I expect no one was interested in writing something about Alice and/or Chloe (A/C), by name or otherwise, before Ben’s post [ . . . .]
(Correctly) surmising a lack of interest in writing a hypothetical expose about A/C isn’t quite the same thing as reaching a conclusion that the post shouldn’t have been allowed to remain. However, I think there is a lot of overlap between the two; the reasons for lack of interest seem similar to the arguments for why the post shouldn’t be allowed. So I think we are both somewhere vaguely near “there would be no legitimate/plausible reason for someone to write an expose about A/C, unless one accepted that their whistleblowing activity made it legitimate.”
One interesting thing about this framing is that it raises the possibility that the whistleblowers’ identities are relevant to the decision. If a major figure in EA were going around telling malicious lies about other EAs, that would be (the subject of an appropriate post / something people would be interested in writing about) independently of any specifically whistleblowing-retaliation angle.
One could stake out an anti-standing argument in which Nonlinear et al. would not be able to identify A/C because we would be worried that vindictive or retaliatory desires were affecting their judgment, but an truly disinterested person (e.g., not friends of Nonlinear employees) could identify them—because they are likely to be acting from purer, less emotionally-invested motives (e.g., protection of the community from those they perceive as brazen liars). I’m not endorsing that view, but it is interesting to ponder.
Continuing with your analogy, if you were a random person who found out about the employee filing with the AG independently of the employer, and you somehow were able to determine that the employee knowingly filed a false report out of (e.g.) racial animus, would it be OK for you to report the employee to the immigration authorities? [Asking ethically, not under MA law.]
Relatedly, your example relates to a situation with a significant power imbalance (employer/employee). It probably isn’t illegal for me to report someone to the immigration authorities where my real motive is that they cheated on me, they cheated on my friend, etc. [I didn’t specifically check that example.] So it seems that we often protect individuals exercising socially-important functions like whistleblowing from retaliation by some actors but not others.
(Correctly) surmising a lack of interest in writing a hypothetical expose about A/C isn’t quite the same thing as reaching a conclusion that the post shouldn’t have been allowed to remain. However, I think there is a lot of overlap between the two; the reasons for lack of interest seem similar to the arguments for why the post shouldn’t be allowed. So I think we are both somewhere vaguely near “there would be no legitimate/plausible reason for someone to write an expose about A/C, unless one accepted that their whistleblowing activity made it legitimate.”
One interesting thing about this framing is that it raises the possibility that the whistleblowers’ identities are relevant to the decision. If a major figure in EA were going around telling malicious lies about other EAs, that would be (the subject of an appropriate post / something people would be interested in writing about) independently of any specifically whistleblowing-retaliation angle.
One could stake out an anti-standing argument in which Nonlinear et al. would not be able to identify A/C because we would be worried that vindictive or retaliatory desires were affecting their judgment, but an truly disinterested person (e.g., not friends of Nonlinear employees) could identify them—because they are likely to be acting from purer, less emotionally-invested motives (e.g., protection of the community from those they perceive as brazen liars). I’m not endorsing that view, but it is interesting to ponder.
Continuing with your analogy, if you were a random person who found out about the employee filing with the AG independently of the employer, and you somehow were able to determine that the employee knowingly filed a false report out of (e.g.) racial animus, would it be OK for you to report the employee to the immigration authorities? [Asking ethically, not under MA law.]
Relatedly, your example relates to a situation with a significant power imbalance (employer/employee). It probably isn’t illegal for me to report someone to the immigration authorities where my real motive is that they cheated on me, they cheated on my friend, etc. [I didn’t specifically check that example.] So it seems that we often protect individuals exercising socially-important functions like whistleblowing from retaliation by some actors but not others.
All good points! I’m quite conflicted here.