In a recent open letter to Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook came out about his sexuality:
“Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry. It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple.”
It’s sad that we live in a world where people still have to declare who they love. But as long as there are still laws on the books that allow companies to discriminate against someone for their sexuality, it needs to be talked about.
Team Blackness also discussed–in a live show at Kingston 11 in Oakland–more feelings on street harrassment, a Philly cop caught on camera threatening a teenager for eye contact, and an inmate claiming he has a religious right to wear a pirate costume.
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chopper
No double post this time?
Sourmash
Empathy is possibly the most underrated virtue.
the Conster
Why didn’t he just tell all the other gays to just hope for good karma? That’s what women at MS have to do.
gene108
Wonder if any fundies are going to start some sort of boycott of Apple products..or some sort of Apple product – iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc. – “burning” to show their displeasure…
Part of me thinks the leaders of the fundies will keep quiet, because they get a good return on the Apple stocks they must have in their investment portfolios.
Tree With Water
Here’s a quote by a spokesman for that Massachusetts democratic House candidate who refused to campaign on his exemplary record as a combat infantryman, to the point of not having mentioned it at all: “Fighting against groups, like NOM, that deny equality as a basic human right will be a priority of Seth’s in Congress.” Rankin noted that Moulton has a gay brother and Moulton has said, “It’s fundamentally wrong that he and I don’t share the same rights just because of who he is.”
Charles Pierce of Esquire.com just brought that to my attention. It’s democrats like that who stand to elevate their party from its well deserved reputation as being the lesser of two evils.
Doc Sportello
It’s great that he came out, but why did he have to download “It’s Raining Men” into my iTunes?
CORRECTION: It looks like I bought it a while ago, and forgot about it. Never mind.
shelley
And the pirate costume guy? Only if he promises to say ‘Arrrr, matey.” every other sentence.
Corner Stone
@Sourmash:
I’m a little sceptical it can actually be characterized as empathy. He had to go through something “traumatic” to get that others have some hard damn times also.
The Other Chuck
@gene108: I’m pretty sure the hardcore bigoted pinheads already did that when Apple started offering benefits to same-sex couples many years ago.
the Conster
@Corner Stone:
My thought too when I read that – classic hallmark of a conservative. White guy head of a multibillion dollar company has had some challenges – yawn.
Major Major Major Major
@the Conster: @Corner Stone: Did you guys read his article? I’m not saying the man is a saint but he’s not exactly a freaking Romney either.
Corner Stone
@Major Major Major Major: I’m not vilifying the guy, good for him!
Merely making an observation that he’s a multi-multi millionaire who has decided after some 30 or so states (or shortly 30) have struck down anti-gay marriage laws.
Being gay is the greatest gift God gave him, and so enriched his life that he’s now, finally, in a position to help others.
I actually applaud him, for what little that is worth, as it had to be incredibly painful at multiple points of his life to think society was so far behind on equality. I just hold a slightly different view of what constitutes empathy, that’s all.
But overall, good job, Tim.
the Conster
@Major Major Major Major:
Yeah, the portrait of RFK is a nice touch. He has internalized those values according to him as it relates to people who face the same challenges as him. Let’s see if his empathy extends to some of those foreign workers that Romney thought were such role models for American workers. Color me skeptical where CEOs are concerned.
slag
To be fair to straight white dudes everywhere, the just world fallacy inherently screws with their abilities to empathize.
Whether we like it or not, we are, by default, the centers of our own little universes, and it takes a lot of work and a lot of luck (eg, being born gay) to break out of that fallacious mindset.
Major Major Major Major
@the Conster: I didn’t get the impression that he’s pulling a Sullivan here… just because his letter focused on gay people doesn’t mean it’s all Cook focuses on social justice wise. He’s been pretty good about public education and poverty stuff too IIRC. Unless that doesn’t count either because he grew up poor and went to public schools.
the Conster
@Major Major Major Major:
I didn’t know that, so good for him. He has a huge platform to make a positive difference in all kinds of ways. My fear is that once gay marriage is the law of the land – and it will be sooner than later – republicans will pivot to their gay white brethren and together the oppressor and the formerly oppressed will stand shoulder to shoulder to pull the ladder up behind them.
Major Major Major Major
@the Conster: I think the GOP leadership would love to try that (I can see somebody like JEB trying to pull that) but then you’d just end up with like… a full base revolt like happened with immigration reform. A *sane* craven backstabbing money-grubbing political party could probably pull it off though.
I believe they’re called Democrats ;)
But yeah, if it weren’t for the fact that the GOP voters are insane, then they would absolutely pull a Hegel and get the well-to-do white gays on their side.
Just Some Fuckhead
Awesome, I’m sure he’ll stop using slave labor to build his products now and bring home Apple’s offshored profits to help the least of these in America.
I’m going to start calling him by his superhero name, Gay Empathy Man.
Mnemosyne
Tim Cook tells climate change sceptics to ditch Apple shares
Chet
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Gus
I know this is a dead thread, but I was kind of shocked he “came out.” I thought it was common knowledge that he was gay.