Hi ⌧⌧⌧,
Thank you again for your time yesterday.
After our discussion and then researching some of your previous customers, I wish to withdraw my application. I can no longer in good conscience consider working for ⌧⌧⌧. The term you used when I asked about people abusing your platform, “both sides,” echos what former President Trump said when he blatantly failed to denounce the group of white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville in 2017.
Hiding behind the term “free speech” is dishonest. It was dishonest when Shopify said it with regards to hosting the Breitbart store, and it’s dishonest in this circumstance. It’s putting money over people’s lives. “De-platforming” is not a threat to free speech. People, including the former President, are welcome to say almost anything they want without the threat of legal repercussions. That’s what free speech means; it means that you don’t get imprisoned for what you have to say. It doesn’t mean a private company should be compelled to host their hate.
If one “side” is talking about the dignity and sanctity of human beings and the other “side” is feeling threatened because of being held accountable for their hatred, we’re not talking about equivalent “sides.” Human rights are considered to be merely politics by some “sides.”
Even if they don’t break a law (or your terms of use) with their hatred, I will take no part in helping “both sides.”
Sincerely,
Trey Piepmeier