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Comment by lhnz | Hacker News Reader

It means that a software engineer with odious politics was not allowed to speak about a completely separate domain [0]. Presumably because of the worry that he might give a rousing speech.

[0] http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/06/cur...

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Technology is obviously political. Anyone trying to ignore that has an agenda to maintain the status quo. There is no sense in pretending we're solving mindless puzzles in a vaccuum; we're out to "disrupt" the world.

I didn't consider it when I posted the link, but Strange Loop provides an unusual platform for technologists who actually do "think different". Many use their tech platform to reinforce racism in notoriously racist tech spaces. But some take scifi seriously and try to improve the world. That matters.

Here's the tech good ol' boy world, where you're supposed to passively accept casual racism in ranch houses: "It was really quite lovely. Later that day, in the jeep to the ranch house where everyone was staying, he started up with the casual racism, and everyone ignored him." (https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/606799534983770112)

I didn't say tech couldn't relate to politics, nor do I wish to hang out with racists.

I implied that not all people would care to waste their time in the company of no-platformers. Disinterest is a perfectly reasonable position to take when faced with the proposition of hanging out with people with wildly different political beliefs than yourself.

The idea that some people might dislike no platforming almost as much as they dislike racism shouldn't surprise you.

It's not safe to support organisations that choose whether to platform based on the whims of a mob or their leaders.

You're an entryist. I hope anyone reading your comment reads the rest of the thread to which you link. Much sanity is to be found.

Of course other conferences probably considering inviting him and then decided not to for the same reason. You only know about Strange Loop because it got further along the process.

Perhaps their ability to censor silently proves they're better run? I would have nothing to have an opinion of.

In fact I'm against the thing and not merely its signal but I can see that some censors are 'fitter'.

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