The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Google’s Free Speech* Code

Posted on | August 10, 2017 | Comments Off on Google’s Free Speech* Code

 

You either have the right to express your opinion or you don’t. Try to explain this to Susan Wojcicki, the head of Google’s YouTube division:

As a company that has long supported free expression, Google obviously stands by the right that employees have to voice, publish or tweet their opinions. But while people may have a right to express their beliefs in public, that does not mean companies cannot take action when women are subjected to comments that perpetuate negative stereotypes about them based on their gender. Every day, companies take action against employees who make unlawful statements about co-workers, or create hostile work environments.

What “unlawful statements” did James Damore make in his memo? What facts about biological and behavioral differences between men and women have now been outlawed? When was this law enacted? Did I miss something? Have words ceased to have any meaning?

Must we now put an asterisk next to the phrase “free speech,” and refer the reader to a fine-print disclaimer specifying the exceptions to the limited “right” of people to “express their beliefs in public”?

Since I’m asking rhetorical questions here, when did Google — ostensibly a profit-seeking capitalist enterprise — start hiring Stalinist commissars to enforce political conformity among its employees?

Speaking of profit-seeking capitalist enterprise, have you hit the tip jar lately? Just $5 or $10 would be appreciated, and it’s a small price to pay to encourage a notorious Thought Criminal who routinely writes stuff that would be enough to get anybody fired from Google.



 

 

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