No offence to anyone intended - but you already have an effective mute button - stop reading what you don't like and keep scrolling.
I am aware that this may land as 'blunt' to some people - it's just a slippery slope for the site for something that is avoidable - keep scrolling.
Love and peace :)
What needs to happen is a national strike and a sex strike. That way the businesses that buy elections will come to understand they bought one too many.
@Nnyck777 @Alpha18 @suttree
Yeah, this is a tough one...
While it's appropriate to have certain limitations on content (eg offensive material/language etc), it's a very slippery slope once we start mandating what members can and can't post.
At this stage, I'm thinking of implementing a 'mute' button -- one that would hide content in the newsfeed from either a certain user or from a certain forum thread. That way, if anyone sees something they think is a waste of time, they can just hit 'mute' and that will be that. (We actually discussed this a while ago, but it fell by the wayside). It will give members greater control of the content they see, while not having to impose guidelines that need to be actively moderated.
What do you think?
(fwiw, at risk of wading onto the debate, i think what happened in the US is outrageous)
Roe V Wade
@ Strawman I have seen some members being lambasted for raising political topics on the forum. I can tell you right now that feels cowardly. Sometimes you need to rise up and raise your voice when true injustice is happening in the world. If not- who are you? Where is your integrity. Hence, I am going to state this as a human and a women and as an investor. What is happening in America right now is not ok.
If you are the kind of person to think, who cares, be quiet….. I and no one can reach you.
For those that are listening, what is happening in the US matters. As a human it matters, as a women it matters and as an investor it matters. I have a lot of my investments based in US or AUS companies that are trying to make headway in the US. Honestly, after today’s ruling in the Supreme Court, I am worried.
We are witnessing strange and uncertain times globally, environmentally and socially. Ray Dalio ascribes that great movements roll in cycles and I agree in part. It is hard though when you are the people bobbing in the sea and the waves of that cycle are crashing around you to have an omnipotent view.
I am worried. A US President who lost the popular vote stacked the Supreme Court and this is the aftermath. The US won’t let States decide on conceal carry weapon laws and mandate it as a 2nd amendment right ( the US constitution was written in 1787 when leeches were common in medicine and hand washing hadn’t been invented (that was 1847)). So right now in the US you have the right to carry a concealed weapon and this is protected federally. But a women does not have the right to choose what happens to her own body. Extreme right wing America is in charge. Due to the way the US judicial system is currently constructed, 9 people just showed they have the power to determine the bodily rights of $165 million of their citizens.
Why does this matter? Well the problem is about human rights and the message that this sends to people in positions of power all over the world. The fact the federal bastion of western democracy just left human rights decision in the hands of the US states is beyond horrifying. We are seeing the decline of the US empire and if this is what their judicial system can offer, I am not so sure that this is a bad thing. Women and male allies need to unite globally and ensure this isn’t the signal for a global rug pull for women’s rights.
Religion and Law and Government must remain separate.
There will be unrest.
At the very least even if the moral arguments of individual rights don’t sway you then the reality of a major disruption to 50% of the workforce should. This will not be a small event, economically or socially. This is the canary screaming.
This should matter to you as an investor? ESG! Companies such as Amazon present themselves as a company that champions women. The company has announced that it will “pay up to $4000 in travel expenses annually for non-life threatening medical treatments including abortions.” So companies are pledging support to their staff in states such as Arizona and Texas.
Today’s article (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/24/tech/companies-abortion-reaction/index.html) hales the significance of this landmark decision for US companies:
“In response, corporations, some with headquarters or offices in Republican-controlled states, are taking action. Companies such as Citigroup (C), Salesforce(CRM) and Match Group (MTCH) first promised financial support to employees seeking abortions in affected states after a draft version of the opinion leaked in May. Many more followed suit on Friday. Some, including Bumble and Lyft, also previously said they would donate to organizations that support women's rights, such as Planned Parenthood and Fund Texas Choice.”
There is no longer a sideline in America. As in all downward cycles of ruling countries – YOU DON’T GET TO BE MODERATE - you must pick a side (Ray Dalio, Principles for Dealing with The Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail, 2022).
Atlassian is supporting staff who need to travel for abortions, Microsoft is pledging support. Apple supports travel out of state when needed, Bumble and Netflix are on board. Hell even JP Morgan and Goldmann and Sachs have prepared for this day and are offering paid leave and travel expenses to support staff who might need it. Companies have been preparing quietly for this possible ruling.
Patagonia has been very supportive of staff in need on twitter and publically (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/business/abortion-companies-travel-expenses.html)
Yelp has been preparing:
"This ruling puts women's health in jeopardy, denies them their human rights, and threatens to dismantle the progress we've made toward gender equality in the workplaces since Roe," Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder of Yelp (YELP), said in a statement Friday. "Business leaders must step up to support the health and safety of their employees by speaking out against the wave of abortion bans that will be triggered as a result of this decision, and call on Congress to codify Roe into law." ( (https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/24/tech/companies-abortion-reaction/index.html )
It is hard not to see this Supreme Court decision as a whipsaw reaction to gender equality progress and a rebellion against cancel culture and the me too movement. RBG would be rolling over in her grave. Some very important people in America are very, very angry. Those in power do not like their positions threatened. Hell Disney is even getting on board and offering assistance publicly to employees.
This decision will affect the stock market. This decision will affect the companies you and I are invested in. I for one will be looking at a company’s policies to support its staff. This matters. Having 50% of the workforce fearful and downtrodden isn’t good for the economy in the US or globally. I implore each of you here to read.
An excellent place to start is by understanding the history and what it has taken for women to earn the right to work. Books that can articulate this far better than I can:
The Double X Economy – Linda Scott (what is looks like when ½ the population of a country is underutilized)
The War on Women – Sue Lloyd Roberts (sex slavery and the abuse of women by people in positions of power globally)
She Said – Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey ( Breaking Sexual Harrassment)
My Life on the Road – Gloria Steinmen
Progress in women’s rights and equality has been made due to these giants and many others. Their voices are important. This issue is important. This will affect the economy.
Not so cheery
Nnyck