If you work with a database and are asked to alter the table structure to comply in advance for citizenship or gender categorizations it's really important to NOT do it.
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If you work with a database and are asked to alter the table structure to comply in advance for citizenship or gender categorizations it's really important to NOT do it.
"The governor is concerned about all this stuff they want us to update our record keeping so we store both gender AND biological sex."
"We need fields to store the country of origin of people's parents."
If you don't have the power to rebuff this yourself, ask for help. At minimum ask for help online anonymously.
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If you work with a database and are asked to alter the table structure to comply in advance for citizenship or gender categorizations it's really important to NOT do it.
"The governor is concerned about all this stuff they want us to update our record keeping so we store both gender AND biological sex."
"We need fields to store the country of origin of people's parents."
If you don't have the power to rebuff this yourself, ask for help. At minimum ask for help online anonymously.
Depending on your job you probably have in the past made compromises. Maybe to keep your job. Maybe to survive. This is a bright line. If you are asked to be the one to update the table don't let it be your fingers typing those changes.
If you can't just say "No I won't do that." Stall, run away, feign incompetence. Just don't let it happen.
I suspect this might be where the rubber hits the road first for us around here.
Nothing has changed. You do not have to do it. It is not even ordained.
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Depending on your job you probably have in the past made compromises. Maybe to keep your job. Maybe to survive. This is a bright line. If you are asked to be the one to update the table don't let it be your fingers typing those changes.
If you can't just say "No I won't do that." Stall, run away, feign incompetence. Just don't let it happen.
I suspect this might be where the rubber hits the road first for us around here.
Nothing has changed. You do not have to do it. It is not even ordained.
Do not help them to build any more of this machine.
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Do not help them to build any more of this machine.
I know someone who rebuffed such a request. Boss was apologetic "it's what the higher ups want, oh *I* think it's a lot of nonsense, but I don't want us to be out of step ... blah blah"
It was proposed to them in sheepish way. They said it would be a lot of work, not add anything of value, and most important they would not do it. It didn't come up again.
Fascism can be the work of zealots, but there are also many sheepish middle management helping hands who "don't even believe in this really"
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I know someone who rebuffed such a request. Boss was apologetic "it's what the higher ups want, oh *I* think it's a lot of nonsense, but I don't want us to be out of step ... blah blah"
It was proposed to them in sheepish way. They said it would be a lot of work, not add anything of value, and most important they would not do it. It didn't come up again.
Fascism can be the work of zealots, but there are also many sheepish middle management helping hands who "don't even believe in this really"
With the sheepish ones just letting them know you won't do it, (that it crosses the bright line) can make them back off some of the time.
This can be very scary and if you are thinking "but I could be fired" I understand that. Ask for help. Talk about it outside of work or with people you trust. Don't go looking for an excuse to comply and not feel bad about it. If you do you should feel bad.
Find a way to NOT do it instead.
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With the sheepish ones just letting them know you won't do it, (that it crosses the bright line) can make them back off some of the time.
This can be very scary and if you are thinking "but I could be fired" I understand that. Ask for help. Talk about it outside of work or with people you trust. Don't go looking for an excuse to comply and not feel bad about it. If you do you should feel bad.
Find a way to NOT do it instead.
I'm honestly just psyching myself up for if I need to do this kind of thing again. I might.
It's the whole "we're just doing it to go along with what's happening now" ethos that I think might hold the most little victories for us.
So many terrible things happen because of people just going along with a bunch of little bad things that come together into a much more ugly and unstoppable bad thing.
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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If you work with a database and are asked to alter the table structure to comply in advance for citizenship or gender categorizations it's really important to NOT do it.
"The governor is concerned about all this stuff they want us to update our record keeping so we store both gender AND biological sex."
"We need fields to store the country of origin of people's parents."
If you don't have the power to rebuff this yourself, ask for help. At minimum ask for help online anonymously.
Months ago I gave the specific example of not using your database programming and management skills to help build systems that will be used to abuse people. But, that's just what I thought of first because it's what I know best in that space. There are many other points of contact and many other opportunities to be intransigent. Don't miss a single one.