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Joe Guy
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If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Joe Guy »

Trans Netflix employees will stage walkout to protest controversial Chappelle special

Transgender Netflix employees and co-workers will stage a walkout next week protesting the streaming giant’s decision to release Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special, multiple Netflix staffers have confirmed to the Los Angeles Times.

On Oct. 20, members of the Netflix employee resource group Trans* and their allies will take a “day of rest” prompted by their concerns about Chappelle’s “The Closer,” which includes several transphobic remarks.

“I encourage all [members of] Trans* and allies not to work for Netflix that day. ... As we’ve discussed through Slack, email, texts and everything in between, our leadership has shown us that they do not uphold the values for which we are held,” a Netflix employee posted Monday in a public, company Slack channel comprising more than 800 staffers representing “gender minorities of all sorts and their allies,” in a message reviewed by the L.A. Times.

“Between the numerous emails and non-answers that have been given, we have been told explicitly that we somehow cannot understand the nuance of certain content. I don’t know about you, but asking for us to show the whole story and not just the pieces that harm trans and [LGBTQ+] people is not an unreasonable ask,” the employee’s Slack statement continued.

“So, I encourage us all to state clearly that we, as Netflix employees are stunning not simply when we are doing the work that our roles demand of us but also when we challenge the very principles of our company.”

Another Netflix employee, who like other employees interviewed for this story asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, confirmed to the L.A. Times that the demonstration will follow a virtual event on Oct. 19 that will be open to all employees and will be hosted by gender-nonconforming writer and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon to discuss the Chappelle special’s impact on the trans community.

Netflix did not immediately respond Wednesday to the L.A. Times’ request for comment.

According to another Netflix staffer, the walkout is meant to pressure the streaming giant to acknowledge the harm caused by Chappelle’s transphobic comments. The comedian said he supported “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, who has been labeled a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) for repeatedly expressing anti-trans sentiments.

Organizers of the protest are also demanding that Netflix commit to releasing more LGBTQ+ content on the platform. They are not expecting the company to remove the special, especially after Netflix co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos announced that the streamer would keep it despite mounting criticism.

News of the walkout comes shortly after Netflix suspended three employees, allegedly for attending a quarterly business review, or QBR meeting, that they were not invited to, during which directors and vice presidents at the company discussed the fallout from the Chappelle special.

One of those staffers, senior software engineer Terra Field, has since been reinstated following a probe into her activities.

“Netflix has reinstated me after finding that there was no ill-intent in my attending the QBR meeting,” Field tweeted Tuesday. “I’m going to take a few days off to decompress and try to figure out where I’m at. At the very least, I feel vindicated.”

Field also shared a screenshot of an email documenting the results of the investigation, which found that Field “genuinely didn’t think there was anything wrong with seeking access to this meeting,” and that a director at Netflix shared a link to the virtual gathering with Field, which “further supported that this was a meeting [Field] could attend.”

Before her suspension, Field publicly condemned “The Closer” in a viral Twitter thread listing the names of trans people who were “not offended” by Chappelle’s comments — because they died in transphobic attacks before “The Closer” was released.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 38 transgender or gender-nonconforming people have been killed so far in 2021. Historically, Black and Latinx women have been attacked at higher rates than other trans individuals.

“Promoting [trans-exclusionary radical feminist] ideology (which is what we did by giving it a platform yesterday) directly harms trans people, it is not some neutral act,” Field tweeted last week.

“This is not an argument with two sides. It is an argument with trans people who want to be alive and people who don’t want us to be,” Field added. “This all gets brushed off as offense though — because if we’re just ‘too sensitive’ then it is easy to ignore us.”

In a Monday statement to the L.A. Times, a Netflix spokesperson insisted it “is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employees for tweeting about this show.”

“Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we support their right to do so,” the spokesperson said.

Around the time Field and her co-workers were suspended, reports surfaced of an internal memo from Sarandos that defended Netflix’s long-standing collaboration with Chappelle and refused to scrub “The Closer” from the platform.

“Several of you have ... asked where we draw the line on hate. We don’t allow titles on Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we don’t believe The Closer crosses that line,” Sarandos wrote in an excerpt of the memo obtained by the Verge.

“I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries. Some people find the art of stand-up to be mean spirited but our members enjoy it, and it’s an important part of our content offering.”
source

Looks like Chappelle has caused a lot of transpanties to be caught in a twist.

I wonder.... Have any of the offended Netflixers considered the idea that some comedy acts - like Dave Chappelle's - may be edgy and unfunny to some people and funny to others? Do they believe that watching Chappelle's show will cause people to develop a case of transphobia? Is watching a Dave Chappelle comedy show a required act?

Should no person be allowed to express an opinion or a joke that might be offensive to some people?

This is yet another case of people in search of a reason to be offended. I've suddenly come up with an idea for a Monty Python style movie. It could be called 'In Search of the Victim Grail'.....

In one scene, a man traveling through the forest stumbles upon a transsexual.

"I am in search of the finest and the bravest victims in the land to join me in my court at Comesalot but I can't help but notice that someone has sliced off your member."

"Tis just a flesh wound in my transformed area!"....


etc."

Big RR
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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

Joe--I see your point and agree, people can watch or not watch any program as they see fit; but then, don't the Netflix employees have the same right to work or not work as they see fit? Whether they can be disciplined or dismissed for such a job action is another question (and may well depend upon their contract, if there is one), but they have a right to make their statement heard as well. At least I think they do.

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Big RR wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:40 pm
Joe--I see your point and agree, people can watch or not watch any program as they see fit; but then, don't the Netflix employees have the same right to work or not work as they see fit? Whether they can be disciplined or dismissed for such a job action is another question (and may well depend upon their contract, if there is one), but they have a right to make their statement heard as well. At least I think they do.
And they can't make their statement heard by getting together and protesting on their day off? Yeah, so the employer should have the right to pay them or not pay them for walking off the job for a day. Right?

Sauce for goose is sauce for gander, probably as long as they both agree that's what they are. :lol:
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

Unless the contract gives them some right for this sort of job action (which I doubt it does), then the employer can discipline (Likely including suspending their pay or even firing) them.

But bear in mind, they have some power here to if they all join together--who will the employer get to do their jobs if they are fired? A business is more than just the owners, employees are an important part of it and have a voice. Sauce for the goose is, indeed, sauce for the gander.

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Big RR wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 3:10 pm
But bear in mind, they have some power here to if they all join together
What all 4.5 of them?
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

Well if that's the case, Netflix has nothing to worry about, does it? Makes you wonder why they'd take it upon themselves to investigate their employees' personal lives; maybe they're just nosy?

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Big RR wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:56 pm
Well if that's the case, Netflix has nothing to worry about, does it? Makes you wonder why they'd take it upon themselves to investigate their employees' personal lives; maybe they're just nosy?
How 'bout, "because without any backing (such as union representation), most employers tend to treat their workforce as just another purchased commodity, something under their full and complete control, and intended to be used until completely consumed or worn out to the point where it/they are discarded and replaced — just as one would replace a machine when it becomes inefficient or obsolete, or a ball-point pen when it runs dry"?
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Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

And, just one more item, when they want a worker's opinion, they will tell him/her what it is.

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Joe Guy
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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Joe Guy »

Big RR wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:40 pm
Joe--I see your point and agree, people can watch or not watch any program as they see fit; but then, don't the Netflix employees have the same right to work or not work as they see fit? Whether they can be disciplined or dismissed for such a job action is another question (and may well depend upon their contract, if there is one), but they have a right to make their statement heard as well. At least I think they do.
Transgender Netflix employees can express themselves by walking off the job and bringing more attention and possibly gaining more viewers for a Netflix comedy special than it may have gotten without their action. Yes, they have that right.

But instead of creating a transphobic race war, why not speak to Chappelle directly and try to convince him that he may not understand the harm his words might have caused?

Nah! That's no fun.

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

Do you really think he'd want to speak with them about the content of his "act".

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Joe Guy »

Big RR wrote:
Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:01 am
Do you really think he'd want to speak with them about the content of his "act".
Chappelle probably would say something similar to the title of this thread. I just think a walkout doesn't do anything other than divide people and cause them to either hate Chappelle or be annoyed at the protestors. If Netflix didn't stream shows that contain things that might possibly offend some people, they probably would be out of business.

The most likely result is that a lot of trans-people will be able to get together and complain about Chappelle expressing his views and Chappelle will get more viewers than he would have if nobody got together to complain about his views.

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Econoline »

People who are wrong are just as sure they're right as people who are right. The only difference is, they're wrong.
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Big RR
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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

If Netflix didn't stream shows that contain things that might possibly offend some people, they probably would be out of business.
Maybe/maybe not. But the point of the walkout is to show that if Netflix persists in offending people, they run the risk of losing the people they rely on to get the content screened. Netflix can ignore this, but if enough employees object they may run the risk of having singifiant problems going forward.

You are correct; it could backfire and just bring more people to watch the objectionable content, but that is the chance that is taken every time someone raises an objection to anything. And, 'FWIW, I believe Chapelle has the right to say whatever he wants, but no one has to listen and/or participate in its dissemination.

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Chappelle is offensive to me too.

Big RR, you wrote "Makes you wonder why they'd take it upon themselves to investigate their employees' personal lives; maybe they're just nosy?" I could be wrong but I don't think they did any such thing.

Three of their staff snuck into a Netflix meeting that they were not supposed to attend and were disciplined. One of them claimed she/he/it thought it was OK to go. They investigated and upheld her/his/its position.

But the comedy writes itself

"our leadership has shown us that they do not uphold the values for which we are held,” (such as language skills?)

“So, I encourage us all to state clearly that we, as Netflix employees are stunning" (must be the sequinned number)
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

Meade--from the way I read it, the three employees had received the link to the meeting from someone (stated to be a director) inside Netflix and attended the meeting; it was investigated and they were reinstated. There is not much more stated about it, but there is no statement they did this on work time or using their work computer, and there is no description how Netflix identified them. The Netfliix spokesman also denied employees were suspended for tweeting about Netflix content, which, at least, suggests that Netflix monitors the online activities pf its employees, and this wuld hardly be a surprise as many companies do the same.

As always, you (or anyone else for that matter) can refute or comment on their posts and the typos or lack of coherence thereof.

One other thing, I really don't have a dog in this fight; I don't watch Chapelle's specials and really am unfamiliar with his brand of humor, but he is as entitled to express his opinions as anyone else, as are the Netflix employees. And these actions and similar ones (like boycotts), do sometime work and result in meaningful changek. And, while I don't agree with any efforts to silence someone, but I do think the employees have the right to decide what sort of work they will, or will not, perform--even though such actions may affect the status of their employment.

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Post by BoSoxGal »

I haven’t seen any of Dave Chappele’s recent stand up routines, but the controversy around this one revealed a story about a trans woman comedian who was very friendly with Dave and was driven to suicide in part by the public online flogging she took when she stood up for him and his comedy over trans comments he’d made in a past routine. Her family is now publicly supporting Dave over this latest routine and suggest he is clearly a trans ally and trying to reconcile with the community.

I’m not familiar enough with the trans community to know if they are an anomaly and Dave is really reviled, or if what’s going on here is a small faction of the community having no capacity for sense of humor about anything. I certainly am seeing that in all the other identity communities and it’s becoming uncomfortable to be a person who can see humor in any kind of stereotype even though stereotypes exist for a reason and we are all just flawed and funny humans suffering from the human condition.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Big RR wrote:
Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:24 pm
Meade--from the way I read it, the three employees had received the link to the meeting from someone (stated to be a director) inside Netflix and attended the meeting; it was investigated and they were reinstated. There is not much more stated about it, but there is no statement they did this on work time or using their work computer, and there is no description how Netflix identified them. The Netflix spokesman also denied employees were suspended for tweeting about Netflix content, which, at least, suggests that Netflix monitors the online activities pf its employees, and this wuld hardly be a surprise as many companies do the same.
Not quite getting your banter there BigRR :lol:

"One of those staffers, senior software engineer Terra Field, has since been reinstated following a probe into her activities" suggests a number lower than three were reinstated. Or are you reading additional information somewhere?

Further, "Netflix suspended three employees, allegedly for attending a quarterly business review, or QBR meeting, that they were not invited to, during which directors and vice presidents at the company discussed the fallout from the Chappelle special". I imagine Netflix identified them just as I identify people in a video-meeting - their faces and names are displayed. It was a Netflix meeting they joined - the Netflix quarterly business review. I bet someone recognized them and reported it. Plus those kinds of meetings always record the IP (whatever) of whoever logged on. Didn't taken much investigation.

I have a funny feeling that a Netflix quarterly review meeting probably does take place during "work-time" and that the three of them did not rush home to use their personal laptops. Besides which they presumably used their Netflix passwords to access Netflix private company network, which means it doesn't matter where, when or in front of what they were sitting when they logged on.

Further, I am surprised at your conclusion stemming from “[It] is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employees for tweeting about this show". You argue that "This suggests that Netflix monitors the online activities of its employees" when in fact it does nothing of the kind. (They may but that's not the point here)

So to you does "It is absolutely untrue to say that I murdered anyone" suggest that I murder people?????

All a storm in a teen-weeny teacup
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Big RR »

All a storm in a teen-weeny teacup
ou yh

Perhaps, but so what? It's certainly not so for the employees involved.
So to you does "It is absolutely untrue to say that I murdered anyone" suggest that I murder people?????
Of course not. But if you were to say "It is absolutely untrue to say that I murdered anyone because of something they posted online about me" certainly raises two additional questions, whether you murdered anyone for another reason and whether you are monitoring what people post about you.

When Bill Clinton stated "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", the specificity of the statement raised a number of other questions; the same is true here.
You argue that "This suggests that Netflix monitors the online activities of its employees" when in fact it does nothing of the kind. (They may but that's not the point here)

I was merely showing why I made the statement that they were looking into the private activities of their employees; and I believe it does suggest that. I understand that you don't, but I do think that is "the point here". Let's just disagree (if we do disagree).

Face it, we don't have the entire story here, just a short summary which dies not include a number of fact which could help in our understanding. I drew the conclusions I thought were reasonable, you drew the ones you believed were. We may learn more, we may not, but at this time I am not willing to condemn the employees for their activities.

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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by Econoline »

PHOBIA
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
People who are wrong are just as sure they're right as people who are right. The only difference is, they're wrong.
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Re: If You Don't Like It, Don't Watch It

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Great Scott! You think transforming a report that ONE person was cleared into three people being cleared is a matter of opinion or belief?
Big RR wrote:
Fri Oct 15, 2021 4:49 pm
But if you were to say "It is absolutely untrue to say that I murdered anyone because of something they posted online about me" certainly raises two additional questions, whether you murdered anyone for another reason and whether you are monitoring what people post about you.
And when did you join QAnon? Before or shortly after you stopped beating your wife?

No offense intended but obviously denying that you ever beat your wife raises the valid question, 'then whose wife did you beat?' and 'that was no wife that was another lady then?'
:lol: :roll:

PS I categorically deny that I am beating this horse
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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