Thread by @pattheflip

The days of personal politics being a matter of civil disagreement are over. No one wants to work w ppl who fundamentally disagree about how to treat others. The bosses may wish everyone would shut up and get back to work but it can’t happen.

wired.com/story/the-dirt…

Like I understand that companies generally want to avoid being explicitly political whenever possible bc they’re bad at navigating it and don’t want to lose business or employees but

Employing white supremacists and homophobes and misogynists is a political statement

If you are a senior leader and you’re not preparing for this kind of shit you’re essentially betting on hoping this political polarization blows over before your company blows up.

That is an unlikely outcome.

We talk about “tech debt” all the time. This is culture debt. Every hire, every internal conversation, every dispute resolution is all a company decision that builds culture. And if yours is not built to be inclusive then you will find one day it’s kindling waiting for a spark.

Frankie stopped by to remind me that the power wielded in these exchanges is frequently unequal and if you handle them poorly you will likely be contributing to a hostile culture. There is no waffling here. What a good cat.

Also he is scratching me until I feed him

Frankie: fortunately for all our sakes the tides of political change are not wholly subject to what’s convenient for the bosses. And really is it that hard to understand ppl don’t want to work with shitbags even if they’re competent?

Now FEED ME

Frankie: it might not even start from an employee dispute or a discussion forum. It could start while talking about which gender options you include in a drop down or the casting for a marketing photo shoot. The cat is out of the bag.

So feed it already jfc

Also: anyone who tells you they have a tidy fix for this is lying and probably ouch trying to sell you something Frankie just bit my elbow.

This shit doesn’t change w/o a lot of conversations w leadership recognizing how privilege shaped their lives. gl with that one lmao