Posted on 01/31/2015 3:09:15 PM PST by Subcutaneous Fishstick Blues
Ford, like most American car companies, is known for being pretty progressive. It's so progressive, in fact, that it was rated one of the best places to work in 2015 by the Human Rights Campaign. And working in such a place got one guy so upset, he vomited out a disgusting, hate-filled rant for which he was allegedly fired. And now he's suing.
Of course, Thomas Banks says he was fired from both Ford and Ford subcontractor Rapid Global Business Solutions, Inc. (RGBSI) for his Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs. Those Beliefs being, apparently, his right to be a total jerk on the Internet. Or, as he smarmily and degenerately terms it, "Christianity." But the backstory to Banks' complaint actually reads like a beautiful, evidence-filled novel about why he should have been fired more than anything else.
Here's what Banks alleges in the lawsuit happened. Ford published an article "pertaining to certain policies" – Banks doesn't say where this article was published, nor what was actually in it – which Banks believed conflicted with his religious beliefs. Upon reading the article, he had the sudden and intractable urge to publish a disgusting, bigoted diatribe below it, or, as he termed it in the suit, "a comment outlining the conflict with [his] sincerely held religious beliefs."
At this point, you're probably wondering what sort of putrid diatribe then bubbled forth from the frothing bowels of his keyboard. And since such bigotry should only be exposed to daylight, here's his "comment":
"For this Ford Motor should be thoroughly ashamed. Endorsing and promoting sodomy is of benefit to no one. This topic is disruptive to the workplace and is an assault on Christians and morality, as well as antithetical to our design and survival. Immoral sexual conduct should not be a topic for an automotive manufacturer to endorse or promote. And yes – this is historic – but not in a good way. Never in the history of mankind has a culture survived that promotes sodomy. Heterosexual behavior creates life – homosexual behavior leads to death."
Well then. On the one hand, Ford's got some article outlining corporate policy on an important social matter, and on the other, "homosexual behavior leads to death." So, there's that.
Banks was promptly fired by both Ford and RGBSI for violating their harassment policies. But Banks alleges that RGBSI's harassment policy against those of a differing sexual orientation applies only in the state of New York, despite the company's explicit blanket policy against "conduct or comments which reflect negatively upon or disparage any protected group" being presented right to him in his own termination notice.
But whatever, that hasn't stopped Banks from marching in his own insufferable crusade, because he lived and worked in Michigan, where he thinks the rules don't apply to him and oh also, he's suing because Ford and RGBSI fired him for notifying them that their policies discriminate against him and his religion.1415
Never does he say, however, how Ford's LGBT-friendly policies actively discriminated or prevented the free exercise of his own religion, besides saying he can't be a jerk about it on the Internet.
The entire annoying lawsuit is below for your perusal, if you feel a further need to hate the world today:
Complaint Document deleted by owner
Ford, for what it's worth, is kind of passing the hot potato into the lap of RGBSI, their contractor, for now, issuing this statement
"We have not yet seen the complaint, however, we believe this matter ultimately is between the individual and their agency employer. Ford's anti-harassment policy was created to foster a respectful, inclusive work environment for all, and we expect employees and agency personnel to act in accordance with this policy." We've contacted RGBSI for comment as well, and will update when we hear back.
So yeah, here's wishing you all the best in the world and sunshine and kittens in your lawsuit, Banks.
May you lose, and lose hilariously.
H/t to WXYZ!
Yup, heard about this one. He wrote what he did in a “feedback box” or something like this. Liberty Institute has taken up his case. I think he has a chance.
So is Ford still a darling here on FR?
All the other US makers do the same thing, and they took government money on top of it.
Ford’s still the best of a bad lot and at least they’re not taking your money if you didn’t buy their product.
I had lunch with a manager this week who had to fire somebody for something they wrote of Facebook. He wouldn’t tell me what it was or how they found out. I read about this almost weekly and it’s unlikely all the firings are publicized so the number is likely high. Anybody who publishes anything is likely to suffer. A teacher told me that they were all warned never to publish anything on any social media. He said they formerly watched just what was done from the school system but they’d recently started monitoring media outside the school’s to see what teachers were publishing. He said other teachers reported getting warnings. (Who has the time to monitor this stuff?)
I thought this was satire or sarcasm but the author really believes the garbage he is spewing.
The guy that is the target of this rant had every right to note what is 100% true — factually and theologically.
Understood.
IT is now the law of the land.
Of course the law is neither just nor moral.
Their cars suck though.
But I also have the intelligence to know how to keep them to myself........
They can't help it...they're Fords.
Great to see Ford is keeping their eye on the ball trying to design and build great vehicles.
This Mr. Banks is a bit of a “contractor”, “private contractor”? I don’t know but he might be out of the loop per Unions.
One thing is new though in this story, I did not know Banks was asserting that NY State protects the class he said something negative about but not necessarily where he is, Michigan I gather.
Why have you mixed a wide variety of situations including those involving behavior and those involving the truly immutable?
Suppose this fellow complained about people who torture puppies? Would puppy torturers be able to retort they were born that way?
“But I also have the intelligence to know how to keep them to myself........ “
With the lunatics now running the asylum, wise move. :)
From one point of view wise, from another point of view cowardly. We were warned about those who would not be able to buy or sell without bearing the mark of the beast. If that’s a metaphor (or a metaphor plus a literality) it looks like it applies here.
” even the recordings they leave on their answering machines. “
I’ve known people looking for jobs who had astonishingly unprofessional and even insulting phone messages. One of them was, “I don’t really want to f*cking talk to you, but if you insist, leave a message.” When I asked he said it was funny. I said, okay think about the message a potential employer is getting. He did change it but only after his wife had rendered her opinion on its “humor.”
(And this would apply to buying and selling ideas. Anyhow, Ford has just invited a huge redneck backlash. Not smart for the chief maker of pickemup trucks to do that.)
Well that would depend on the age of the puppies and whether or not they were pittbulls........
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