Today, as you may have read, Steve Ballmer sent an email to Microsoft employees to inform us that Microsoft reversed its position on anti-discrimination bills. I initially replied to him privately. However, in the last few hours I’ve grown thoroughly sick of reading every quote from so-called gay-rights groups about how Microsoft has done the “right thing”. I’m gay, and none of these groups represent my position. As far as I’m concerned, this is very much the wrong thing. So, I’ve decided to paste my email to Steve here.
Hi Steve,
I am a gay man who has been employed by Microsoft for just over 6 years. Based on your email, I get the impression that youve received a lot of input from people who pretend to represent my interests. However, I oppose any law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, and I am very disappointed to learn that Microsoft will be taking a public position on this in the future – especially one that is in direct opposition to my own.
You see, I believe in individual freedom. I believe that an individual should be free to basically do what is in his own best interests, with his own property, on his own property, so long as he does not infringe on the rights and property of others. I also believe that only an individual can judge what is in his own best interests, and that others should not be able to force their will upon him. As a gay man living in Texas, I am quite aware that some people have the desire to legislate my own voluntary behavior, just because they do not agree with it, even though I am not infringing on their rights or property.
Most people today accept (or never bother to question) the notion that it is proper for the government to regulate voluntary relationships among individuals. Its just a matter of fighting over the rules. This gives rise to the gangs of people who try to enforce their rules on everyone else. There is a gang of people who want to force me to live how they see fit. There is also a gang of gay people who want to force people to hire them – even people who have deep moral or religious objections to their lifestyle.
Forcing people to hire or deal with those they find morally objectionable is not so different than forcing people to live a certain lifestyle. In fact, the two behaviors go hand-in-hand. They both proceed from the premise that government regulation of voluntary consensual behavior is a good thing. Once you accept this premise, it’s just a question of which gang happens to be in control of the government at any given moment. Microsoft’s stance (and the stance of other such companies) may indicate that the gang that pretends to represent me is gaining the upper hand. I, however, reject the notion that my freedoms should be subject to the whims of gangs who use force to get what they want. Anything gained by force only lasts until the next gang takes over, and only appears to legitimize the use of force in human relationships.
That is why I support the concept of a limited government – one that is subject to constitutional restrictions that do not allow it to regulate the voluntary associations of free people. I am free to apply for a job anywhere, but I do not have a right to a job. That would make my right dependent on the voluntary consent of another. Forcing someone to hire me is an infringement of their right to choose whom to associate with.
I know these laws are created with good intentions, but they are shortsighted. One cannot obtain freedom by sacrificing the freedom of others. One cannot encourage rational thinking and individual responsibility while simultaneously reducing an individual’s ability to make decisions for himself. In the long run, these laws just chip away at our ever-shrinking civil liberties in this country.
Normally I would not presume to share my thoughts with the CEO of one of the greatest wealth-generating corporations in the world. Hopefully your mind is more often focused on ways to generate even more wealth, which benefits everyone far more than they care to acknowledge. However, I could not let this email go by without at least noting my disappointment that Microsoft will be joining the attempts to eradicate bigotry by force rather than by reason. I hope for Microsoft’s continued success in every endeavor but this one.
Sincerely,
Bill Long, a proud employee of Microsoft
Filed under: Philosophy, Politics
