I would tell him that however he justifies concealing or dressing up his beliefs, such dissembling really does have the effect of increasing confusion and rancor - he is, of course, also a Good Person, but this is not a good tactic.

Of course everyone has good intentions and likes to be flattered. It's possible to flatter with tone, and without dissembling.

Of a piece with 'Google more or less explicitly said I won't be promoted because I'm White' stories.

But probably not simple enough to pierce ideological bias. I'll ask instead: you really believe that it wasn't tested in historical and other contexts where white people were erased?

When racist employees of Google intentionally racially cleanse their products, this is racism.

Let me know what is confusing about the concepts of agency and intention., and I will try to clarify

What I've said is bare, basic truth, and not ideological. If it offends or provokes factual or semantic quibbling, then such reaction indicates pretzel thinking about moral good and 'racism' in the minds of people like Smith.

He was pushing back against a communist narrative that: every single demographic gruop should be equally represented in every part of tech; and that if this isn't the case, then it's evidence of racism/sexism/some other modern sin.

Again what was the point of portraying the Damore story like that.

It may well be a weak case. MM are certainly slimy political operators, but they seem to have mostly avoided any direct statements which are easily, unambiguously provably false.

It may hinge on exactly how strong the 'protection' is that Yaccarino alluded to is inferred to be - whether it's reasonable to infer she meant that content moderation under Musk was now perfected and 100% hateproof, at least with respect to ads.

Otherwise, they were just using X in a strange manner, which is not defamatory in itself.

This understanding is not available to your 'concepts' or however you want to terminologize your gay taxonomy of hierarchies. either you get it - you get that people instinctively want to have someone above them to respect, and even admire (love), while they obey - or you don't.

If you are a leader, then when you simply say 'go do this', the follower actually wants to do it and does not care about how carefully you handle their feelings.