[PopsiclePete]

>But you can't fire people because you think they probably have the wrong opinions based on things they said 5 years ago, that's Soviet level repression.

"Soviet level repression" would be sending Mr Martinez to a forced labor camp; maybe his relatives disappear, that sort of thing.

If I find out that a coworker of mine attended a White Power rally a few years ago, or stormed the Capitol this January, you bet I'm bringing it up to my manager in a "it's either me or them" conversation. And I won't be the only one on my team.

You may be cool working with all manner of assholes, doesn't mean other people should be.

[david38]

You are free to leave.

It used to be you were innocent until proven guilty. Attending a white power rally isn’t a crime in most places (freedom of assembly).

Assaulting law enforcement and damaging the Capitol is. If you have evidence, report it to law enforcement.

If the person does nothing while at work, there shouldn’t be a problem. You are not their judge. This is precisely why we have around privacy, what your company can ask you, etc.

You can save your boss the time and quit. You can save even more time by asking for the full background of every coworker of yours and determine if they live up to your standards.

Better yet, make your own company comprised of only people who meet your definition of acceptable people based on their political and social opinions that they don’t even share at work. Be careful though, you’re likely to get sued for violating employment laws.

[threatofrain]

The problem isn't crime, but moral credibility.

The justice system is not for moral credibility, it is there for moral determination. Even the accusation of sexual abuse is extremely chilling for those who work with children — because it strikes at credibility, at whether people feel you are safe around kids. Would you feel that a pediatrician or teacher accused of sexual misconduct is safe around your children? Or rather, are you surprised that many people would say f-ing no?

Note that being accused is not a crime, and it's an even lesser standard than some old Tweet, because at least that's a written record. But mere accusation can destroy credibility, especially when it has to do with sex.

Now if you were a black man and your boss attended a white power rally, are you seriously going to say there isn't a F'ing Interesting Story of Moral Credibility going on here? If that employee ever sues for workplace discrimination, do people think that a history of white power rallies shouldn't come up?

[drewcoo]

Which group is the assholes? The one who stormed the capitol or the ones who go to their manager about what someone does completely separate from work? Or the ones who insist on capitalizing "White Power" sans quotes?