In Support of Richard Stallman

by ekjhgkejhgk • 8 months ago

13 9 8 months ago

ekjhgkejhgk3• 8 months ago

Sharing here, because the "stallman report" gets shared as well.

billy99k• 8 months ago

Stallman is a creep and always has been. There are many accounts over the years of him saying creepy things to women at various conferences/events.

mystraline• 8 months ago

Yeah.

But he also has tech estimated extraordinarily well, and calls out corporate scams a decade before they try it.

Its possible to ignore his sexist views, at the same time listening to his tech views.

ekjhgkejhgk3• 8 months ago

Nooooooo he makes people uncomfortable!

verdverm• 8 months ago

Its possible to ignore his sexist views, at the same time listening to his tech views.

see also the Paradox of Tolerance

elmerfud• 8 months ago

That nebulous label is creep has been dismissed by any reasonable person. Because the same words spoken by two different people and it's creepy in one case and not in the other all through the subjective lens of the receiver. Something that is impossible to know in advance.

So if you have actual evidence of inappropriate things that have been said, especially after someone has indicated it's unwelcome, please share that for everyone to see. Otherwise you're just spouting nonsense with nothing to back it up except arbitrary feelings.

Sorry you didn't want to be approached by Richard Stallman but even people who look like Richard Stallman are allowed to shoot their shot without being called a creep.

ahazred8ta• 8 months ago

Bouncers at various Boston area science fiction conventions have had to physically remove him from rooms because of where he puts his hands. I've spoken with three staffpeople who have done so on different occasions.

FrankWilhoit• 8 months ago

Begin by acknowledging that Stallman is insane. But that is not enough.

The second, mandatory step is to pivot to his work -- and stay there.

The third step (which, regrettably, must be optional) is to consider the relationship between insanity and exceptional innovation/productivity. We've been trying to ignore that one for centuries, but it is responsible for much of what we use and value.

ekjhgkejhgk3• 8 months ago

Stallman is not insane, he's just unusual.

Here's a 1 hour 10 minute long interview where he talks not only about software but also about his personal history with software[1]. Notable to me was the point where he describes the time shortly before and after he started the free software foundation where he came up with the minimum amount of time a year that he had to work in order to pay the bills and still save a bit of money, and he uses the rest for his activism for free software.

He strikes me not as insane, but as someone with great moral clarity and unusual conviction.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucXYWG0vqqk

In Support of Richard Stallman

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