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Like? Really? Is it free speach

by KEKilpatrick
16 replies
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Just when you thought that it was safe to go back in the water...

Facebook 'like' leads to a lawsuit, sparks free speech debate
#facebook
  • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
    I think the crux of the situation is, does a facebook 'like' constitute an endorsement?

    And was the employee fired because the employer believed it was?

    Should you be subject to punishment of an endorsement of this type? IMO - definitely not, what his employer did was wrong...this is not a question of 'loyalty'...even if it was, he has a right to support any candidate he wants to - an employer cannot fire an employee for not voting for him, or even because he thinks he didn't...
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Either it is speech or it isn't.

    If it isn't, then it conveys NO idea and nothing occurred, and there is NO problem. It would be an unjust act to do anything because of nothing!

    If it IS, then it is protected!

    You can't claim that an act that creates the exchange of an idea or information is not speech. To dare to do so would be to declare other things non-speech. HECK, this whole post was done by typing keys that, in a sequence, mean something. In chinese it would be TOTALLY different but a letter could convey a whole idea, including I LIKE THIS! What of those people that have programmed statements, etc... conveyed with one key stroke?

    But HEY, he could have hit the wrong key on accident. To be punished for something he would otherwise be lauded for is STUPID.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I go further. Having employers cruise people's facebooks entries is a tad psycho.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      I go further. Having employers cruise people's facebooks entries is a tad psycho.
      One of the many reasons not to have anything to do with Farcebook.
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  • Profile picture of the author ThomM
    I need a 'shakes head while walking away' emoticon
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    Life: Nature's way of keeping meat fresh
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    As you are I was, as I am you will be
    You can't fix stupid, but you can always out smart it.

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    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
      Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

      I need a 'shakes head while walking away' emoticon
      I've done that so many times down here in the cellar that my neck hurts.
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      Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        Basic rule for employees - you don't bite the hand that feeds you and you remember who signs your paycheck.

        This guy reminds me of a kid who shoots the bird when he's sure no one is looking. Using free speech to protect Facebook likes demeans the power of free of speech to me.

        He'll probably win because that's the way the wind is blowing these days.
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        • Profile picture of the author Sumit Menon
          Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

          I think the crux of the situation is, does a facebook 'like' constitute an endorsement?

          And was the employee fired because the employer believed it was?

          Should you be subject to punishment of an endorsement of this type? IMO - definitely not, what his employer did was wrong...this is not a question of 'loyalty'...even if it was, he has a right to support any candidate he wants to - an employer cannot fire an employee for not voting for him, or even because he thinks he didn't...
          I disagree. When someone's on my team I want them to be on MY team. If they want to leave and work for the other guy, that's okay. You don't work for me and then vote for him.

          "Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don't have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it's true. If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy." - Warren Buffett

          Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

          I go further. Having employers cruise people's facebooks entries is a tad psycho.
          Why have the employer on your FB in the first place? And if you did let him in why give him full access to your profile (there are mechanisms to keep him at a distance)? That's just plain dumb. And why didn't he unlike the page after his boss found out. Like Steve said he could've said he was spying on them and accidentally clicked the like button later. He deserved to be fired. If not for lack of integrity, then for being stupid.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sumit Menon
      Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

      I need a 'shakes head while walking away' emoticon
      Hey! Look who's back.
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
    'Like' the page of your boss's election opponent? Free speech or not, doesn't seem like a wise course of action to me, just from a common sense standpoint.
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    The 2nd Amendment, 1789 - The Original Homeland Security.

    Gun control means never having to say, "I missed you."

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    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
      Originally Posted by SteveJohnson View Post

      'Like' the page of your boss's election opponent? Free speech or not, doesn't seem like a wise course of action to me, just from a common sense standpoint.
      Exactly. In a situation like that the smart thing to do is keep your cards close to your vest.
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      Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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  • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
    Much to their detriment later, many many people equate 'free speech' with 'inconsequential speech' and it just ain't so.
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    The 2nd Amendment, 1789 - The Original Homeland Security.

    Gun control means never having to say, "I missed you."

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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

      I've done that so many times down here in the cellar that my neck hurts.
      I know a few days back and my neck hurts already
      Originally Posted by SteveJohnson View Post

      'Like' the page of your boss's election opponent? Free speech or not, doesn't seem like a wise course of action to me, just from a common sense standpoint.
      A deputy sheriff with common sense? That's a novel idea
      Signature

      Life: Nature's way of keeping meat fresh
      Getting old ain't for sissy's
      As you are I was, as I am you will be
      You can't fix stupid, but you can always out smart it.

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      • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
        Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

        I know a few days back and my neck hurts already

        A deputy sheriff with common sense? That's a novel idea
        I was trying to think of a PC way to say the same thing
        Signature

        The 2nd Amendment, 1789 - The Original Homeland Security.

        Gun control means never having to say, "I missed you."

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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I didn't say the guy was smart for what he did. You'd think by this day and age people would know better than to say anything online that they don't want someone to see. It's still freaky to me that employers will scan anything and everything that you might have written online - but really. They do. So why shoot yourself in the foot? I ditch MONSANTO every chance I get - I post about labeling legislation, post what the results of their poisons have done to the environment, shoddy practices such as Monsanto buying the independent research company that did the research that proves Monsanto products are what is killing the bees. You name it.

    So what is rational? Not to try to find a job anywhere that MONSANTO is an accepted way of life.

    It's called be true to yourself - Morals and Ethics. If the dude feels his boss should not be in his office - why the hell is he working for him? If the guy is doing illegal and immoral things in his office, he should at least be whistleblowing, not putting up cheap shots on FB. If it's just a personal dislike or preference - he might be too clueless to hold that job anyhow so why hire him back?
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author KEKilpatrick
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      I didn't say the guy was smart for what he did. You'd think by this day and age people would know better than to say anything online that they don't want someone to see. It's still freaky to me that employers will scan anything and everything that you might have written online - but really. They do. So why shoot yourself in the foot? I ditch MONSANTO every chance I get - I post about labeling legislation, post what the results of their poisons have done to the environment, shoddy practices such as Monsanto buying the independent research company that did the research that proves Monsanto products are what is killing the bees. You name it.

      So what is rational? Not to try to find a job anywhere that MONSANTO is an accepted way of life.

      It's called be true to yourself - Morals and Ethics. If the dude feels his boss should not be in his office - why the hell is he working for him? If the guy is doing illegal and immoral things in his office, he should at least be whistleblowing, not putting up cheap shots on FB. If it's just a personal dislike or preference - he might be too clueless to hold that job anyhow so why hire him back?
      WARNING!!! THREAD HIJACK IN PROGRESS>>>>>>>>

      I guess since I started the thread that I can highjack it

      Sal I love that you hate Monsanto, our food supply is turning into garbage. They are killing the small and family farms, they are ruining the soil, seed supply, genetic diversity and killing all of the damn bees AND they "own" enough people in DC that we will all be eating soylent green before they stop"

      HIJACK COMPLETE CONTINUE WITH YOUR CONVERSATION.
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      “Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see and hear. Since the initial publication of the charged electromagnetic spectrum, humans learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear…is less than one millionth of reality”

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