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National Journal's Rebecca Nelson reports about the Republicans lurking in the shadows of the Bay Area:
Deep in Silicon Valley, where the free market reigns and the exchange of ideas is celebrated, a subset of tech workers are hiding their true selves.
They're the tech company employees, startup founders, and CEOs who vote for and donate to Republican candidates, bucking the Bay Area's liberal supremacy. Fearing the repercussions of associating with a much-maligned minority, they keep their political views fiercely hidden.
The consequences for being outed for conservative views can be dire. In a highly public controversy last year, newly-hired Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich stepped down after critics attacked his 2008 donation to support Proposition 8, the anti-same-sex marriage law in California. Eich, who declined to comment for this story, faced an internal uprising from within the Mozilla community, as well as boycotts from other tech companies, and quit after just two weeks on the job.
(Score: 2) by fritsd on Thursday April 09 2015, @12:46PM
People with abhorrent views learn to keep schtum.
That's nonsense.
Example: IS "press releases" where they release bodyparts of a member of the press.
There is a certain kind of people for whom "everybody else around me does it too" is considered a rational argument. They're not the majority (they think they are) but they're not exactly rare, either.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2015, @01:20PM
They're not the majority
This is very true. I was in a restaurant picking up some food. I personally think the food is mediocre and very over priced. My wife loves it so therefor we eat there fairly often. It is also they sort of place people like to be 'seen' at. Because it 'shows their diversity'.
There was a large group there. They all held very similar views, Dressed very similar, etc, etc. Now one of the reasons I dislike this restaurant is they are *slow* even when it is dead in there, not because of who eats there. So I sat and waited. I also got to hear most of the conversation at the large 20 top table. The conversation moved toward global warming as it was very important to that group. The guest of honor was a kid who was walking across the united states to visit all the tourist attractions and meet people. They asked him what people thought of it. His reaction made the whole table jump up and practically lynch him. His reaction was 'most people do not care and they do not really talk about it'. They tried to convince him that people should care and talking about it is *very* important. He has 0 control of that. Yet they wanted him to make sure it was important. Their reaction was one of shock that they were not in the majority and people did not act exactly like them. He was there showing them that life is not that simple. Unfortunately their conclusions were that people need more education about it. When the kids point was people do not care because it is not that important to them, they are more worried if they can pay the bills.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2015, @10:49PM
There are a great many people who get their water supply in the Summer from snowpack that formed in the Winter.
Across the globe, that snowpack is becoming a smaller and smaller mass.
In SoCal, we are in what is expected to be a 20-year superdrought.
"It sure is hot today" is bad.
"There's not enough water to bathe or prepare my meals" will be a whole 'nother level.
Superstorm Sandy was 1000 miles across.
If you live in Hurricane Alley, expect to see longer storm seasons with more storms and bigger storms
...and expect Hurricane Alley to extend farther north in the coming years.
With the baseline (climate) having more thermal energy, the deltas (weather) are going to get ever more nasty.
Even people who live far north are going to be affected when cold air masses slam into the warmer air masses from the south.
With more energy involved, the storms those collisions spawn will be getting more and more powerful.
In low-lying areas, 1 foot of sea level rise means 1000 feet of lost shoreline.
Places like South Florida will be underwater at high tide after Antarctica has dumped several more giant ice shelve into the ocean.
Your beachfront property will be worth $0.
For farmers, climate change means that the belt for the crops you have gained skill in growing will move northward and away from you.
The problem with people who don't know that climate change is a serious issue is that that are thinking on too low a level.
"It sure is hot today" is just the start.
Water is a much bigger issue and it is directly related.
-- gewg_