Comments on: A “1 Question”(Now 2) Interview For Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

By: mannimal

mannimal — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:52:29 +0000

Point taken; however, if you listen to the wrong people, there was plenty of hate speech involved in the early finger pointing.

By: Guy Mezgter

Guy Mezgter — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:01:53 +0000

education does not mean intelligent.

By: Christopher McNally

Christopher McNally — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:31:50 +0000

Given: MFers who deny the Holocaust are Anti-Semites. Historical revisionism is a façade for hate speech. Question: If we confine Holocaust Deniers to anonymous websites, how do we know who they are? Example: R. Poplowski was an unnamed Holocaust Denier. His friends and family didn’t know it. He killed 3 Pgh PD. if he’d been on Facebook no guarantee that his family would have stopped him. but if he is only anonymous guaranteed they wouldn’t. And didn’t.

By: socialnerdia

socialnerdia — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:53:41 +0000

And this just proves that being highly educated does not make you moral, ethical, rational or maybe even intelligent.

What is there to deny??? Fact is fact.

Denying a horrible fact like the holocaust reveals the evil, selfish, and ignorant tendencies that we are all prone to (for being human) but taken to an extreme that borderlines stupidity, ignorance, and lack of compassion. Denying the holocause is for those without a heart, even if they kind of have a mind.

By: Brian Cuban

Brian Cuban — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:47:06 +0000

nope

By: Micah Seymour

Micah Seymour — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:11:12 +0000

Come on now, this is a softball. Would you hire all the people you've represented?

By: bcuban

bcuban — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:05:47 +0000

actually Guy, some of the most educated people in the world are Holocaust Deniers

By: Guy Mezger

Guy Mezger — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:48:30 +0000

The real issue in hiring a Holocaust denier is this person is either really stupid or delusional. Is that the type of person you want working for you. It is not a point of "Freedom of Speech" as much as sound business decision. Do you really want to hire someone that stupid?

By: IanG

IanG — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:00:08 +0000

When I was selling recruiting ads, I came across an outwardly-Christian company of some sort (I don't remember what type). Before you were to apply, you were to affirm your believe in various theological tenets, including opposition to abortion of any type. It struck me as odd, but felt that it was within their rights as an employer. We shouldn't have to pretend that beliefs don't say something about a person's character, or, at the very least, their ability to work beside us without unnecessary friction. I would have a problem working with someone who held deeply bigoted ideas, even privately. And yes, I consider holocaust denial a bigoted belief. Slippery slope? Perhaps. But if someone I work with starts fawning over Hitler on his personal blog, you can bet I'll lay him out.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:41:49 +0000

In my opinion "Blogs" are one thing – a personel statment .
These FB groups are a "recruitment process" for anti-semetic thinking. Have we not learned as a society from the past or are we going to continue to make the same mistakes over and over again? This is why Rawanda , Darfur and countless other countries continue to have genocide, because not enough people stand up for what they truly believe. Everyone wants to say " As long as it's not in my backyard" well people need to realize that this is in OUR backyard and something needs to be done about it. I hope I have not offended you or anyone else. I am just tired of people throwing the 1st Ammendment out there on anything some says /does/writes. I dont think our forefathers that implemented those Amendments were talking about these issues.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:41:30 +0000

Brian,
To answer your first question. I definitly do not want to censor anyone from their personel business but if they are associated with a particular group and it does not fall into your company's TOS then yes it needs to be handeled.
Question 2: I would not make the hire. Why go through the day/week/year wondering what else could be next. Is this person going to start having a "rally" ? What's next??? You never know what that person may do down the road once hired. No matter what they are a reflection on your company. even when not at work. I am not sying that it is right ,but thats just the way it is. In todays world you cannot assume anything.

By: Kristina-Ruth

Kristina-Ruth — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:34:46 +0000

facebook is not just a social network.
It becomes one of the most influental medias that gain on power every day.
The mass persuation is enormous, primary within teenagers. Beeing 14 or even 16 and reading blogs about holocaust denial can lead to extreme opinion building.
Fb forms the new generation mind. Its extremely dangerous to let them allow persuade the young people.
I am saying it really by beeing witness of such cases.

By: bcuban

bcuban — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:51:27 +0000

That is a great #2 Question. As to part 2, I have never heard anyone classify the a Kennedy conspiracy theory as hate speech… )

By: mannimal

mannimal — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:48:40 +0000

I'll combat this question with another: If you wouldn't fire this person. Would you, the employer of a social media company, hire someone after you found that they ran a holocaust denial website?

Everyone says that if you are online, and you want to be hired, make sure even your twitter account is clean.

I do still feel a bit weird about saying someone can't have an idea, just because it is false/wrong/morally unaligned with myself. People out there don't believe that Kennedy's assassination went down as the U.S. said it did. Does that mean their ideas should be discounted?