Posting for posterity, and because I collect stories of weird shit that happens to me on the internet.

Today, talented rapper Cardi B. tweeted that she wonders what pee (urine) tastes like. I replied “only one way to find out.” LOL, right?

But then, CARDI B DID THIS:

So here we are folks.

I’m taking a break from social media for a moment, but here’s a quick thought:

Ask me how much I care about where we draw the line on toppling monuments of bigots and slaveholders. This might be a conversation I’d be interested in if 99% of America’s statutes weren’t of white dudes. As it stands, five—FIVE—statues in Washington, D.C. are of women from history; the other 46 statues depicting women do so anonymously, or even better, toplessly. Call me and ask me how much I care when all of our historical monuments aren’t to white men who tried to oppress women or people of color.

As for what we do with the toppled statues, I’m personally of the throw-them-in-the-museum variety, but honestly? I don’t care. I don’t think historical monuments need to be destroyed; in fact, I think it’s counterproductive. But do I care, when my friends are under threat from actual Nazis? No, I decidedly do not.

You’ve probably heard this story by now. I’m not going to give this any more emotional attention, but wanted to throw down a few quick things that have been bothering me:

• Damore’s “freedom of thought” is not under attack.  Once you have written a 10-page screed and issued it to your fellow employees, some of whom are women who have to work on your team, you have crossed the line from “freedom of thought” to intimidation and harassment.
•  Racial and gender diversity are not antithetical to “diversity of thought.” People who come from different racial/gender/class/etc backgrounds invariably bring their varied experiences to the table, creating diversity of thought. Unfortunately, for Silicon Valley types, “diversity of thought” seems to only refer to the right to bring libertarian and right-wing ideas to the table.
• Those arguing that Damore shouldn’t be fired for his words seem to lack understanding of how his pseudo-scientific, misogynist ideas affect the women who have to work with him, and place Damore’s feelings and well-being above theirs. It’s a delicate balance for sure, but at a company where women only make up 31% of the global workforce and 20% of the technical workforce, Google should be placing the well-being of women above the well-being of misogynists…that is, if they actually want to change their statistics.

But on the other hand…

• Damore is clearly sexist and thus I shall cry not even a microtear for him, but I will say this: If he’s right that employees don’t feel comfortable expressing their political views in the workplace (no, not in an intimidating 10-page screed, but in the workplace), then maybe Google does have a problem. But the reasons and solutions for that problem that Damore has identified are pseudo-scientific, misogynistic, and wrong.