Current Events

Guys, I'm legitimately curious about something.  A while back I saw something about OKCupid calling on all of its members to boycott Firefox because of Mozilla's appointment of an "anti-gay" CEO (I have no idea what criteria they used to declare him as "anti-gay").  Today I saw a headline declaring that that same CEO has resigned due to that boycott, employee protests, and upper level management resignations.  This reminds me of the uproar over Orson Scott Card writing for Superman (not to mention the production of Ender's Game) despite his outspoken condemnation of homosexuality.  Again there were resignations and protests and calls for him to lose the job (I don't know if he actually did or not).

While I definitely appreciate that people have the right to withhold their business from those they find offensive, and I also appreciate that companies can hire and fire who they like, and I even agree with many of the underlying beliefs with prompt these people to protest....I can't help but feel uncomfortable with these stories.

Particularly when I see celebratory comments announcing that this is a win in the fight against hate.

Is it?  Because...I'm not exactly feeling a lot of love from the protesters...

This is the OED definition of "coerce"

To constrain or restrain (a voluntary or moral agent) by the application of superior force, or by authority resting on force; to constrain to compliance or obedience by forcible means; 'to keep in order by force'

It concerns me that when you cost someone their job because you disagree with their personal beliefs--beliefs that thusfar have had no demonstrable effect on that job--you are possibly crossing the line from expressing your own opinion to coercing those who disagree with you.  

So my question is, in the quest for equality are some lines being crossed that maybe ought not to be?  Or am I just suffering the pangs that all privileged individuals feel when their privilege begins to be taken away?  Is it coercion to actually stop someone working because you disagree with them?  Does it matter if it is?  I'm not sure...

What do you all think?