Colleagues social media - WWYD

[Colleaguedilemma99]

Name changed

I saw on Facebook a colleague was suggested as a friend I may know. Not really friends but had a nose on profile. To my disgust, there are retweets of anti BLM posts and also a post saying he had beat up a man that said something to his kid.

This colleague is a senior manager in a public company. I’m not jealous, we are not competitors so that is. It my angle but wibu to report this?

Would he lose his job or get a telling off. I have seen him be unpleasant before and I feel like he should be pulled to task but equally it’s a tough economic time if he were to lose his job. I don’t think that would happen. I could imagine they publically re-educate him, so they save face and he “learns”. The posts are disgusting so that would be false.

Voting yes - ignore, Ainu

       No - reports, this is wrong

@CloudyVanilla

I disagree with all the people on the first page. I think especially in the age of social media where hate, prejudice and discord are so easily spread and therefore easily able to hurt others, that we have a duty to stand against this type of rhetoric.

All the people in all the ages who have passively stood against injustice in the name of freedom, it think it's wrong. There is a difference between holding views, which no one can police, and acting on them. And posting racist shit on social media is a pathetic, passive aggressive way of acting on them.

But we dont know they are racist posts - all we know is they are anti-BLM.

Policing peoples views on political movements is deeply anti-libertarian and doesn't bode well for a democratic society.

Sorry, I'm assuming the violence was racist from your post, to be anti BLM alone isn't a reason to report but if there's specific stuff that's racist, my post applies.

HR would decide based on severity.

The company will have a social media policy. He will be breaking it.

I think especially in the age of social media where hate, prejudice and discord are so easily spread and therefore easily able to hurt others, that we have a duty to stand against this type of rhetoric.

Absolutely, nothing spreads love, tolerance and harmony faster than trying to get those we disagree with sacked.

OP could stand outside his house with signs saying 'down with this sort of thing' or 'careful now'.

When did this die?

@raddledoldmisanthropist

That made me proper laugh that! Yes, I hadn't thought that reading it might actually encourage people to tattle as they quite like the idea of being the Thought Police!!

Perhaps I'll revise my view that it should be compulsory reading, I don't want to give the MN judgypants any more ideas!

Everyone knows social media accounts make you accountable for anything you post in a professional job. You can be fired for less.

He is racist. That's obvious. So yes, get him fired. How on earth is this debateable?!

if, as people suggest, what he has done is simply not support what the movement stands for but does support equality and black rights, then HR will dismiss it. So what's everyone's jipe?

but if your social media account does not display your job and you make no reference to work than its a personal account and a person can post what they like providing its in the guidlines of said social media platform

@Dogismyname

Everyone knows social media accounts make you accountable for anything you post in a professional job. You can be fired for less.

He is racist. That's obvious. So yes, get him fired. How on earth is this debateable?!

Why is it obvious that he is racist? @Colleaguedilemma99 hasn't given us any examples. Just because he has retweeted something anti-BLM does not mean he is racist. As someone else upthread said, if he has disagreed with a mass gathering in the middle of a pandemic, then that is a perfectly acceptable viewpoint, and not racist, whether you agree with the sentiment or not.

Also, the incident where he may or may not have beaten someone up may or may not be racially motivated and is probably entirely unrelated. We do not know. So getting him fired for being an obvious racist is entirely debatable.

OP could stand outside his house with signs saying 'down with this sort of thing' or 'careful now'.

This is very apposite, considering that both Father Ted and Doual we’re instructed to protest outside the cinema without actually having seen The Passion of St Tibulus.

So yes, get him fired. How on earth is this debateable?!

Absolutely chilling. Get him fired. Ruin his life. That will stop him from thinking in ways that you disapprove of, eh?

@Colleaguedilemma99

Am not denying this! I’ve looked at many a Facebook profile, wasn’t purposely hunting down racist posts!

Op does he lost his employer on his Facebook?

I'm a cow, I'd screenshot and send to HR

@SayWhatTheWhatNow

Don't report him, it could backfire on you at some point. If you have seen his profile then it's obviously not set to private. Which means anyone can see it anytime.......

Some profiles are set to "friends of friends only". Which is what it says on the tin.

It's debatable (and that's legalese for "hasn't been tested in court") whether such a profile is indeed "public" (and therefore exposes the creator to any clauses in employment contracts) or private (and therefore none of the business of an employer).

Given the explosion in video calling, I'm mildly surprised there haven't been any posts about "I was on a video call with a colleague and saw they had on their shelves. Should I report them ?".

what he has done is simply not support what the movement stands for but does support equality and black rights, then HR will dismiss it. So what's everyone's jipe?

1. Some people get a bit itchy about the idea that we should try to cause social harm to anyone whose view we find distateful. Mostly people who have read a history book. Some people have already graduated onto physical harm- ask on FWR for examples.

1. It's very unlikely he doesn't support black people's rights. Most people these days oppose slavery, support universal sufferage and agree that Jim Crow type discrimination is terrible. I think if he'd said something along these lines, OP would have led with that.

I think what you mean is 'what if he doesn't agree with the fashionable analysis of how to resolve the complex issues of lingering prejudice and structural disadvantage?' 'What if he's a bit prejudiced or ignorant about these issues?' 'What if he expressed himself without nuance or wisdom?'

I may disagree with this chap but I would cheerfully fight for his right to be prejudiced short of acting on it because in defending his rights I am defending my own.

Giving those in power (employers, governments, police) more power to limit speech and deal with those who have wrong opinions never works out well for the powerless, the vulnerable or minorities.

FrizzyHairMalarkey

Sadly, I think that ship has sailed. 20 years ago I thought BB was great but so OTT as to be almost silly in it's unrealism. Oh how I long to be able to think that again.

I'm mildly surprised there haven't been any posts about "I was on a video call with a colleague and saw they had on their shelves. Should I report them ?".

You lot really need to stop giving them ideas.

If he has his job listed on his profile, yes. A lot of work places have a social media policy about portraying public views on social media if your job is listed there. I believe those who have their job listed on their social media who portray hate views should be reported to their employer.

I know of someone who was sacked for posting racist things online. I guess it’s all down to their employer.

I also laughed out loud at the 1984 reference it's terrifying but I think it just reflects the lack of intelligence of a large propensity of people. Unless he's doing actual harm to anyone, you're allowed to think someone's views are awful/wrong/whatever and... Shock horror... Just disagree with them

I would report his posts to Facebook or Twitter, depending what platform they’re on.

@chronicallycurious

So if you dont have your job listed on Facebook and you post something could you then be fired because someone csn then look you up on LinkedIn and connect you to your company?

it's terrifying but I think it just reflects the lack of intelligence of a large propensity of people.

I don't think it's lack of inteligence, in my experience about 50% of people are of above average inteligence.

I think it's three things:

1. A lack of empathy. An inability to see where others are comming from and that ideas which are perfectly rational from their PoV can lead to quite irrational conclusions. No one is ever entirely bad or good.

1. A lack of metacognition. People are unwilling to see that they can make the same mistakes that the racists (or whoever) do. Because they are on the side of truth and right and justice it's fine for them to rush to judgement or bend the rules of normal behaviour, but others doing the same are terrible.

1. A desire for simple answers to complex problems. Something we all suffer from.

It’s funny that however many thoughtful and coherent posts there are on this matter, the thread is peppered with “report him” or even “ secretly report him” posts.

A nasty racist is one thing, but you get the feeling that these posters would be eager to sneak on anyone (except benefit cheats, of course).

Sorry, didn’t mean to drop and run.

For further context message was “black people, if your lives matter why do you kill each other”

Possibly debatable if racist but for me is a disgusting comment. “If your lives matter”

Re beating up comment - was quite explicit in terms of what had been done

Yes , public company meaning many shareholders so I think we do need to be mindful.

I will check the SMP thanks

This thread has spurred me on to do what I should have done ages ago and anonymise my social media account.

It shouldn't be necessary and needless to say I've never posted anything racist or discriminatory. But with all these people yelling "sack him" even though they don't even know what was actually said then it's silly to be taking chances.