Thread by @bostonwriter, In my line of work, I bump into A LOT of "closet [...]

In my line of work, I bump into A LOT of "closet conservatives." I use that term as they're afraid to admit it publicly because they believe it would hurt business or their employment opportunity. I totally understand where they're coming from and I have seen it happen.

1/?

In one of my previous roles, one of the other execs found this - my personal Twitter account - and pulled me aside because they said they caught me saying something "deeply offensive" and suggested I lock it down. When I asked her what was so offensive, the reply shocked me.

2/?

"Well, you're openly supporting 'pro-life' causes."

"And..."

"Given your position, people look up to you and many would find that stance completely offensive."

"So you want me to lock down my personal Twitter account for expressing a core tenet of my faith?"

3/?

"Well, I wouldn't look at it that way."

"What I'm hearing is that you are officially telling me to stop expressing my faith, using a personal social media account that has no connection to the business. Is that right?"

The next bit blew me away.

4/?

She appeared nervous & said I was misinterpreting what she was saying. I asked her to clarify & she just repeated that it was offensive. Now here's the fun bit...

I asked: "If I was vocally anti-Trump on this account, would we be having this conversation?"

The response...

5/?

She smiled, shrugged, and said: "Well..." and smiled again.

"Well what?"

"Probably not. You know the way it is, Marc."

"No. I don't, really. I don't know the way it is."

Then the conversation got really juicy.

6/?

A few weeks earlier, one of the younger execs (29, I believe) was in a meeting and said he believed that anyone over 40 was too irrelevant to work in a tech startup. I made a back-handed comment about it because it was a bro culture, but I took a dated note... just in case.

7/?

I brought this up to the HR exec during our re-education meeting and she (also over 40) started explaining what the other exec "probably meant" by the comment. This, plus her stalling on getting me some info that every other exec was getting, led me to my next statement:

8/?

"The culmination of the past few weeks, plus this meeting, gives me the overwhelming impression that you're going after a protected class of worker based purely on ideological beliefs. Please make a formal note - I did - and this meeting is over."

9/?

Despite meeting or exceeding all of my personal and my team's MBOs, I was gone several weeks later. They were exceedingly generous in the exit package, so despite my treatment within the business, they did the right thing on the way out. But it's a cautionary tale...

10/?

I, of course, sought an opinion on my exit and was told the following: "Do you have a case? Absolutely. Do you want to be 'that guy' in the industry? That's up to you. You won't win a payout that will set you up for life and you need to keep working, so think it through."

11/?

I did nothing and just blocked that business from my databanks. I kick myself a bit for not taking action, but industry rumblings says that business is on the ropes, so the market always takes care of things. With myopia that intense, I knew it was a matter of time.

12/?

But it should be a cautionary tale for all the "we're making a list" people out there. Ideological diversity MUST be a part of every thriving enterprise. I WANT people who disagree and think differently on my team. How else will we grow and improve?

13/?

I've had DMs and offline discussions with people who have said I'm "brave" for saying some of the things I say on Twitter. I really don't see things that way at all. I mean, I'm sarcastic and a bit of an ass, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm far from offensive.

14/?

I just fail to comply with the bullying and hush tactics that so many (not all, not the majority, but many) employ today. I've been called racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, you name it... all baseless claims with zero evidence, but those are magic words for many.

15/?

They stifle debate and attempt to put the person on the receiving end on the defensive. It works way too frequently. I'm just tired of it.

Of course, we need to put food on the table. However, being outspoken about your beliefs can serve as a litmus test as well.

16/?

Any individual or organization who doesn't respect opposing opinions will, inevitably, fail. If the tightness of the 2020 race didn't reinforce to you that we're in a country of diverse views, you're simply not paying attention.

17/?

The past several years have been rife with vilification of groups of people - those who have been bestowed with the mythical "privilege" moniker, whatever that means this week. We're sacrificing individuality for identity & that mindset is a foot race to the bottom.

18/?

That's why the recent "we're making lists" rhetoric is getting my hackles up. Not only is it yet another tactic designed to strike fear into the hearts of ideological opponents, but it also spells disaster for commerce when businesses begin to apply a purity test.

/END

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