This is really not going to end well for the ID creationist community…
“David Coppedge alienated his co-workers by the way he acted with them, and blamed anyone who complained about those interactions,” according to JPL in their response. “He accuses his former project supervisor and line manager of making discriminatory and retaliatory employment decision, when they had in fact protected him for years.”
via CNN.com Blogs.
One of the problems with being reality-averse is that you also corrupt your ability to assess your own circumstances. I’m sure Coppedge went into this suit convinced that he was going to show the world how prejudiced and unfair everyone else was for resisting his attempts to convert them to his own beliefs. He should have learned his lesson from Bill Buckingham.
David could get together with John Freshwater and start a club.
Coppedge apparently agrees, since he is suing for religious discrimination.
Inigo Montaya, to the Gatekeeper: “Give us the key.”
Gatekeeper: “What key?”
Inigo Montaya: “Fezzik, rip his arms off.”
Gatekeeper: “Oh, this key.”
I’ve been following The Sensuous Curmudgeon’s coverage of this trial. TSC has been posting the Discovery Institute’s spin, which is pretty hilarious.
You know they know Coppedge hasn’t much of a case when they spend most of one press release talking about how sickly Coppedge is (he apparently suffers from stress-related headaches). Clearly he’s too fragile to be the pain-in-the-ass JPL alleges he was! Also, poor baby, dealing with a lawsuit (*whisper* which of course he initiated/whisper) in his condition!
Pretty vague language, is it not? What the hell is JPL referring to, anyway, when they say “by the way he acted” and “those interactions”?
What were his supervisor and manager protecting him from (for years)? Were they deliberately shielding a valuable employee from the due consequences of harrassing coworkers? If so, I take it that these “mini bosses” have faced some sort of disciplinary actions for their collaboration, as well.
I imagine this sounds tedious, but the problem I’m having (small as it may be) is that these citations inspired an eye-rolling (yet, ironically optimistic) comment out of you.
Not exactly your finest work, is it?
I was second guessing myself so I went back and read those JPL statements again. The thing is, in the bottom of my heart I realize that this thread isn’t one that you’re supposed to analyze and I feel a little like a prick at the moment.
That second quote, however, about “managerial protection” is glaringly problematic. I simply can’t make it fly.
And I think you should find it just a little bit alarming, also.
And yet, if you read the actual CNN story, your questions are completely answered therein:
As usual: Christian claims lack of privilege to harass as “discrimination.”
You were correct in calling me out on lazy and negligent reading.
You identified some specific allegations as to how Coppedge might have “acted”. By doing this, a reader can also begin to imagine the nature of the Coppedge/coworker “interactions”.
I’m still having trouble with the fact that Coppedge’s superiors “protected him for years”. But I don’t suppose that’s any failure of yours whether my apprehensions are legitimate or not.
By the way, I read the JAQing link and I’m pretty sure that I understood it clearly. What I am failing at, however, is connecting the word to anything in my comments. You’re obviously talented at spotting problems and then resolving them and I’m wondering if I can count on you again to educate me.
Thank you in advance.
I’m waiting for the JPL attorney to ask Coppedge if he has heard of the Moody Bible Institute (famously fundamentalist anti-science “bible college”) – which is the mothership of Illustra Media (producer of the DVDs), of which Coppedege is on the Board of Directors. That could lead to an interesting line of Q&A. The connection is of course just one more proof that intelligent design creationism has everything to do with religion and nothing to do with science.
You’re right.
Which is probably why JPL’s attorneys should NOT bring it up.
If you’re JPL, then you want to distance yourself from concerns about the guy’s beliefs and focus on the harrassment that occurred (allegedly) in house. Now is not the time for the defense to fight the culture war. Not overtly, at least.
It WOULD be sensible, however, to be prepared to discuss the subject matter for if and when it comes up; but the best attitude is one of apathy towards their former subordinate’s extracurricular ventures.