I was outed at work today

[undeterred]

I am a contractor hoping to be hired. My immediate supervisor is fairly liberal, but because he is in charge of several people from opposite ends of the spectrum he really tries to steer the group conversation away from politics. Except this morning, when he asked what I thought of about the boycott yesterday and I told him about working on the campaign for the guy who is running against Sensenbrenner. Before today he knew that I was "liberal" but not that I was politically active. He had lunch with our manager, who as it turns out is a Republican, and the subject must have come up because I was "outed".

After lunch our manager asked me a little bit about what I was doing politically and I told him. He seemed ok with it- not that its his business or anything. The campaign I am working on is not in the district I live in or in the district I work in. Neither my supervisor or my boss have ever heard of Sensenbrenner, if you can believe that.

I hope it doesn't come back to bite me (keep me from being hired) but it would have come out sooner or later I guess.

[sweetheart]

1. stay undeterred

You've not been outed... really. Outed really, is when your boss
has read all you DU posts, and the FBI has shown up with a book of
all the posts from DU-1 that are not available online.

Outed really is when your "boss" is threatened to the core that you might
write about their business, and its fragility. Outed really is to be
subject to infinite paranoia and to lose a job... not worth discussing
on DU... keepin thoz economiks sound.

[DU9598]

2. Doesn't Wisconsin have a civil rights act protecting sexual orientation?

If so, start taking notes and documenting everything.

[acmavm]

5. ????? That's not what I got from his post. Did I entirely misunderstand?

[undeterred]

7. I meant "outed" as a liberal not as gay!

Sorry I borrowed the term, but I feel like I've been in a closet for a few months...

[Connie_Corleone]

8. You might want to read the OP again. nt

[TallahasseeGrannie]

4. OH MY GOD

GO OVER THAT ONE MORE TIME, PLEASE. THE FBI HAD A COPY OF ALL YOUR DU POSTS?

DEAR GOD, DO I NEED TO CHANGE MY NAME? AM I TOO IDENTIFIABLE?

HOLY MOLY. THIS HAS FREAKED ME OUT. I LOG ON AT WORK DURING PLANNING TIMES SOMETIMES. SHOULD I STOP THAT?


T-Grannie...shaking in her orthopedic shoes

[undeterred]

12. If people knew how much IT can see

they would be more careful at work. We see everything you print, every website you hit, every file you save on your machine.

Our biggest customer is the DOD, so I'm a little worried about not getting hired because of my politics.

[sweetheart]

15. That last part

... count on it. The new war is in "terrorist finance", the new
syllogism for "earning a living".

Its the new war recoined, reminted
the old war buried forever recondite,
like a sick depraved fact reprinted,
ancient, depraved, lost, alight.
#
Would a better half be knave,
another brother to be indigent,
lest a letter to deprave,
vile wreckage asking vigilant.

Half conscious and dying,
another body in its grave,
pray for justice, not be lying,
Does this soul, jesus save?
Unapologetic, uncaring and wretched,
Black, criminally upset, bleatched.

[sweetheart]

14. no worries

Agent Mike has everything. He knows that we are not terrorists.

In a very unlike sweetheart moment, i've to credit bush with
keeping our free speech intact during this strife. one credit,
a million debits... no balance.

Presume that everything you do on the internet, every keystroke
you type in to your work computer can be monitored legally, even
keystrokes you don't press "send message" with.

The same is true with things you say whilst "on hold". They
record and retain everything... hard disks are free, and you are
too visible an opponent to a stupid bunch of fools that couldn't
find a real enemy if it bit them. They are paid to be idiots,
its part of being in the US security establishment.

Those who are not idiots, accept that the real job means
it will remain forever unappreciated.

[undeterred]

6. thanks for putting it in perspective

I feel a little relieved- its been very hard to go for 3 whole months without ever breathing a word of it to my supervisor, even in a matter of fact way.

My DU policy at work is to occasionally look at the boards for headlines during the day but never login. Because I am in IT I know exactly how much he has access to - and its everything.

[acmejack]

3. It is hard not to offer more information than one should

But it wise not to. In the professional arena it is best to firewall your personal life completely off from your work, it will keep things much simpler. The less you offer unsolicited, the better off you will be in the long run.

signed, the voice of experience

[undeterred]

9. I like the "firewall" analogy

Its hard not to talk about something that's so important to me.

[bleedingheart]

10. I was outed long ago...and now the Republicans fear me...

in fact....as my one buddy says..."no one fights with bleedingheart because she will pummel them with facts"....

bwahahahahaha

my boss is an independent who razzes me about politics but is a pretty lefty guy...

[ComerPerro]

11. Its a sad state when liberals are afraid to admit their views

but I completely understand.

I don't offer my opinion much anymore because I am sick of arguing and being shouted at.

[Solo_in_MD]

13. As long as you are not trying to get on with the Gov, you should be OK

There are legal issues with being a Govie and working on campaigns.

As for being out of step with the locals on issues, BTDT. Some doctrinaire types have no sense of humor about not toeing the line, but most people are fairly reasonable.