Writing community bans member because he once worked for DOGE
A writing community called Codex has banned one of its members because he once worked for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Sahil Lavingia is the founder of Gumroad and a well-known tech investor. Earlier this year, he began working as a volunteer for DOGE, the temporary agency previously headed by Elon Musk that has been tasked with uncovering fraud and waste in the federal government. Lavingia, a software engineer, was temporarily installed at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to probe for any fraud or abuse.
Although Lavingia’s stint lasted just 55 days, it had lasting effects. On Tuesday, the engineer revealed that he has been banned from Codex because of his link to DOGE. According to a screenshot of a message sent to him by Codex organizers, this makes other members feel “unsafe.”
“The Codex Board has reviewed your case and permanently revoked your membership due to concerns raised by members about your activities at DOGE that violate our Code of Conduct and makes our members feel unsafe,” the message read. “We strive to maintain a space where diversity is celebrated and all members feel safe and included around each other.”
“Didn’t expect that working for DOGE would get me banned from a science fiction writing community I was a part of,” Lavingia commented.
On its online membership application, Codex asked applicants if they identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC).
“If you self-identify as BIPOC, and would like access to the private BIPOC-only area of the forums, tick here,” the application reads.
“If you are unsure if you meet Codex's membership qualifications, we urge you to contact us, especially if you're from outside the US or from a marginalized group,” the organization says on its website.
Diversity of thought is less prevalent on the Left
Users responded to Lavingia’s post by pointing to a study in the British Journal of Social Psychology that found there is significantly more diversity of thought on the political Right than on the political Left. The researchers studied large samples of individuals on the Right and the Left and had them answer eight politically charged questions that typically divide Democrats and Republicans.
“The cluster reflecting the Democrat belief-system almost exclusively contained extreme attitudes as indicated by strong disagreement with each of the eight items,” the researchers wrote. “Conversely, the cluster reflecting the Republican belief-system contained a wider range of attitude responses ranging from mild disagreement to maximum agreement.”
