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When Employers Fire People for their Political Views, that’s Monopsony
If all employers work together, they can keep dissent to a minimum.
Long ago, when Donald Trump was once president, a curious thing happened. A woman riding her bicycle had flipped off the Trump motorcade as it went by, and someone caught a snap of it. That picture went viral. Her employer caught wind of it and fired her.
She was lucky because her newfound fame made her a commodity that some other employers really wanted. I know, they sound like royalty. Job offers quickly found their way to that woman and she never missed a beat let alone a house payment. But in the case of the war between Israel and Palestine, Israel’s cause is heavily favored by the government.
People are losing their jobs for commenting on that war. They are being labeled “antisemitic” for the crime of calling for a ceasefire. They are being labeled as “supporters of terrorism” if they identify as being “pro-Palestinian”. From Politico, “‘It Feels Like the New McCarthyism’: How the Israel-Hamas War Is Redefining the Limits of Free Speech”:
Artforum’s top editor David Velasco was fired by his publisher, Penske Media, after posting an open letter on the site calling for a cease-fire and suggesting Israel is responsible for the beginning of a genocide; Michael Eisen was removed as editor-in-chief of the science journal eLife after retweeting a satirical article critical of Israel; and Maha Dakhil, a top executive at the Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency, stepped back from leadership roles after reposting an Instagram story that implied Israel was committing genocide. That’s in addition to multiple law students who had job offers revoked after publicly criticizing Israeli actions. The statements range from expressions of sympathy for Palestinians to strident anti-Israel criticisms that seem to minimize Israeli loss of life.
We have been told that there is no room for neutrality in this war. Either you’re for Israel or you’re against it. You had better be prepared for a rough road if your employer disagrees with your support of Palestine.
So the Pundit Class is talking about a new McCarthyism. We should worry that we’ll be fired for our political views if we…
