but here's one of the top Google results for "what is anti-racisim": "Anti-racism is also a system – a system in which we create policies, practices, and procedures to promote racial equity." and "Anti-racist policy creates systems that center the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color" and "We refer to ‘racism’ as an interpersonal display of prejudice toward Black, Indigenous, and People of Color." Given the above understanding of the term "anti-racist", if I were a betting man, I'd bet that the racial makeup of the laid off employees is not an even sampling of the racial makeup of the company. What do you think? (Link to anti-racist information: https://www.nlc.org/article/2020/07/21/what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-anti-racist/ https://www.nlc.org/article/2020/07/21/what-does-it-mean-to-...)
- noelsusman 4y ago
  > I'd bet that the racial makeup of the laid off employees is not an even sampling of the racial makeup of the company. I would bet that your average "blind" layoff is not an even sampling of the racial makeup of the company. If they did anything at all here it was probably taking some sort of active role in preventing that outcome.
  - dilap 4y ago
    Well, I'd take that bet. Perhaps one of the laid-off employees will sue and we'll get to find out. (Meta/off-topic: Someone flagged your comment, so I vouched for it. Viewpoint moderation is dumb and inhibits good conversation.)
vdnkh 4y ago
This, and HN in aggregate is pretty right wing, so anything "woke" is bound to trigger a lot of people. I suppose there's always been a libertarian bend here in line tech workers in general, but ever since Trump (and especially Trump's loss), topics vaguely supporting progressive ideas are home to tons of comments airing right-wing grievances.
kareemsabri 4y ago
I don't think it's reactionary to oppose choosing who to fire based on their race.

monocularvision 4y ago

I love seeing people defend this statement by basically saying “it actually meant nothing”… as if that is a really strong defense.

dilap 4y ago

I agree the statement is ambiguous. However, it does seem to be hinting at something. What do you think "layoffs were carried out through an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens" means? Like, what concrete actions do you think they took to justify that statement? Do you think it's purely window-dressing? That they did absolutely nothing different, and just included the statement? I don't know if it's an authoritative source, but here's one of the top Google results for "what is anti-racisim": "Anti-racism is also a system – a system in which we create policies, practices, and procedures to promote racial equity." and "Anti-racist policy creates systems that center the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color" and "We refer to ‘racism’ as an interpersonal display of prejudice toward Black, Indigenous, and People of Color." Given the above understanding of the term "anti-racist", if I were a betting man, I'd bet that the racial makeup of the laid off employees is not an even sampling of the racial makeup of the company. What do you think? (Link to anti-racist information: https://www.nlc.org/article/2020/07/21/what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-anti-racist/ https://www.nlc.org/article/2020/07/21/what-does-it-mean-to-...)

noelsusman 4y ago
> I'd bet that the racial makeup of the laid off employees is not an even sampling of the racial makeup of the company. I would bet that your average "blind" layoff is not an even sampling of the racial makeup of the company. If they did anything at all here it was probably taking some sort of active role in preventing that outcome.
- dilap 4y ago
  Well, I'd take that bet. Perhaps one of the laid-off employees will sue and we'll get to find out. (Meta/off-topic: Someone flagged your comment, so I vouched for it. Viewpoint moderation is dumb and inhibits good conversation.)

vdnkh 4y ago

This, and HN in aggregate is pretty right wing, so anything "woke" is bound to trigger a lot of people. I suppose there's always been a libertarian bend here in line tech workers in general, but ever since Trump (and especially Trump's loss), topics vaguely supporting progressive ideas are home to tons of comments airing right-wing grievances.

kareemsabri 4y ago

I don't think it's reactionary to oppose choosing who to fire based on their race.