4 ms·
RMS lacks the self censorship and political intuition to not say what many think but know not to say. I disagree with him that " having a child with Down’s synd
by nicolas_t 6y ago
RMS lacks the self censorship and political intuition to not say what many think but know not to say. I disagree with him that " having a child with Down’s syndrome to having a pet." but that's because I've had experience with a neighbor with down syndrome. However, I know many people think that, they just are politically savvy enough not to say it.
It's unfortunate that in today's society, people condemn people like RMS who are not neurotypical for not behaving neurotypically and try to cancel him while at the same time, those same people claim to celebrate diversity.
- meepmorp 6y agoHas anyone but RMS diagnosed RMS as having an autism spectrum disorder?
- tablespoon 6y ago> Has anyone but RMS diagnosed RMS as having an autism spectrum disorder? IIRC, he actually claims he doesn't have ASD, but his reasoning suggests that he doesn't know what he's talking about: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537802 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537802
- rory 6y agoRegardless of which classifications he fits or does not fit into, it's pretty obvious he's not neurotypical.
- meepmorp 6y agoNo, that's bullshit. Don't play armchair neurologist and diagnose people's conditions from a distance as a way of explaining their behavior.
- rory 6y agoI clearly stated I'm not diagnosing any conditions, so the accusation is uncalled for. Neurotypical is hardly a scientific word, but to the extent it applies to anyone, you'd have a hard time convincing me it applies to RMS.
- meepmorp 6y agoThe term neurotypical doesn't have to be scientific to have meaning. The term is very strongly associated with autism and ASD, and that's the context in which the term was used here. Using an existing, loaded term in reference to a person's behavior, prefixed with a "I'm not diagnosing any conditions," fig leaf is disingenuous.
- rory 6y agoYou are the only one using the words autism and ASD in this thread. There was no such prior context.
- skissane 6y agoPersonally I am inclined to avoid the term "neurotypical". Although the term is popular, it is unclear what exactly it means, and the scientific basis behind the term is questionable. That said, RMS clearly displays traits consistent with the broad autism phenotype (BAP). That's not a diagnosis because BAP is by definition not a diagnosis – it is defined as a subclinical condition, and by definition you don't diagnose subclinical conditions.