Monday, April 07, 2014

Comment of the day

a comment on American thinker:


I worked for a Fortune 10 manufacturing corp in the late 90s. Our CEO at the time instituted full benefits for domestic partners, even though he personally found homosexuality immoral. I heard him speak about this at a retreat once. He said that this had been difficult for him. Born in the early '40s and raised as a Catholic it took him a long time to understand this issue. Ultimately, however, he said that he did not want to run an organization in which any employee existed who didn't feel comfortable putting a photo of his/her significant other on the desk for all to see. And he would not tolerate any employees who failed to separate their personal views from what was necessary to create an inclusive professional environment where such issues are irrelevant.
This was nearly 20 years ago, mind you, in an industry known for conservative norms. The CEO was mature and liberal (though he was politically conservative) enough to live with the discomfort of his own personal opposition to same-sex intimate relationships while simultaneously running an organization that made it clear that such relationships were welcomed among staff.
This is what people like you, Geo, apparently don't understand. It is possible to separate personal preferences from corporate policies. It is possible to tolerate that which you find intolerable within a system that protects the rights of individuals to argue persuasively for and against laws and norms. It is not only possible; it is imperative in a liberal society.

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