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> You'd think there would be some whistleblowers after all of these years... I wouldn't think so. In a society so rife with obvious scams everywhere you look,

> You'd think there would be some whistleblowers after all of these years... I wouldn't think so. In a society so rife with obvious scams everywhere you look, at every level in public and private sector orgs, it would be patently idiotic to trash your own career on account of a dishonest restaurant review operation. I wish we lived in a world where such bravery were meaningfully valued, but we don't. For any might-be whistleblowers, this reality has been made painfully clear in the time since the Snowden leaks nearly a decade ago, during which nothing has changed.

jstarfish 3y ago
The thing about whistleblowers is that nobody actually likes them. "Whistleblower" is to white-collar crime as "snitching" is to anything street-level. We "appreciate" them when they call foul on others, but you appreciate them a hell of a lot less when you have such moral crusaders in your own ranks. They aren't loyal to anybody but their own sense of self-righteousness and can't be trusted to keep their mouth shut if you piss them off after they discover dirt on you. They're only ever a liability. On the flip side, barring being vindictive it's not worth it to blow the whistle on anything unless you can prove it beyond all doubt and intend to pivot to motivational speaking for the rest of your career. Outside of the defense industry (the DoD does pay generously to anyone tattling on Snowden/Teixera types), there is literally no incentive to speak out, and a lot of potential retribution you invite.
- AlbertCory 3y ago
  Very true. Whistleblowers' friends come and go, but their enemies accumulate. (I repurposed that from an aphorism about being in politics.)
- mock-possum 3y ago
  what? I like them. I don't get this automatic assumption that everyone is a hypocrite and no one is willing to face accusations of doing things wrong in their own life. I mean, is that how you operate? That's not how I do things. If I'm doing something wrong I love finding out about it - otherwise, how will I eve do things right? if your goal for relationships with other people is to prevent them from discovering dirt about you then... I dunno man, I'm not sure how it's possible to live happily around other human beings with that kind of attitude. what kind of person does that make you?
  - jstarfish 3y ago
    > If I'm doing something wrong I love finding out about it - otherwise, how will I eve do things right? We're talking about a few different things-- most of what I said applies to employer/employee relationships. If you hire a known whistleblower, you better make sure there are no skeletons in your closet because they've already proven what they're willing to do with such information. > if your goal for relationships with other people is to prevent them from discovering dirt about you then... I dunno man, I'm not sure how it's possible to live happily around other human beings with that kind of attitude. what kind of person does that make you? In both cases, it's just a matter of discretion. There is no prevention; discovery is inevitable.
    - mock-possum 3y ago
      okay but whistleblowing is good - I still don't get why you keep harping on this idea that if they revealed something secret about someone else, they'll reveal something secret about you, like - what kind of threat is that supposed to be? again, I feel like this is you projecting - what are you hiding, anyway?

jstarfish 3y ago

The thing about whistleblowers is that nobody actually likes them. "Whistleblower" is to white-collar crime as "snitching" is to anything street-level. We "appreciate" them when they call foul on others, but you appreciate them a hell of a lot less when you have such moral crusaders in your own ranks. They aren't loyal to anybody but their own sense of self-righteousness and can't be trusted to keep their mouth shut if you piss them off after they discover dirt on you. They're only ever a liability. On the flip side, barring being vindictive it's not worth it to blow the whistle on anything unless you can prove it beyond all doubt and intend to pivot to motivational speaking for the rest of your career. Outside of the defense industry (the DoD does pay generously to anyone tattling on Snowden/Teixera types), there is literally no incentive to speak out, and a lot of potential retribution you invite.

AlbertCory 3y ago
Very true. Whistleblowers' friends come and go, but their enemies accumulate. (I repurposed that from an aphorism about being in politics.)
mock-possum 3y ago
what? I like them. I don't get this automatic assumption that everyone is a hypocrite and no one is willing to face accusations of doing things wrong in their own life. I mean, is that how you operate? That's not how I do things. If I'm doing something wrong I love finding out about it - otherwise, how will I eve do things right? if your goal for relationships with other people is to prevent them from discovering dirt about you then... I dunno man, I'm not sure how it's possible to live happily around other human beings with that kind of attitude. what kind of person does that make you?
- jstarfish 3y ago
  > If I'm doing something wrong I love finding out about it - otherwise, how will I eve do things right? We're talking about a few different things-- most of what I said applies to employer/employee relationships. If you hire a known whistleblower, you better make sure there are no skeletons in your closet because they've already proven what they're willing to do with such information. > if your goal for relationships with other people is to prevent them from discovering dirt about you then... I dunno man, I'm not sure how it's possible to live happily around other human beings with that kind of attitude. what kind of person does that make you? In both cases, it's just a matter of discretion. There is no prevention; discovery is inevitable.
  - mock-possum 3y ago
    okay but whistleblowing is good - I still don't get why you keep harping on this idea that if they revealed something secret about someone else, they'll reveal something secret about you, like - what kind of threat is that supposed to be? again, I feel like this is you projecting - what are you hiding, anyway?