My Meeting with Pax Dickinson

Let's see, we should have:

* A few folks wrongly arguing this is about free speech even though it's not an issue of government limiting speech * Guys saying this is trying to silence someone, without ever reflecting on whether Pax's actions silenced others * People blaming me for his getting fired, even though I know his CEO and did not call him about this * Dudes who will say "all that matters is if he knows the tech" as if being an executive doesn't also require effective communication skills, empathy, and the ability to create a welcoming and supportive workplace. * A few who will go off and continue the effort to dox me instead of the PUA jerks who keep sending me death threats and attacking me & my family * A silent majority who find this guy and this kind of behavior reprehensible but somehow don't always feel obligated to speak up.

But I am optimistic; the many good people here can change these parts of startup culture. We can make it welcoming, even to those with strong accents or who those might get pregnant.

I really think this kind of drama is off-topic for Hacker News. There are too many posts about twitter celebrities getting angry at each other and then trying to involve the rest of the world in their stupid fights. I mean the 120 char limit basically makes it certain you will be misunderstood, taken out of context and that the only way to get attention is to post extreme soundbites.

Sorry to single this submission out. I just want less "blogosphere news" on HN and more technology articles.

"If you're a venture capitalist, and you invest in Pax's startup without a profound, meaningful and years-long demonstration of responsibility from Pax beforehand, you're complicit in extending the tech industry's awful track record of exclusion, and it's unacceptable."

Yes, because what we need more of in our community is blacklisting--even for a good cause, this is inexcusable.