If someone shares a controversial opinion in a Zoom meeting, is it okay to tell others in your field? Illustration: Canva
Jody Ludren
January 12, 2023
The Forward has been solving readers’ dilemmas since 1906. bintel briefs, Yiddish with a bunch of letters. Email us your concerns about Jewish life, love, family, friends, or work. twitter Also this shape.
Mr. Binter
I was on a Zoom call organized by members of the film industry discussing ways to meaningfully respond to the collapse of cinema. egg.
There were hundreds of people on the phone. I was told it was a “safe place” but no confidentiality was mentioned. At one point during the call, one woman said: She should give birth to a woman. ” We were shocked. (Why was she on the phone in the first place?)
When I started talking to others about the matter outside of the phone, I didn’t reveal the identity of the woman who made the comment, so they started asking me who she was – just for gossip. Instead, don’t work on a project with her because she wants to know so she can choose.
Is it ethical for me to reveal her identity? Is there a right way or a wrong way? Is there a difference between going privately and going public? What are my responsibilities here? ?
anti-anti-abortion
dear anti anti
I understand how painful and personal the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion was for many people. I myself have had two abortionsand, like many of my Generation X feminist peers and those who came after us, I took reproductive choices for granted. In a country where access to abortion is determined by geography and class, it is shocking and upsetting to absorb them reaching sexual age.
But I don’t think your question is about abortion. Diversity in the workplace, freedom of expression, and yes. Rashon Hala — gossip.
You said the Zoom meeting was for people in the film industry, not abortion rights advocacy groups. I have no doubt that most people who attend, and probably many who work in the industry, support abortion rights. But the film industry and other workplaces (other than abortion providers) should not have a litmus test explicitly defending this issue. Why is the “safe place” unsafe for the women you mentioned and others invited to join the call to voice their opinions?
(Perhaps you oversimplified her comment because your anger prevented you from being heard fully. But even then, the First Amendment is old and outdated. protects the right of people to express their opinions, even in
According to your letter, a colleague wanted to know the woman’s identity “not just for gossip” but could refuse to work with her on a project. increase.You’re not just gossiping about her, you’re aiming excommunicate her and make her what the Torah calls Helem.
Do you really want to work in an industry where people can refuse to work with you because of your political views? Are you ready to have your manager ask you about who you voted for before hiring you? Should all producers check political donation files, online petitions and YouTube protest videos before registering politicians and grips?
And do you want to work in a place where people are afraid to share their views and perspectives, to wear buttons or show bumper stickers?
Imagine it flipped — people would refuse to work with you on a project because you support access to abortion. Or gun control. Or the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish democratic state. Wait, no need to imagine. because it has already happened. Jews and Jewish groups are discouraged or blocked from joining left-wing coalitions and spaces, or isolated on college campuses. Not only the union, but the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
And since we’re talking about the Supreme Court here, let your letter another caseA graphic designer in Colorado says he has the right to refuse to create a website celebrating same-sex marriage, but state law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. Most on the left think she shouldn’t be allowed to turn down same-sex clients — so why would you or your co-workers be with someone who thinks “women should have babies”? Is it okay if I refuse to be with you?
I remember haunting and poetic Quote from Martin Niemöller, a German pastor who regretted not speaking out earlier against the Nazi regime. “First they attacked the socialists, but I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a socialist.” there was no one.”
If you and your co-workers prevent this woman from getting a job because of her views on abortion, defend your right to think whatever you think may quickly fall out of favor. One less person around the industry to do. Or just who you are.
When it comes to telling others what you were told on the phone, it’s worth remembering Rashon Hala It is considered a very serious sin in Judaism. The 19th-century sage Schoffetzheim said that gossip “kills three”: the speaker, the listener, and the person being spoken to. As the gossip repeats, it doubles—I think it’s exponential if you post it on social media. Anyone who sees such a post on Facebook and who might share it, on Facebook or in real life, No guilty of Rashon Hala, information that has already been published. )
So, Anti-Anti, I want to say that it is not ethical for you to reveal her identity. increase.
Sincerely,
bintel
