Rap Genius Cofounder Resigns After “Insensitive” Comments On Mass Shooter’s Manifesto
Rap Genius cofounder Mahbod Moghadam has resigned after posting a series of callous annotations to the manifesto of USCB mass shooter Elliit Rodgers. Rogers killed 6 and injured 12 others over the Memorial Day weekend; and his entire chilling 140 page document was posted on Rap Genius along with comments from Moghadam.
First reposted and documented by Gawker, many of the annotations simply added information like names and locations. But several annotations drew particularly strong criticism. Moghadam dubbed Rodger's manifesto "beautifully written" and "artful." In another, he called the killer's sister "smokin hot."
After social media and the web exploded with criticism, Moghadam posted, "I got carried away with making the annotations and making any comment about his sister was in horrible taste… Thankfully the Rap Genius community edits out my poor judgement, I am very sorry for writing it."
Rap Genius Responds
Today the company responded. Co-founder and CEO Tom Lehman said Moghadam's annotations exhibited "gleeful insensitivity and misogyny."
"In light of this, Mahbod has resigned – both in his capacity as an employee of the company, and as a member of our board of directors, effective immediately," wrote Lehman.
…but they’re still leaving the manifesto up, right? Exactly.
This is definitely not a reason for him to be taken down and forced to resign. It is as if you are firing someone for offering you cheap musical instruments when you asked for cheap musical instruments. Force someone to resign after you most likely allowed him to share his view. Where is the freedom of speech?
Granted Mahbod is entitled to hold the views that he does but for an individual who represents an outlet seeking to gain further presence in media, technology and popular culture perhaps at the very least he could have observed that there is a time and a place for some comments and thoughts and whilst he is free to believe and wonder what he wills (no matter how disturbing many of us may find his views), the public and his investors are also free to part ways when they perceive a statesman transgressing the greater equanimity of a public entity…
Rap Genius ? Could it be ever more oxymoronic?
http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2014/05/mahbod-moghadam-fired-saying-elliot-rodgers-sister-smoking-hot/
Even freedom of speech has limits and as a founder he should be held to an even higher standard.