Those Poor Picked-On Conservative Programmers

The Google employee who was recently fired for writing an anti-diversity polemic not only thinks women shouldn't be programmers, but thinks that everyone is picking on conservatives. Part of the screed:

Stop alienating conservatives.

Viewpoint diversity is arguably the most important type of diversity and political orientation is one of the most fundamental and significant ways in which people view things differently.

In highly progressive environments, conservatives are a minority that feel like they need to stay in the closet to avoid open hostility. We should empower those with different ideologies to be able to express themselves.

Alienating conservatives is both non-inclusive and generally bad business because conservatives tend to be higher in conscientiousness, which is require for much of the drudgery and maintenance work characteristic of a mature company.

It's hilarious that in a diatribe against diversity, the author makes the argument for diversity. He doesn't think that companies should cater to women who have children to care for, but he wants poor downtrodden conservatives to be treated as special snowflakes whose feelings are hurt when people find out that they don't think women are qualified to be programmers.

Apparently conservatives in "progressive environments" think of themselves as gay men who have to hide in the closet and keep their true orientation secret. It's also intolerant of progressives to condemn conservative intolerance. It's wrong for progressives to say hostile things about conservatives who say hostile things about women, blacks, Muslims, and Mexicans.

The first thing any child should learn is: you don't say every stupid idea that pops into your head. Knowing when to hold one's tongue is the basis of a civil society. You don't have to agree with everything someone says, but you don't always have to voice your disagreements. That's only common decency, a virtue conservatives used to prize.

Finally, he returns to the "time served" idea, bringing up another false premise, that conservatives are more "conscientious" Than who? Women? Progressives?

This guy thinks that since conservative men are supposedly more willing to put up with long hours and the boring drudge work that occurs in large corporations, they should be accorded special treatment and their foibles should be ignored.

In my experience, conservative men are less conscientious than non-conservatives in general, and women in particular. Conservative men are notorious for cutting corners when it comes to paying taxes. They disobey environmental regulations. They disobey traffic laws. They think it's fine for  cops to violate people's civil rights. They don't think it's a problem for nitwits with guns to accidentally shoot people around them. They drink excessively. They sexually harass women. They disrespect minorities. They intentionally make rude and insulting jokes, taking pride in "political incorrectness." They shirk familial responsibilities.

Some conservatives might, on occasion, spend more time at work, and kowtow to their bosses. But it's because that's what they want to do, not out of conscientiousness. Many self-professed conservatives subscribe to some form of the Prosperity Gospel of Ayn Rand, where altruism is always suspect and selfishness -- or their sanitized euphemism, "enlightened self interest" -- is the noblest goal.

Who is more conscientious: the woman who stays home from work to care for a sick child, or the man who always makes his wife stay home from work to care for that child?

In the end, for most conservatives the only thing that matters is what they want.