James Damore, the former Google software engineer fired for writing a memo arguing against workplace diversity, polled people on Twitter Wednesday about "cool" titles used within the Ku Klux Klan.
High-ranking members of the KKK sometimes go by titles like "Grand Dragon" and "Imperial Wizard," though contemporary iterations of the racist organization may confer titles like "National Director" and "National Organizer" that more resemble an everyday nonprofit.
Damore had worked at Google until the memo he wrote arguing against gender and racial parity in the workplace blew up internally and then soon went viral. The company fired him shortly after, and he has since become a hero of the pro-Trump media.
Here are the results as of 10:06 am PT.
(I had to vote to see the results.)
And an hour later.
Replying to his own tweet, Damore argued for divorcing the connotations of the KKK from the names. He did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.
You know you’ve moralized an issue when you can’t criticize its heroes or acknowledge any positive aspect of its villains.
It’s like teaching your child to be responsible about drugs and sex without addressing the fact that they can be fun.
If you make the actual KKK the only place where you can acknowledge the coolness of D&D terms, then you’ll just push people into the KKK.
But many people were not pleased about Damore's poll and have been roasting him on Twitter.
Crazy, I know, but maybe Goog fired Damore because he's an idiot who tries to offend people on purpose not something something free speech.
Including Brianna Wu, a Massachusetts candidate for the US House of Representatives.
The question has moved from, "Was Google right to fire James Damore?" to "Why on earth was James Damore hired in th… https://t.co/RTuf5AFXxS
when u have no job during the day and begin thinking about the kkk that's damore
They also pointed out that people think fantasy is cool without the KKK association.
♫ when your take on D&D has to include nazis, that’s Damore ♫ ♫ when you say it’s okay to compliment the KKK, that’… https://t.co/ULUjtkDUSp
@JamesADamore the biggest creative franchise of the last quarter century was about a wizard school
*Game of Thrones is the most popular show in the world* James Damore: "kids are joining the KKK because no one tal… https://t.co/UYosArq4zM
Later in the day, Damore apparently had heard the criticism and issued an apology.
1/3: My attempt to raise the issue of why some people are attracted to pure evil like the KKK, gave many the wrong impression.
3/3: In retrospect though, a Twitter poll was likely not the best way to spark the conversation on this rightfully sensitive issue.