I believe Trump’s “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” tweet (cross-posted to FB), encourages extra-judicial violence and stokes racism. Respect to @Twitter’s integrity team for making the enforcement call.
While I understand why we chose to stay squarely within the four corners of our violence and incitement policy, I think it would have been right for us to make a “spirit of the policy” exception that took more context into account.
At any rate, when we have to vigorously debate whether to make an exception to the way we interpret and enforce a given policy (as happened on Friday), this often indicates that said policy needs to evolve. I think that is the case here.
I also want to acknowledge that we need to strive harder as a company, and industry, to have our Black colleagues’ and fellow citizens’ backs, so that they are not having to face down institutionalized societal violence and systemic oppression alone.
...As a people manager and generally someone with a lot of privilege, I know I have special responsibility here.
I honestly don’t know if the larger backdrop of all that is going on right now magnifies or minimizes the implications of tech co.s deciding whether to formerly censure or not certain posts.
What I do think is clear: if anything is going to bring positive change it is more voices, not less. More democratization and decentralization of power; more transparency and accountability; more participation; more solidarity; more #blacklivesmatter
Those are the paths I want to humbly follow the lead of our community down, as we keep striving to build social tech that recons with the full scope and spectrum of human experience—the good and the bad—and bends towards the positive and towards the good over time. ✌️❤️
You can follow @davegillis.
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