Brendan Eich steps down as Mozilla CEO due to his Prop 8 support

[Christian Klippel]

After only being CEO for Mozilly for two weeks, Brendan Eich now steps down due to public pressure.

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/04/03/brendan-eich-steps-down-as-mozilla-ceo/

A little background. It was found out that in 2008 he supported proposition 8 with money. Criticism against him started to build up. He tried to defend his position against gay marriage by saying that this was his private matter and should have no bearing on his job. Later the software company Rarebit called for a boycott of Mozilla, and OKCupid called their customers to switch to another browser.

Now it all became too much and he had to step down, finally. While i think that it is a good idea that people enjoy free speech, and that indeed they should be able to do whatever they want in private (as long as it doesn't break the law), i think that it is par for the course that people who support the blocking of basic rights to other people should have to face the consequences. After all, this not a simple matter like "well, i like chocolate better than vanilla", instead he actively supported a proposition designed to deny people simple rights. If you support discrimination, live with the consequences. Don't whine about that being a private matter, when what you do is intruding the provate matters of others.

Greetings,

Chris

 

[Polaris]

After only being CEO for Mozilly for two weeks, Brendan Eich now steps down due to public pressure.

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/04/03/brendan-eich-steps-down-as-mozilla-ceo/

A little background. It was found out that in 2008 he supported proposition 8 with money. Criticism against him started to build up. He tried to defend his position against gay marriage by saying that this was his private matter and should have no bearing on his job. Later the software company Rarebit called for a boycott of Mozilla, and OKCupid called their customers to switch to another browser.

Now it all became too much and he had to step down, finally. While i think that it is a good idea that people enjoy free speech, and that indeed they should be able to do whatever they want in private (as long as it doesn't break the law), i think that it is par for the course that people who support the blocking of basic rights to other people should have to face the consequences. After all, this not a simple matter like "well, i like chocolate better than vanilla", instead he actively supported a proposition designed to deny people simple rights. If you support discrimination, live with the consequences. Don't whine about that being a private matter, when what you do is intruding the provate matters of others.

Greetings,

Chris

I can personally verify that message.

 

[Aepervius]

Well said Christian.

I guess that Brendan can now appreciate how painful "intrusion in private matter" by a 3rd can be.

 

[Christian Klippel]

Well said Christian.

I guess that Brendan can now appreciate how painful "intrusion in private matter" by a 3rd can be.

Somehow i doubt that, unfortunately.

However, i hope that this sets an example, and others will follow. After all, you can't get these bigots with arguments. But you can get them where it hurts: their money or job. Maybe some day they will recognize that such things work both ways...

Greetings,

Chris

 

[TheL8Elvis]

After only being CEO for Mozilly for two weeks, Brendan Eich now steps down due to public pressure.

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/04/03/brendan-eich-steps-down-as-mozilla-ceo/

A little background. It was found out that in 2008 he supported proposition 8 with money. Criticism against him started to build up. He tried to defend his position against gay marriage by saying that this was his private matter and should have no bearing on his job. Later the software company Rarebit called for a boycott of Mozilla, and OKCupid called their customers to switch to another browser.

Now it all became too much and he had to step down, finally. While i think that it is a good idea that people enjoy free speech, and that indeed they should be able to do whatever they want in private (as long as it doesn't break the law), i think that it is par for the course that people who support the blocking of basic rights to other people should have to face the consequences. After all, this not a simple matter like "well, i like chocolate better than vanilla", instead he actively supported a proposition designed to deny people simple rights. If you support discrimination, live with the consequences. Don't whine about that being a private matter, when what you do is intruding the provate matters of others.

Greetings,

Chris

Bravo. Free speech does not mean free from consequences.

 

[geni]

Now it all became too much and he had to step down, finally. While i think that it is a good idea that people enjoy free speech, and that indeed they should be able to do whatever they want in private (as long as it doesn't break the law), i think that it is par for the course that people who support the blocking of basic rights to other people should have to face the consequences.

Ignoring the problem with claiming that basic rights exist your position is still unrealistic. Mozilla are an organisation that has to keep young social liberals onside (you will notice none of IAC's other sites raised the issue). This is simply a matter of keeping a certian demographic happy. It has no wider significance.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

I'm a little surprised it took this long, to be honest.

 

[Axiom_Blade]

Bravo. Free speech does not mean free from consequences.

So, by that logic, if you say something the government doesn't like and they lock you up, you still have free speech! (Please keep in mind that "free speech" and the First Amendment are two different things.)

 

[bob_kark]

I wonder how different the responses would be if the roles were reversed. Had he donated money against Prop 8 and been forced out due to pressure of religious groups, how many would then cry foul? No matter my views of his political beliefs, I don't enjoy seeing them used as a means to terminate his employment.

 

[Cain]

I wonder how different the responses would be if the roles were reversed. Had he donated money against Prop 8 and been forced out due to pressure of religious groups, how many would then cry foul? No matter my views of his political beliefs, I don't enjoy seeing them used as a means to terminate his employment.

What're you, some kind of liberal? His financial contribution six years ago directly impacts his ability to run the company.

 

[Alferd_Packer]

What're you, some kind of liberal? His financial contribution six years ago directly impacts his ability to run the company.

In a way it does.

THe CEO set the tone of the culture.

If he is personally intolerant, that will bleed over into his business affairs.

 

[Giordano]

I wonder how different the responses would be if the roles were reversed. Had he donated money against Prop 8 and been forced out due to pressure of religious groups, how many would then cry foul? No matter my views of his political beliefs, I don't enjoy seeing them used as a means to terminate his employment.

But, one side supported human rights for everyone, Another other side excluded human rights from some people. Again, it was not a political choice between vanilla and chocolate. He supported denying people a basic human right. If he had supported a basic human right, then people wouldn't be as upset. If he was forced out of office because he supported a basic human right, I would call foul for good reason. What you bring up is not symmetrical.

 

[Checkmite]

I wonder how different the responses would be if the roles were reversed. Had he donated money against Prop 8 and been forced out due to pressure of religious groups, how many would then cry foul? No matter my views of his political beliefs, I don't enjoy seeing them used as a means to terminate his employment.

Am I to understand that you don't consider boycotting to be an acceptable form of speech if it results in someone losing a job?

 

[332nd]

I wonder how different the responses would be if the roles were reversed. Had he donated money against Prop 8 and been forced out due to pressure of religious groups, how many would then cry foul? No matter my views of his political beliefs, I don't enjoy seeing them used as a means to terminate his employment.

So what should've happened? He should be allowed to actively intrude on others' private lives, but they should not intrude on his?

 

[Cain]

If he is personally intolerant, that will bleed over into his business affairs.

It's easy to imagine a company forty years ago terminating an employee for being gay. And what would the employee argue? "This is my personal lifestyle and it has nothing to do with the company." And what would Christian fascists argue? "No, it will bleed over." People smell **** because they're so ******* nosy.

So what should've happened?

People shouldn't be so petty and vindictive.

 

[Alferd_Packer]

Am I to understand that you don't consider boycotting to be an acceptable form of speech if it results in someone losing a job?

Mozilla should have done a better job of vetting its candidates.

 

[Puppycow]

I wonder how different the responses would be if the roles were reversed. Had he donated money against Prop 8 and been forced out due to pressure of religious groups, how many would then cry foul? No matter my views of his political beliefs, I don't enjoy seeing them used as a means to terminate his employment.

The right uses similar tactics.

Remember Van Jones (I agree with that btw, we shouldn't allow a Truther to have a position of responsibility)

 

[Checkmite]

It's easy to imagine a company forty years ago terminating an employee for being gay. And what would the employee argue? "This is my personal lifestyle and it has nothing to do with the company." And what would Christian fascists argue? "No, it will bleed over." People smell **** because they're so ******* nosy.

This might have been a good point if Eich had been fired by Mozilla.

 

[Axiom_Blade]

Am I to understand that you don't consider boycotting to be an acceptable form of speech if it results in someone losing a job?

I don't think that boycotting was the right thing to do, in this case. Of course, everybody makes that decision on their own. Obviously, some other people thought it was the right thing to do.

 

[Christian Klippel]

What're you, some kind of liberal? His financial contribution six years ago directly impacts his ability to run the company.

Yes, and rightfully so, in my opinion, because his contribution had the express purpose to impact the rights that some people should have, and that most of the other people already enjoy.

It's easy to imagine a company forty years ago terminating an employee for being gay. And what would the employee argue? "This is my personal lifestyle and it has nothing to do with the company." And what would Christian fascists argue? "No, it will bleed over." People smell **** because they're so ******* nosy.

People shouldn't be so petty and vindictive.

It seems you completely missed the point here. Someone being gay is that persons personal affair and does _not_ discriminate someone else, does not deny someone else a right that the majority already has. There is nothing to bleed over.

Actively working to discriminate against another group of people, denying them such right, is no longer just a matter of personal opinion. It is an attempt to deny those people their personal matters. And for that there should be consequences.

In fact, he wanted to have the cake and eat it too. On one side he wanted to meddle with othher peoples personal matters, while at the same time claiming that this meddling is purely his personal matter and should be of no concern to anyone else.

If you like vanilla, and i like chocolate, then each of us has every right to say that we don't like the other persons choice. None of that should affect anything else. However, if i would actively seek out to block you from having vanilla, while i demand to continue to get chocolate, then this directly affects you, and is a completely different matter.

Is that so hard to grasp?

Greetings,

Chris