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Comment by aspiringsensei | Hacker News Reader

>I've been in both workplaces and graduate programs where one's political views were simply assumed.

Ditto with religion. I'm not devout, but I don't believe it's anyone's right to sit around and mock religious people on pure "durr hurr god isn't real" grounds.

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1st amendment guarantees that right to sit around and mock people for whatever you feel like.

True, but the 1st amendment isn't a right to harass people, and harassment is a fireable offense.

In America, there is no constitutional 'freedom of speech' protection in the private sector. If you mock another employee at work, you most certainly can be fired.

There is a world of difference between liberty and license. I'm hardly the first guy in the room to be labelled politically correct but just because you can doesn't mean you should.

And also, you can't mock (specific) people because of things like their gender or religion anyway. For better or worse, that's usually considered discrimination.

Why do people think that the 1st amendment gives you the right to say anything you want without consequence. It only gives you the right to say whatever you want without LEGAL consequence. It is a very important distinction. You have the right to say what you want, and I have the right to think or act based on what you say.

Maybe I'm having a bad day but I am sooooo sick of hearing this argument that people can say whatever stupid thing they want and then just shout "1st Amendment!"

Not even that. It gives you the right to say most anything you want without retribution from the government. It doesn't compel your employer, a private entity, to do anything.

The 1st amendment also gives you the right, without fear of legal prosecution, to use racial slurs against others.

It doesn't mean you should. And it also doesn't mean that you can't be fired for not playing well with others.

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