Facebook Employees Unite to Challenge Its ‘Intolerant’ Liberal Culture

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“The post went up quietly on Facebook’s internal message board last week. Titled ‘We Have a Problem With Political Diversity,’ it quickly took off inside the social network,” Kate Conger and Sheera Frenkel report for The New York Times. “We are a political monoculture that’s intolerant of different views,” senior Facebook engineer Brian Amerige wrote in the post.

It must be hell to work at Facebook if you are not a dogmatic leftist robot.

Despite the increased chatter about Facebook’s autocratic speech policies, things have not gotten better. In fact, they have gotten worse. Like most totalitarians, the leftists dig in, secure in their absolute power. They continue to steamroll over our most basic freedoms. In the past two weeks, I have been suspended twice — and any of my readers who shared this post were suspended as well.

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We need government intervention and we need these employees subpoenaed.

Dozens at Facebook Unite to Challenge Its ‘Intolerant’ Liberal Culture

SAN FRANCISCO — The post went up quietly on Facebook’s internal message board last week. Titled “We Have a Problem With Political Diversity,” it quickly took off inside the social network.

By Kate Conger and Sheera Frenkel,  New York Times, August 28, 2018:

“We are a political monoculture that’s intolerant of different views,” Brian Amerige, a senior Facebook engineer, wrote in the post, which was obtained by The New York Times. “We claim to welcome all perspectives, but are quick to attack — often in mobs — anyone who presents a view that appears to be in opposition to left-leaning ideology.”

Since the post went up, more than 100 Facebook employees have joined Mr. Amerige to form an online group called FB’ers for Political Diversity, according to two people who viewed the group’s page and who were not authorized to speak publicly. The aim of the initiative, according to Mr. Amerige’s memo, is to create a space for ideological diversity within the company.

The new group has upset other Facebook employees, who said its online posts were offensive to minorities. One engineer, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation, said several people had lodged complaints with their managers about FB’ers for Political Diversity and were told that it had not broken any company rules.

Another employee said the group appeared to be constructive and inclusive of different political viewpoints. Mr. Amerige did not respond to requests for comment.

The activity is a rare sign of organized dissent within Facebook over the company’s largely liberal workplace culture. While the new group is just a sliver of Facebook’s work force of more than 25,000, the company’s workers have in the past appeared less inclined than their peers at other tech companies to challenge leadership, and most have been loyalists to its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

But over the past two years, Facebook has undergone a series of crises, including the spread of misinformation by Russians on its platform and the mishandling of users’ data. Facebook has also been accused of stifling conservative speech by President Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, among others. This month, the social network barred the far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, a move that critics seized on as further evidence that the company harbors an anti-conservative bias.

Within Facebook, several employees said, people have argued over the decisions to ban certain accounts while allowing others. At staff meetings, they said, some workers have repeatedly asked for more guidance on what content the company disallows, and why. Others have said Facebook, out of fear of being seen as biased, has let too many right-wing groups flourish on the site.

The dispute over employees’ political ideology arose a week before Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, is scheduled to testify at a Senate hearing about social media manipulation in elections. A team helping Ms. Sandberg get ready for the hearing next Wednesday has warned her that some Republican lawmakers may raise questions about Facebook and biases, according to two people involved in the preparations.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump again brought up the issue of bias by tech companies with tweets attacking Google. In remarks later in the day, he widened his focus to include Twitter and Facebook.

Those companies “better be careful because you can’t do that to people,” Mr. Trump said. “I think that Google, and Twitter and Facebook, they are really treading on very, very troubled territory and they have to be careful. It is not fair to large portions of the population.”

 

Facebook has long been viewed as a predominantly liberal company. Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Sandberg have donated to Democratic politicians, for example, and have supported issues such as immigration reform.

The social network has sometimes struggled to integrate conservatives into its leadership. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, the maker of virtual reality goggles that Facebook acquired, was pressured to leave the company last year, months after news spread that he had secretly donated to an organization dedicated to spreading anti-Hillary Clinton internet memes. And Peter Thiel, an outspoken supporter of Mr. Trump, has faced calls for his resignation from Facebook’s board.

Mr. Zuckerberg publicly defended Mr. Thiel last year, saying that he valued Mr. Thiel and that it was important to maintain diversity on the board. In an appearance before Congress this year, Mr. Zuckerberg responded to a question about anticonservative bias by saying he wanted Facebook to “be a platform for all ideas.”

In May, Facebook announced that former Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, would lead an inquiry into allegations of anticonservative bias on the social network. New employees also go through training that describes how to have respectful conversations about politics and diversity.

Other Silicon Valley companies, including Google, have also experienced a wave of employee activism over diversity. If tech companies are willing to adjust their workplaces to make underrepresented groups more welcome, some employees argue, they should extend the same regard to those who do not fit the liberal-leaning Silicon Valley mold.

Mr. Amerige, who started working at Facebook in 2012, said on his personal website that he followed philosophical principles laid out by the philosopher and writer Ayn Rand. He posted the 527-word memo about political diversity at Facebook on Aug. 20.

On issues like diversity and immigration, he wrote, “you can either keep quiet or sacrifice your reputation and career.”

Mr. Amerige proposed that Facebook employees debate their political ideas in the new group — one of tens of thousands of internal groups that cover a range of topics — adding that this debate would better equip the company to host a variety of viewpoints on its platform.

“We are entrusted by a great part of the world to be impartial and transparent carriers of people’s stories, ideas and commentary,” Mr. Amerige wrote. “Congress doesn’t think we can do this. The president doesn’t think we can do this. And like them or not, we deserve that criticism.”

 

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Thomas Faddis
Thomas Faddis
5 years ago

Even some employees at fascistbook are starting to speak up about this Major problem? It’s a Start at least!

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago
Reply to  Thomas Faddis

They’ll probably get fired because they dare to be tolerant.

R. Arandas
R. Arandas
5 years ago

The liberals claim to hate intolerance and judgmentality, yet they are far more intolerant and judgmental than most conservatives are today!

#WalkAwayFromFacebook

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago
Reply to  R. Arandas

#WalkAwayFromFacebook — I like that! Already have!
It is the LEFT that are intolerant, petulant children. It’s MY WAY or the HIGHWAY (censored out).
Look a the stupid decor – balls that toddlers may play with. It is the LEFT that loves to HATE you.

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago

“We need government intervention and we need these employees subpoenaed.”
Probably won’t be in time for the midterms. I am concerned about that. The SWAMP does nothing.
This is so frustrating!!!!!!!!

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago

I agree but I don’t want this to become a precedent. They too need to abide by the FIRST AMENDMENT. They are an openly publically traded stock. They are NOT a “private” company and not immune to the right to free speech.

Dennis
Dennis
5 years ago

Fascinating article. The article speaks directly to my own serious concern that is represented by what I, and others, have described as DIVISIVENESS that is rampant in America today. I have never seen anything like it, and I was moved by the commentary in the article that speaking out ones views might result in action from the “mob.” I have long been mortified by those out there who use “mob mentality and conduct” to shut people down. I see this happening more and more. Shouting down a speaker because you do not agree with his/her views is the height of radical and rejection able conduct. I see this conduct at the universities where pro-Palestinians do everything they can to stop anyone from expressing opinions that are favorably disposed to Israel, or are commenting about the conduct of radical Islamists. Maybe it is because of their culture which promotes violent response towards anyone who they disfavor, a culture which is the anti-thesis of what America is all about. The point is that free speech is a sacrosanct right that must always be protected. Sure, speech that promotes violence should never be allowed, and there should be consequences when violence is preached or promoted, but we all need to treat free speech with the reverence that it deserves. We should abide by Roberts Rules of Order, which provides for civil discourse and debate, something that seems to have disappeared from America today, and has generated divisiveness to a fault. Those people whose culture precludes them from allowing others to express their non-violent opinions should be shut down, as they are acting very un-American, violating all the liberties guaranteed citizens of this country. Good for the Facebook personnel for coming forward and speaking out against the divisiveness that is now adversely affecting this great country. Keep it up.

Dave Glynn
Dave Glynn
5 years ago

Both Facebook and Twitter are not your friends. Trust them at your peril.
FK FACEBOOK!

az
az
5 years ago

The Google’s “don’t be evil” slogan used to stand for something. Now is just something that liberals say to look nice. But they are not nice, they are intolerant to anyone that disagrees with their views.

Achmed Mohandjob
Achmed Mohandjob
5 years ago
Reply to  az

Gurgle has always been evil. When the number one search engine (based upon usage) was Yahoo, Gurgles use started with public school teachers and public librarians telling students/people to use them. Evil is drawn to evil.

Patriotliz
Patriotliz
5 years ago

This is what totalitarianism looks like…suppression of political views that differ from those in POWER…and the POWER of social media is in the hands of the communist subversives who are trying to interfere in the free flow of ideas in order to alter our electoral process. Russian interference is inconsequential compared to the biased tech giants.comment image

ConnectingDots
ConnectingDots
5 years ago

Anyone who has gone through equal-employment training in the USA knows that an employee’s religion and sex are protected classes but that an employee’s political views do NOT have protected status.

Given that leftism is a religion for many people and that corporations such as Facebook discriminate in favor of leftism, perhaps conservatives should start filing religious-discrimination suits based on their conservative worldview.

Kwitcherbellyakin
Kwitcherbellyakin
5 years ago

Facebook worries it will lose support of the masses of immigrants who are easily offended. I am currently in Facebook jail because I complimented somebody. Before the Olympics, a Muslim model was showing off her Sharia compliant sports uniform with a hair covering. I remarked that she was pretty. Nobody should have been offended, but it went against “Community Standards” and I am now on a 30 day time out. This is petty and needless. The comment was made before the last Olympics. Their sole standard is that “It must not offend Muslims.” If you claim white farmers are being killed in South Africa, you will get a warning. If you complain about anti-Semitic memes, you get a reply about free speech and nothing is done.
They show no diversity at all. At the Facebook area that does the censorship, from Ireland, the names of the people there are very telling, but you will have to do that research yourself.

LeslieFish
LeslieFish
5 years ago

How do you go and ask FB why they censored Pam Geller and Robert Spencer, but let Jihadist sites say whatever they want to?

John Forbes
John Forbes
5 years ago

The Liberals cannot tolerate any other opinion than their own!
This nonsense is being taught in the so called Universities!
This is where this nonsense & indoctrination has a very comfortable home paid for by the parents of the students!
This has to stop & the indoctrination units need to be closed!

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