'Look, freedom from speech is not freedom from consequences. Nobody is stopping Professor Galilei from continuing to insist that the earth revolves around the sun, and besides the Inquisition is a private institution with a right to practice freedom of association by associating Galileo with some thumbscrews(and I heard a rumor he's a creep).'
Richard M. Stallman resigns
921–930 of 1001 posts
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#922'Look, freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences. Professor Galilei said something gross, but nobody is silencing him. The Inquisition is just going to exercise its right to freedom of association by associating him with some thumbscrews. Plus I hear he's a creep!'
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#923Earlier quoted context omitted.
> RMS has called himself "borderline autistic". As someone actually autistic, he doesn't get to blame being a douchecanoe on being autistic. > His socially clueless black and white thinking makes it look like he is far in the spectrum. Then _learn_. Also, we're not talking about not getting social cues about when it's okay to start talking, we're talking his considered and repeated position on issues such as sexual a…
GREAT comment, and honestly it's an indictment of HN that it's currently downvoted.
There actually seems to be a bit of a battle going on in my upvotes right now.
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#924RMS was defending his friend who, at the age of 74, is accused of having sex with a 17 year old girl on a billionaire's private island. There is not a defense for what RMS was writing or how he was trying to defend Minsky. The prevalence of comments trying to turn this against "SJW"s or whatever "other" they can because they're a fan of RMS is disturbing. This isn't us vs. them. This is a man who said something wildl…
Come on - if I accuse you of being 74 and having sex with a a 17 year old girl on a billionaire's private island - then nobody can defend you? Minsky is dead and he cannot defend himself, the girl said she was directed to have sex with him - but she did not say she eventually did it, she did answer a question about where she went to do that and she answered that which would imply that she had sex with him - but it is…
[deleted]
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#925This rapist is out - CANCELED!
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#926This rapist is out.
Canceled!
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#927RMS was defending his friend who, at the age of 74, is accused of having sex with a 17 year old girl on a billionaire's private island. There is not a defense for what RMS was writing or how he was trying to defend Minsky. The prevalence of comments trying to turn this against "SJW"s or whatever "other" they can because they're a fan of RMS is disturbing. This isn't us vs. them. This is a man who said something wildl…
> I welcome anyone to provide a counter-argument. You're justifying the actions a lynch mob. Why does anyone need to provide a counter point? The onus is on you to explain why you think a mob taking justice into their own hands is okay. The only justification I can find is that he said something inappropriate. Who are you to decide what's appropriate? Are you the arbiter of morality for the entire world? > This is a…
> You're justifying the actions a lynch mob.
No I'm not. I also don't think the outcome had anything to do with the mob. There were plenty of people even before the mob knew anything, who took strong exception to what RMS was saying.
> Who are you to decide what's appropriate? Are you the arbiter of morality for the entire world?
I'm not. MIT decided what was appropriate for their organization and the moral behavior of its employee and associate.
I am making what I think is a pretty universal moral statement in that old men taking advantage of young women for sexual pleasure is very wrong.
> It sets a precedent that completely removes the ability to have non mainstream opinions.
These aren't just "non-mainstream opinions" he was defending actions which most western societies consider rape. This isn't some slippery slope where people can't say anything nonconformist, this is a situation where people don't want to be associated with you when you publicly defend taking advantage of vulnerable, abused young women.
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#928RMS was defending his friend who, at the age of 74, is accused of having sex with a 17 year old girl on a billionaire's private island. There is not a defense for what RMS was writing or how he was trying to defend Minsky. The prevalence of comments trying to turn this against "SJW"s or whatever "other" they can because they're a fan of RMS is disturbing. This isn't us vs. them. This is a man who said something wildl…
> his friend who ... is accused It's the accused that is the problem with this. He isn't defending the proven actions of a pervert, he is defending the memory of a dead friend, suggesting that his friend was incapable of the crime of which he is accused. If defending an accused friend is now itself punishable by excision from society, then the effect of an accusation alone becomes immediate isolation. The presumption…
That he was defending his dead friend isn't the issue.
He was defending statutory rape and taking advantage of vulnerable young women - it does not matter whether the actual event happened or not. RMS was defending rape in a very public forum and got fired.
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#929Good riddance. [spits]
Re: Richard M. Stallman resigns
#930People seem to be saying a variety of things about RMS: He's a genius, so let him be. He doesn't understand interpersonal communication. He didn't say the things people thought he said. People are too quick to judge. And so forth. I was there, about 20 years ago, when he sent e-mail urging all free-software advocates to protest a bill under consideration in the US Congress. I asked him if he had read the bill. "No,"…
>how could someone claim any moral or leadership authority when he called for protests and a letter-writing campaign on a subject he didn't know about first hand?
...
>You want to defend Epstein in your own personal life? Go for it; you won't have many friends or colleagues afterwards, but that's up to you. But if you do it as the public face of a well-known activist organization? You can't possibly stick around there.
You criticise him for not having read the bill, yet you rant about him without having read his emails? Where did he defend Epstein?