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> Stallman has called for the killing of babies with Down Syndrome. I've been in OSS for decades. I've actually argued with RMS personally on certain subject (
by smsm42 6y ago
> Stallman has called for the killing of babies with Down Syndrome.
I've been in OSS for decades. I've actually argued with RMS personally on certain subject (he called me evil, which I disagree with, but that's not the point). I've read a lot of his writings and a lot of writings about him. I never heard about this until today. I have no idea what RMS actually said on the subject (you didn't provide a quote, as it usually happens) but whatever he said, it's clearly wasn't something very important among all his body of work, if mostly nobody heard or cared about this so far.
In fact, I can't bring myself to care about RMS's views on the subject right now - even if your most uncharitable interpretation is completely correct (I am 99% sure it's not, but even in unlikely case it is) it's completely immaterial. RMS has never been and never will be in a position that such an opinion would matter for anything, he has never killed any babies and has never contributed or influenced anything that mattered in this area. He did, however, contributed a lot and mattered a lot in other areas.
One of the most idiotic and toxic features of cancel culture is reducing the immense complexity of the person's life to one - almost always distorted and misinterpreted - statement and focusing on it as if it were the only point ever. There's no "someone like that". "Someone like that" is a bullshit - no one is "like that", and "like that" is an insanely awful criteria to guide your actions. Literally everybody has done something in their life some people may not like. One can disagree with somebody on some subject and still agree with them on other subjects. That's how human society works. People can not be reduced to a single "like that", and shouldn't be. Get out of Twitter and purge it out of your system, for the benefit of yourself and humanity.
- DanBC 6y agoThis is a lot of words to defend someone when you -as you say - don't know what he said nor what he meant. The fact that many people in open source don't care about Stallman's defence of eugenics says a lot.
- smsm42 6y ago> This is a lot of words That's your response? "too long, didn't read"? Well, good job, I guess, here's your participation trophy. > The fact that many people in open source don't care about Stallman's defence of eugenics says a lot. No, it actually says nothing at all. That's the whole point, which you may have understood if you bothered to actually read. RMS's views on random subjects is just idle thoughts of a random dude, and nobody in any community owes anybody any care about what random dude once said about random subjects. If RMS were nominated for the Secretary of Health, then his views on reproductive decisions may be slightly more relevant. Call me back when that happens.
- sascha_sl 6y agoThe point is that maybe you should stop doing a theoretical defense in 1000 words and head over to stallman.org and read up on the words you're defending first. It's really not that hard.
- smsm42 6y agoI know the words. The whole point is - for the third time - is not that those words aren't as bad as the Woko Haram on Twitter tries to present it, though this is also true. The point is even if they were what they claim, it still wouldn't be a reason for ruining somebody's life, because the whole concept of "people like that" is complete and utter bullshit. People are complex. Somehow most people people by now get that reducing somebody to their gender, or disability, or condition, or skin color, or ethnicity, or some other single trait is wrong. But it's still hard to get how reducing somebody to one single random statement - made years ago at that - is wrong. I am still not sure if it's performative obtuseness or geniune psychological blockage.
- phasnox 6y ago> One of the most idiotic and toxic features of cancel culture is reducing the immense complexity of the person's life to one - almost always distorted and misinterpreted - statement and focusing on it as if it were the only point ever. I actually agree with this. I never said "cancel him", I said it would be hard to support. Although I strongly disagree with what he said, I can and should be able to work with people I strongly disagree with, otherwise society would collapse. I have actually changed my mind :o
- qrbLPHiKpiux 6y agoCancel Culture is a real problem. An unfair one. I may disagree with what someone says but I will fight with them for their right to say it. I'm transphobic because I will never under any circumstances be with a transgender man who will never be a woman. There - Will I be canceled?