Social justice botched Mozilla

Mozilla Firefox CEO Brendan Eich finally stepped down amid a wave of backlash and threats after it was made public that he had made a $1,000 donation to support California’s Proposition 8, which would have eliminated rights for same-sex couples to marry in that state.

OKCupid, a popular online dating site, started the firestorm with a pop-up that would detect which users were using the Firefox browser and explain why they should stop using Firefox.

The pop-up did not block Firefox users from accessing OkCupid, but instead informed them of Eich’s donation and other information regarding his anti-gay marriage views.

This, of course, brought on an outcry from all social justice advocates who were trying to access the dating website.

While Eich’s personal views may not have been the most politically correct, he went on his own website to say he wanted to be held responsible for his beliefs, and that if the public wanted him to step down, he would.

He also explained the totality of his views on gay
marriage.

He said he believes in equality in everything but religious unions. He has protected his gay employees and defended many gay rights arguments, and he does not let his personal beliefs inform his professional actions.

He stepped down, it seems, to protect his company and his family.

That he felt threatened by the same groups that advocate tolerance, peace and equality speaks volumes for increasingly extreme nature of many social justice debates and the “social justice warriors” who sometimes misguidedly conduct them.  

Many people in professional fields have politically incorrect views about gay marriage. However, it is possible to keep the personal and professional separate without bringing bigotry into the workplace.

In fact, it is appropriate that any working adult does and would do so.
The fact that Eich does not support gay marriage does not mean he should be automatically demonized. He still supports many gay rights issues.

He was willing to explain his views to anyone who asked and wanted to engage in meaningful debate about the issue. At the same time, he, like any mature adult, knew it would be highly inappropriate to let his views in any way affect the way he treated his gay employees and inform his professional life.

On top of that, a $1,000 donation to support Prop 8 in 2008 isn’t terribly
scandalous.

Rather than win another battle against the oppression of the heteronormative system, gay rights advocates have created a martyr.

They have pushed the conservative groups they seek to convert even farther away. They have made themselves look extremist and have closed several viable channels for meaningful debate and discussion.

Maybe next time, we can all talk it out.

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