In recent weeks Google has been in the thick of a rather unusual lawsuit. Former employee James Damore has begun to file a class action suit against the tech giant for discrimination in the workforce. What make this particular case so unusual, is that the discrimination is said to be aimed primarily at applicants or employees who are white, male or conservative. These particular attributed groups have recently been under attack for having a particular level or privilege or innate discriminatory tendencies but rumors are circulating that Silicon Valley is the exception.

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The trouble for Damore began after releasing an internal memo titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber.” This document was Damore’s argument against Google’s diversity policies that created quotas for women and minorities in an attempt to mimic the level of diversity within the United States and California in particular. The memo was a ten pages explanation as to why he believed the new diversity policies, couples with the general environment of the company were flawed and largely discriminatory.

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The argument was made that some employees are being pushed out of the way for new ones that may be less qualified simply because they meet minority quotas. That’s not to say that those individuals could not be as qualified, if not more so, but the argument remains that it was becoming increasingly difficult to be a white, conservative man. Another large part of this thesis was the explanation of women possibly being biologically inferior in particular aspects of the tech business. This was the most highly criticized point of the memo. It is obvious that statistically men and women differ in some psychological sectors but Damore’s arguments were based on biological studies that have also been criticized as false.

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It is unclear where exactly this information came from, but without proper research it is unfair to immediately dismiss it, especially if it is simply his opinion. Some of the specific statements were geared towards the psychological nature of most women as more social and artistic, while also having a stronger disdain for high-stress jobs. However, these claims caused an uproar within Google, and once the memo was released publicly, the rest of the internet chimed in. Many called for his immediate removal while others supported his right to share is thoughts on the matter.

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Google executives released a statement saying that their decision to fire Damore was not at all taken lightly. Many criticized Damore for propagating stereotypes about women, and whether or not the information in his memo is true seems beside the point. Many did not like the disruption is caused and saw it as a form of hate speech instead of one man voicing a growing concern for himself and others that he feared would not be hear otherwise.

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This case has been filed as a class action lawsuit because Damore and his attorney, Harmeet Dhillon are confident that others will come forward to share their stories. Silicon Valley and the tech industry is being painted in a new light and it is not the all-inclusive utopian society that some have made it out to be. Damore and many others now claim that the sector in general does not seem to have a place for white men or conservatives, including women and minority groups. Many media sources covering this case have claimed that’s it’s absurd for Damore to say he doesn’t have a voice because Google has a reputation for their leniency towards employees remarks for the company, its founders, or really anything else they would like to comment on. It has been expressed numerous times that it is a place for free flowing ideas and that these things should not be stifled.  However, Damore’s title of “Echo Chamber” stems from the idea that you can voice your opinion, it just has to be the right opinion. This is the entire basis for his case and those joining him. They claim they are being silenced from voicing opinions in support of the President amongst other political and social issues under constant threat of replacement by those wishing to fill quotas.

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It is unclear whether Google’s undoubtedly expensive team of corporate lawyers will be able to win over the case of discrimination, but if Damore and any others that come forward are found to have been mistreated, it will set a new precedence for all companies and the popular idea of minority quotas. This case also brings to light the dangerous new trend of attempting to legally silence opinions that differ from the majority by labeling it “hate speech” and forcing it down. Dhillon and Damore have quite a way to go to convince the judicial system of their plight and the necessity of legal and social change.