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Comment by jonbronson | Hacker News Reader

In ordinary times, this would make sense. But we're living in extraordinary times, where the mainstream political candidate of the American Right has more in common with despot authoritarians around the world than he does with the traditionally conservative ideals of the Republican party. This issue transcends politics, and is more directly about ethics and human decency.

As for the problem this poses to conferences, it's not merely academic. We know that any involvement of people from diverse backgrounds leads to a more creative environment. When a few bad actors threaten the stability and civility of that environment, conference organizers have not only a moral duty, but a professional obligation to address the situation. Whether or not political extremists are bothered by that is frankly irrelevant.

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> This issue transcends politics, and is more directly about ethics and human decency.

False. Politics is how we work out how to live together given conflicting value systems.

> When a few bad actors threaten the stability and civility of that environment, conference organizers have not only a moral duty, but a professional obligation to address the situation.

This type of response is not going to change anyone's mind, and is only going to make the problem worse.

It's not about changing that persons mind. It's about maximizing the value of the event for the rest of attendees.

And no, on politics. Differences of opinion on how to run a country, where to put resources, what policy makes sense. All fair game. Whether or not a gender or minority has access to the same rights as everyone else? Not political. That's a matter of human decency. The very bare minimum to begin to enter professional ethics.

Rest of the attendees includes many other Trump supporters, who have all right to be there and shouldn't have to fear getting kicked out for admitting it. You seem to imply that Trump supporters either don't exist or don't matter - whether or not people of some political party affiliation have the same rights as everyone else is just as much part of professional ethics as the equivalent thing for gender or race. This political filtering seems a bit like a repeat of McCarthy's Red Scare.

Can you link where Trump has acted or said something against people of different genders or minorities not being allowed to have the same rights.

Nonsense.

Regarding the event: the mere discomfort of some people does not grant unlimited license to disrupt an individual's ability to conduct business and participate in society. As I've said elsewhere, I am not a lawyer but this looks an awful lot like tortuous interference.

Regarding politics: Whether abortion is the murder of a most innocent human life or the expression of women's sacred bodily autonomy runs right to the core of morality, ethics, and human rights (the mother's and the child's). And yet, it is also obviously a political issue. Trying to play word games isn't going to solve the problem that you share a society with people who may profoundly disagree with you.

> This issue transcends politics, and is more directly about ethics and human decency.

Yeah I mean, that's just, like, your opinion, human.

There have been civil wars and world wars. These are not extraordinary times. They are a time of record peace and prosperity.

I feel many people use these descriptions because they have had relatively comfortable lives and never experienced true violence, political upheaval, or authoritarian regimes.

>> where the mainstream political candidate of the American Right has more in common with despot authoritarians

Citation Please... I would love to know what actual policy, law, or procedure in place from 2016 to 2019 that is that starkly different from the policies and actual policy, law, or procedure that were in place by the US Federal government from 2008 to 2016.

List them...

Trump is a buffon, and is boorish with his speech and loves to piss people off on twitter, but the American president (thankfully) is limited in power, as such in reality not all that much has changed from one president to the next.

So you are either ignorant of the policies that have been in place for probably decades that many people think are "new" (especially around immigration which those policies have been in place for decades now)

>We know that any involvement of people from diverse backgrounds leads to a more creative environment

As long as they are not republican right?

>Whether or not political extremists are bothered by that is frankly irrelevant.

Does that extend to Left Political Extremist (for example people wearing support for communist messaging ) or only what you consider "Right Extremism" which is most likely normal republican policies. It funny to me when people call Trump (a former democrat) "Extreme Right" when in reality is left of what the Republican party was just 15 years ago, he has pulled the Republican party more "left" on social issues. The problem is not that the republicans have gotten "more right" it is the Democrat have pulled their steering wheel all the way to the left and stomped on the accelerator peddle.

I am outside observer to both parties, the Republicans have not gotten more right, it is the left that has shifted WILDLY in the last 4 years.

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