Comment by rmk | Hacker News Reader

Comment by rmk | Hacker News Reader

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I wonder how this works in, say, the Marines, or the Navy, which I believe are much more diverse than tech. Are people discussing politics endlessly at work? Is there a code of ethics/conduct that explicitly bars such behaviors?

Tech is extremely un-diverse, but it somehow seems to attract much more vocal and activist types compared to the above. For example, I have never read about such incidents in the Navy or the Marines... Is it simply my ignorance, or does the military have an established way of dealing with such things?

FWIW, I'm sick of the politicization and invasion by SJWs of the discourse in our little bubble in the Bay Area. I'd heartily appreciate the day when I can spend a whole day at work with absolutely no discussion of politics and religion at work. Even private home life is not impervious to this nonsense (even talk at the dinner table often comes down to this, much to my dismay). Do others share a similar sentiment? Just like there are 'no-cellphone' train compartments, perhaps we can have 'politics/religion-free' zones at home and the office!

The difference is tech has a lot more people who went to expensive fancy colleges and private high schools, and have comfortable middle class backgrounds, the military that is the extreme minority. People can talk about diversity, but its not truly diversity they are looking for, as they do not look for political or class diversity. The marines, has a lot of working class background people, and black, white, hispanic, working class people seem to get along just fine with different races without long diatribes about politics.

Tech has these "intelligentsia" activists that want to show they have the right ideas and opinions. Go to a welding shop or mechanic or marines or whatever, and everyone can have different opinions about something and nothing bad happens. People might laugh it off and call someone an idiot, that's about it.

> Go to a welding shop or mechanic or marines or whatever, and everyone can have different opinions about something and nothing bad happens

That depends on the "something". Everyone has views they consider unacceptable. Try telling a marine about how 9/11 was actually justified. I highly doubt he would just laugh it off.

I would rather have a work environment with crazy conspiracy nuts than orthodox SJW purists.

I mentioned above how shared challenges is a way to remove biases among diverse people. In my comment I used small companies trying to the keep the lights on.

While there are exceptions, the military is one giant shared challenge. When people go through hell together and their lives depend on each other, they figure it out.

I think it also is related to the idea of "illegibility" there probably are a lot more roles/jobs in tech that can be easily illegible. https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2011/07/31/on-being-an-illegible-... .

In the Marines you have to prove your mettle. So people actually earn the respect of their peers. And I think that their process is quite competent in weeding out the really toxic people that are the majority of activists. Today those types are SJW, 20 years ago they would have been fundamental Christians wanting to help Jack Thompson ban violent games.

And of course Marines are the one that invented the term fragging.

The problem with activism in the west is lack of feedback for being obnoxious. So they can get away with it.

A very popular meme is how in june all corporations turn their profile pictures rainbow in all social media accounts except in the legit homophobic and conservative countries.

So it is activism entangled with safetysm. We protest where we know people will pay the dane geld.

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