Extreme political correctness

Recently, this airline pilot made a comment on twitter that Hillary Clinton should receive the death penalty for treason from the email scandal. Shortly thereafter, United Airline (the employer) suspended him as a pilot and many people are demanding he be fired.

I personally find it outrageous that they might fire him for simply believing in the death penalty.

First off, treason, in the United States, is punishable by death. And it is a possibility that Hillary Clinton might be charged for treason. So what's the big deal here? Why are people shocked by what he said?

Second of all, how does believing in capital punishment affect one's flying skills? Why does he have to be fired? Did believing in the death penalty suddenly make him a bad pilot?

What do you guys think?

Here was his tweet:
@HillaryClinton You should be tried for treason, murder, and crimes against the US Constitution… then hung on the Mall in Washington, DC

Krazy: First off, treason, in the United States, is punishable by death
Sorry, that's misleading. It's ONE of the punishments. But still a punishment.

Krazy: I feel like it's bad PR for the airline. If it brings the airline into disrepute it could affect how many people fly with them. One of the things about modern social media is that people need to be a lot more careful about expressing opinions that might be connected to their employers.

Both some good points.

Ultimately United Airlines is still a business. They need to deal with scandals to protect their profit margin.

On the other hand, this is hardly a scandal. The fact that liberals made it into a scandal goes to show how messed up this country has become.

Crow: I think conservatives make these things into a scandal. With, you know, conservative lines like this:

I personally find it outrageous that they might fire him for simply believing in the death penalty.

You wouldn't catch a liberal anywhere near that kind of claim.

admin: I feel like it's bad PR for the airline.
How? By believing in the death penalty? A lot of Americans believe in capital punishment, so it shouldn't be bad PR.

If it brings the airline into disrepute it could affect how many people fly with them.
Even though he may be an exceptional pilot? I have no idea if he is or not but it seems like that some of the public just don't care and they only want him to lose his job because of his beliefs; regardless of how good of a pilot he is. It's irrational.

I think conservatives make these things into a scandal. With, you know, conservative lines like this:
How is it scandalous to simply believe in the death penalty? That's just ridiculous. Most Americans believe in the death penalty anyway. It was perhaps a small minority voicing out for him to lose his job.

You wouldn't catch a liberal anywhere near that kind of claim.
That pilot's tweet was liberal compared to what I would have posted.

Regardless, realize that some liberals believe in capital punishment.

Crow: Ultimately United Airlines is still a business.
They weren't losing a significant amount of money. That wasn't the reason. They're suspending the pilot simply because they don't agree with his stance on capital punishment.

What is troubling is that people don't care if he is an excellent pilot; they still want him fired for holding a belief that has no relevance on flying an aircraft.

Krazy: They're suspending the pilot simply because they don't agree with his stance on capital punishment.

I guarantee you that isn't likely their reason.

A minor PR scandal can quickly turn into a nightmare.

What is troubling is that people don't care if he is an excellent pilot; they still want him fired for holding a belief that has no relevance on flying an aircraft.

Yeah, I agree.

People are ridiculous.

admin: What is troubling is that people don't care if he is an excellent pilot; they still want him fired for holding a belief that has no relevance on flying an aircraft.

The scandal started when liberals complained about the United Airlines pilot.

The reaction was just outcry.

It is not secret that both liberals and conservatives look for things to scandalize,

Krazy: A lot of Americans believe in capital punishment, so it shouldn't be bad PR.
If he had said some terrible murderer should be let off without charge, I suspect the airline might have responded in a similar way. Companies read the mood of people in general and often make HR decisions on that basis.

it seems like that some of the public just don't care and they only want him to lose his job because of his beliefs
Brendan Eich, who single-handedly invented much of the most important technology that allows the internet to function as we know it today, lost his job as CEO of Mozilla because he donated a small amount to a group that opposed gay marriage one time, even though he apologized and had in fact implemented a vast gay equality program in the company. THAT is the extent to which a company will go to protect it's reputation.

What makes somebody a good employee is no longer merely "can they do the job", but also includes "will people boycott my company if I keep this person hired". And given the circumstances I don't see that as being very surprising. If you believe in free speech you must also believe in the right to shame people you don't like, whether it's gay shaming or death penalty shaming, it will happen in a society with free speech. Smart companies will always react to that.

How is it scandalous to simply believe in the death penalty?
I think the problem was that American Airlines doesn't benefit from making any political stance at all. If such profiles are public, they should probably be really good.

Regardless, realize that some liberals believe in capital punishment.
Sure. But realize conservatives and liberals are equally guilty of spinning things out of proportion. If you think it's wrong to fire somebody for their beliefs about capital punishment, surely you must agree it's wrong to murder a doctor because of their beliefs about abortion?

admin: If he had said some terrible murderer should be let off without charge, I suspect the airline might have responded in a similar way.
Hillary Clinton might be a murderer. But that's a completely different story.

I think the problem was that American Airlines doesn't benefit from making any political stance at all.
Well they just did by suspending the pilot for what he believes. By suspending one of their workers for his belief that Hillary deserves the death penalty, they took the stance that she didn't deserve it; they're taking a political stance right there.

But realize conservatives and liberals are equally guilty of spinning things out of proportion
Uh, to different degrees. Take for example, the Black Lives Matter movement, a mainly liberal organization. A cop kills a black man and all the sudden he's a racist white-supremisist. And people are starting to kill police officers (probably members of BLM) every week in the US it seems like.

...surely you must agree it's wrong to murder a doctor because of their beliefs about abortion?
Okay, a few notes.

1. That's not a good analogy.

2. Capital punishment is not murder. We could argue this again but it'll probably be futile since neither of us are willing to change our beliefs.

3. It's not okay to put somebody to death because they believe it's okay to murder somebody, only if they actually do it. Believing it's okay to murder children and actually doing it are 2 completely different things.

Crow: I guarantee you that isn't likely their reason.
Then if the pilot said, "Hillary Clinton shouldn't be hanged.", would the airline have reacted the same way?

Krazy: By suspending one of their workers for his belief that Hillary deserves the death penalty, they took the stance that she didn't deserve it
Not sure that follows logically.

to different degrees.
Depends on the movement of course. Right now conservatives are busy vilifying foreigners and those of non-Christian religions. You can't tell me you seriously believe this is in any way lesser to the ongoing struggle against racism?

Capital punishment is not murder.
I know. To explain, I was saying murder is worse than firing somebody from the job. I was making no analogy to anything related to Hilary, just comparing the outcomes in two cases where somebody was vilified out of proportion.

It's not okay to put somebody to death because they believe it's okay to murder somebody, only if they actually do it.
That's like saying it's not ok to fire somebody because they believe a current presidential nominee should die, only if they actually tweet about it.

Then if the pilot said, "Hillary Clinton shouldn't be hanged.", would the airline have reacted the same way?
Innocent until proven guilty. I doubt the public reaction would be as strong for that reason.

admin: Right now conservatives are busy vilifying foreigners and those of non-Christian religions.
I don't have any problem with preventing Muslims from entering the United States. It says in the Koran over a hundred times to kill unbelievers of Islam. And they have a near 2,000 year history of military jihad to prove that they believe that. We aren't "villifying" them. They are villains. They want to kill us. No doubt that there are peaceful followers of Islam, but Islam itself is not peaceful.

You can't tell me you seriously believe this is in any way lesser to the ongoing struggle against racism?
As far as spinning things out of proportion, yes. The Muslims follow a book that commands them over a hundred times to kill unbelievers. And throughout history, they've consistently launched military jihad and killed in the name of Islam for nearly 2,000 years. That's not spinning things out of proportion; that's fact.

Wheres a police officer kills a black guy, and he's automatically accused of being racist and he often loses his job.

I know
Oh. I thought you believed capital punishment was murder. At least that's the impression I got from the abortion debate we had.

That's like saying it's not ok to fire somebody because they believe a current presidential nominee should die, only if they actually tweet about it
That's true. And that's what I believe. It's fine if they believe that and tweet about it. But if they actually go out and kill the candidate themselves, then that's crossing the line. You don't take the law into your own hands.

Innocent until proven guilty.
She might be proven guilty though, and people just don't want to believe it. It's kind of like that with a lot of other scandals, like the emails. She might be proven to have treason, but not brought to justice and allowed to run for president. And why would anybody want a woman president? Anyway, the point is that the airline is taking a political stance by suspending and possibly firing the pilot.

Krazy: It constituted an extreme verbal attack on a US Presidential Candidate. As long as they would likewise suspend anyone who said the same about Trump, I'm okay with this.

Dassault Papillon: It constituted an extreme verbal attack on a US Presidential Candidate
Clinton and Trump attack each other all the time.

Dassault Papillon: And how does criticizing the government mean you should be fired? That's similar to communist countries where anybody who says anything bad about the government is immediately silenced and punished.

Krazy: That's similar to communist countries where anybody who says anything bad about the government is immediately silenced and punished.
A communist country?
Never heard of one. Communist state is an oxymoron, since, by definition, communists oppose the state and of course, political correctness.

Bi0Hazard: Of course.

If you go off Marx, then communist states are actually socialist entities.

A true communist rejects the state, money, and private property.