[SpicyLemonZest]

They're often meant to be somewhat hollow. The referenced letter (https://googlewalkout.medium.com/standing-with-dr-timnit-geb...) uses dramatic language to issue pretty anodyne demands: Brain leadership should meet with her former team and explain what went wrong, Google should publicly explain what it was they found objectionable in her paper, and Google Research should confirm they're committed to research integrity and academic freedom. Someone could easily sign this letter without thinking Google's a bad company at all.

[bisectable]

The public sphere is very heavily slanted. Few people dare come out under their own name and condemn the bullying behavior of Timnit, for fear of being subjected to that very bullying, which has drastic real life consequences. The letter demands to push the conversation into the public sphere, where one sided Twitter and media pressure can be fully applied. One has to be very naive and sheltered to sign such a letter.