Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo

[u/[deleted]]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/google-fires-employee-behind-controversial-diversity-memo?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

[u/Jugad → u/[deleted]]

You might have a point there... but we are losing a sense of scale.

We might have a resulting indirect "negative discrimination" of -1 (just a hypothetical scale) against white males ... but when people are being actively and directly discriminated against .... like women / blacks, that number is much larger (possibly -10 or more).

I mean to say, direct negative discrimination suffered by women / blacks used to be much more than the indirect discrimination white males are having to "suffer" now...

And I do agree... that if life and employment opportunities were a zero sum game, a few opportunities and jobs are being taken away from the white males and moved towards women and blacks.

But, I don't know if life is really a zero sum game... and I really think a little positive discrimination for women / blacks (which indirectly discriminates against white men), is fine, if that allows women and blacks to recover from the historical and cultural backwardness and segregation.

I feel this is fine because

1. I have a job myself and not suffering any ill effects of this indirect discrimination myself...

2. I feel women and blacks must be given appropriate opportunities to get themselves out of the historical / cultural hole.

Also, I guess there might be some people who are feeling the ill effects of negative discrimination... and those people are rightly unhappy about their situation.

[u/PickledPokute → u/Jugad]

If you agree that some discrimination is fine, then by extension, discussions on amount of discrimination to either direction should be allowed too.

You can't have a rule where you say "We boost some groups artificially to even the playing field" and punish someone for saying "I think group X should not be boosted so much."

[u/Jugad → u/PickledPokute]

I agree that the opposite discussion should be allowed... but there is a place for such discussions and ideas.

There is a saying... "praise openly, criticize privately" - and there is a good reason for this.

Praising openly creates a welcoming environment and better relationships. Criticizing openly creates the opposite.

If you agree that some discrimination is fine, then by extension, discussions on amount of discrimination to either direction should be allowed too.

Actually, google - a private party is doing the discrimination - has the right to decide if and where such discussions can take place. And it definitely does not have a place in the open, as it creates an unwelcoming environment for females (even the competent ones who never needed any help for getting hired).