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Comment by surfer7837 | Hacker News Reader

I've just seen the screenshots from https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/15/22232766/github-employees...

You just shouldn't be speaking like that in a company Slack channel. Politics should really not be discussed at work, and especially not in a public Slack channel. It's not the right place for it. It makes me not want to work there if they are discussing politics all day in a public Slack channel

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So a Jewish employee points out (factually!) that there are nazis at an armed attack on the capitol, and to be careful, and then gets fired for saying that. You call this "appalling from both sides?" I just have to laugh.

a public company Slack channel is not the right place for it

I didn't realize that a workplace chat was the wrong place to update one's colleagues in DC about very real threats to their safety.

A public company just fired their head of HR, so I think they disagree with you here.

And that's their prerogative

I don’t mean to ask this in an accusatory gotcha way I’m just wondering what your stance is on someone warning their coworkers in Portland, or somewhere else that there are “looting communists around so be careful.” Or something similar referring to a blm protest. Do you feel this is also appropriate in a workplace channel?

"whataboutism" is exactly an accusatory gotcha.

I guess agree to disagree? I personally don’t believe that these sorts of conversations are work appropriate and I’m wondering whether or not they become inappropriate when the poster disagrees with what’s being posted. The only way I could see this being taken as an accusatory gotcha is if your world view being questioned in any sense is a personal attack. Which is pretty par for the course for older millennials tbh.

This isn't politics really as I see it, it's a heads up to fellow coworkers about a factually dangerous situation in their area. There were factually neo-nazis running about DC causing havoc.

I didn't realise they were all in DC, I thought GitHub was in the valley?

They are presumably fully remote right now and most large organization have multiple offices. This slack statement was from what I can tell aimed at those in DC.

They’re remote, this was said in their DC slack channel.

Based on the screenshot [0], the message in question was sent in the #dmv channel, which stands for the DC metropolitan area (DC, Maryland, Virginia, hence DMV).

[0] https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/inUt0KKQbXWT45OMaXBLZuaAqM4=...

Can you explain? On January 6 there was a man wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" hoodie with the word "staff" printed on the back, on national television. Do you believe this man is not a Nazi? And do you believe that Jewish people do not have a right to warn their coworkers to stay safe in light of people like this committing violent acts?

I'm genuinely curious to understand what part you believe is political here, because it seems like the employee's message was entirely based in easily verifiable fact and genuine concern.

I just don't think a company Slack channel is the right place for this, when tensions are high people can get upset and offended and it just creates a bad work environment. There are time and place for things like this, not over a Slack channel.

I don't know about any about that, I haven't been keeping up on the news

This was in their DC slack channel. Do you honestly believe that employees should avoid talking about ongoing riots in their city in their city's slack channel? I genuinely cannot believe that you'd think that an event where five people died was not appropriate for discussion in a city chat, especially to warn people to stay safe.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-camp-auschwitz-shir...

> when tensions are high people can get upset and offended

People were waving swastikas, wearing camp Auschwitz hoodies, storming the capital building and beating a police officer to death with an American flag. The problem here is not calling a spade a spade. If you're offended by being termed a Nazi that possibly don't be advertising yourself as one.

god forbid someone create a bad work environment during a nazi coup lmao

… where "create a bad work environment" involves warning people there's a Nazi coup attempt in progress.

I don’t think pointing out nazis at the capitol is politics.

Healthcare policy is politics, the election is politics. Pointing out nazis at an armed insurrection? No.

I agree completely... Then to try to hold a "empathy circle" to resolve the concerns raised by it...

Glad I don't work there!

Rules are different now. If you’re making a negative statement regarding anyone on the tight, it seems to get more support than derision.

Please explain how this was a "negative statement" when folks wearing "Camp Auschwitz - Staff" hoodies were rioting in DC.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-camp-auschwitz-shir...

I'd prefer it if folks on the right were more offended by the presence of nazis in their ranks, than by folks pointing out the existence of those nazis.

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