It's okay to say; the sky is green.

Let's talk about those people that are fired for thinking and the death of disagreement in corporate America.

Frankly, I believe that no company worth a damn would fire you for having an opinion.

Read that again.

Because apparently, that’s a controversial statement now. We’ve gone from “agree to disagree” to “agree or be unemployed.” Somewhere along the line, holding an opinion that even slightly diverges from the Twitter-approved narrative became a career risk. Not because you're wrong. Not because you're unhinged. But because someone else might get offended. And your employer might get spooked by the whiff of digital torches and pitchforks.

That’s not a professional culture. That’s a hostage situation.

Now we’ve built this little dystopia of self-censorship, where you pre-edit your thoughts before you even think them. Because God forbid your personal Facebook post or tweet, one that 50% of the country might nod along with gets screenshotted by someone from the other 50% and passed to HR like a note in a middle school cafeteria.

And don’t even get me started on the mob that comes after your job who don’t even work there. Total strangers with zero context and zero stake, but somehow infinite rage.

They see a post, feel a twitch of moral superiority, and start frothing like they’re performing some public service demanding your head so they can rack up dopamine points.

That’s not justice. That’s a bloodsport.

And companies cave, not because they agree, but because it's easier to toss you overboard than admit they don’t take policy direction from Twitter randos.

Suddenly you're “not aligned with company values.” Which values? Having none?

Let’s be clear: I’m not talking about people endorsing genocide, dressing in white hoods, fully blacked out military kit or even dressing up in a Nazi uniform for Halloween. I’m talking about regular-ass opinions. Voting for the wrong guy. Saying you believe in borders. Questioning lockdowns. Thinking maybe kids shouldn't be surgically transitioned before they can drive a car or even fully understand what they are asking for.

You know; basic, debatable, human stuff.

But we’ve trained companies to act like those takes are radioactive. Not because they are, but because someone might say they are, and someone else might cause a PR headache. So it’s easier to just cut the cord. Fire the opinion-haver. Burn the witch before the mob even shows up. There's no justice here. There's just the virtue seeking mob.

And that’s the real issue; corporate cowardice dressed up as virtue.

Any company that fires you for saying the metaphorical (or literal) sky is green isn’t protecting their culture. They’re proving they don’t have one. They’re not principled. They’re scared. And I don’t work well with scared people.

If your entire HR strategy is “don’t get yelled at on Twitter,” you’re not a business. You’re a wet nap.

We used to say, “I disagree with you, but I’ll defend your right to say it.” Now it’s more like, “I disagree with you, and I’d like to speak to your manager.”

And yeah, some opinions are stupid. Some are obnoxious. Some are flat-out wrong. That’s what makes them opinions. They’re not facts, they’re not mandates, they’re just a reflection of where someone’s head is at. And the whole point of a free society (allegedly) is that we hash those out with words. That’s how discussion works.

That’s how we keep from going full authoritarian: by sometimes letting people say dumb things without losing their livelihoods over it.

Give people a chance to be wrong and learn from it. Honestly, I don’t think the world needs less speech. I think it needs more.

I want to know what you think; even if I think it's wrong. Especially if I think it’s wrong. Because that gives me the chance to have a real conversation with you. Maybe I lay out my reasoning, you lay out yours, and we both come out smarter. Or maybe I change your mind. Or maybe ... brace yourself ... you change mine.

*gasp* I know. I'm open to change. Burn the heretic.

But somehow that ... the basic, adult idea that you can disagree and still talk ... is now toxic. Disagreement is violence. Nuance is complicity. Curiosity is bigotry. And the only way to stay “safe” is to smile, nod, and pretend we’re all thinking the same thing... even when we’re not.

If your worldview and that of your company is so fragile it can’t survive someone asking questions or having a differing opinion, maybe the problem isn’t their question or opinion. Maybe it’s yours.

So no, I don’t think companies should be legally forced to keep someone on staff who shows up with swastikas or manifestos. But if someone thinks the minimum wage shouldn’t be $30 an hour, or that gender is more complicated than vibes and pronouns, and you fire them for that? You’re the problem. Not them.

And no, you’re not “creating a safe workplace.” You’re just building one where people lie, smile, and say nothing real. That’s not safety. That’s enforced silence.

Big difference. Do better.