Posts by Thoughtcrim

I QUIT: Mozilla's anti-gay-marriage Brendan Eich leaps out of door

Democratic rights and freedom of association

I realise I'm coming to this party very late, but I feel the need to add my thoughts.

The word bigot has been thrown around a bit too lightly on this thread. It suggests that people who do not support gay marriage are driven by thoughtless intolerance. I think it's more accurate to see this as a clash of cultures, each of which has a different intellectual heritage. Indeed, if you are someone who is truly tolerant, you will recognise the strengths and weaknesses of both the pro- and anti- arguments.

There is a line of thought that it's OK for Eich to hold an opinion, but not to act on it. I must disagree. Eich's actions were entirely legal and democratic. Eich pledged some money to a cause which was being openly and democratically debated. That cause was eventually defeated. That seems to me to be free speech and democracy in action.

It's only because of such free speech that LGBT people have won various freedoms and rights in recent years. If in the 1950s a CEO had argued for gay rights, would it have been acceptable for traditionalists to have that CEO ousted? Anyone who supports the ousting of Eich is effectively arguing against the right of minorities to engage in democratic debate. Is that really what anyone wants?

I agree that people have the right to judge Eich in any way they wish, and have the right to boycott companies for any reason. However, his ousting strikes me as being needlessly vindictive. The pro gay marriage lobby won. Why not just celebrate that and move on? Why this need to persecute and punish those who have a different view?

Ultimately though I don't think this is a question about Mozilla's relationship with its customers, but instead about the relationship between Mozilla and its employees (in this case, Eich). Employees should have a right to a private life. If an employee complies with their company's policies when at work, then anything that they do in their personal life should be irrelevant: any beliefs they hold, any opinions they express, any actions they take. Otherwise, there is a creeping totalitarianism at play, where employees must never express any opinion which contradicts (now or in the future) their employer's position.

Mozilla should have responded to these criticisms by issuing a short statement that the CEO's private opinions are his own concern.

I think there is a broader question about the extent to which companies are getting involved in social and political issues which may put them at odds with their own employees. Perhaps they should just focus on delivering great products and services and leave the politics at the door?

F*ck you, thunders disgruntled fanboi Apple user

Because...

There's a Linux penguin, a fanboi, and a Windows luser in a plane, and the pilot says, we're carrying too much weight, one of you has got to go, and...

...the three spread out, fingers poised above their holstered smartphones. The cabin lights beat down mercilessly, and somewhere in the distance a spanish guitar twangs as a harmonica strikes a discordant note.

Sweat beads, eyes flicker back and forth, and fingers twitch as the guitar quickens into a crescendo. And then -

The Windows luser draws first, stabbing frantically at his custom skin. The Linux penguin is only a split second behind, grasping at the strange chin on his Android phone...

...but too late. In a blur, the fanboi draws his iPhone, pairs with his rivals' phones, launches the "iTaser" app and sends a high-voltage pulse coursing through their bodies. As they convulse, he drags them towards the emergency exit.

First to go is the Windows luser, screaming into the darkness. Breathing raggedly, the Linux penguin clutches at the doorframe, and gasps "How... were you... so fast...?"

The fanboi holsters his iPhone, then gives the penguin a hearty shove. As the penguin drops into oblivion, the fanboi's last words ring in his ears... "Sequence shortened"