Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by spondylosaurus 1079 days ago
TBH I don't know that she would have fared much better. One, because it sounds like the Air Force guy is thin-skinned, and two, because even peaceful anti-war protestors have generally been met with disdain and/or tear gas.

But I also dislike the idea that offensive language is somehow not pacifist behavior, whereas developing weapons of war is perfectly fine so long as you're polite about it. Regardless of how you feel about weapons of war, it's hard to deny that they hold a certain non-neutral weight.
3 comments
eusto 1079 days ago
She faced concequences for her actions as an employee, not as an activist of peace. Offensive language as an employee, especially when directed at the customer, usually gets you fired.

She wasn't whistle blowing/revealing any inside information. She wasn't adding anything to the topic of the conversation. She publicly made a rude personal comment at a conference from a platform which connects the company with its current and prospective customers. I'm surprised the company dragged this for so long. If this was a waiter at a restaurant saying "fuck you" to this guy while eating there, I'm sure they wouldn't even have had a chance to finish their shift.

link
1000bestlives 1079 days ago
People developing weapons believe in protecting their families from danger and don't necessarily consider themselves to be morally superior to their coworkers.

The line between good and evil is not explicitly "violence"

link
mlatu 1079 days ago
personally, i found the slide from mr airforce kinda insulting to vmware:

"if its good enough for weaponssystems, its probably good enough for you."

yeah, i can see how that could deserve a "fuck you"...

from all of vmwares employees.

link