6 ms·

Stallman has stated that he does not have Aspergers or Autism. But for some reason people online can't stop themselves from diagnosing him with it.

by Jonnax 6y ago

user-the-name 6y ago
Also, even if he did, implying that it is ok to be abusive or a sexual harasser because of it is not just absolutely wrong, but a massive, massive insult to all people with autism.
- orra 6y ago
  This is spot on, even though predictably and depressingly you've been downvoted to hell. Autism does not excuse sexual harassment. Pretending it does is a complete ableist trope. As you say, it's a disservice to everybody with disabilities who have learnt, as necessary, to not sexually harass others.
  - incrudible 6y ago
    If I crack a bad joke due to my social ineptness, you may call that sexual harassment. However, due to my social ineptness, I will simply reject your definition of sexual harassment and insist that I was just making a harmless joke. Perhaps some people with different expressions of that "disability" have the capacity to "learn" that they're "wrong". I don't. To suggest that I should have that capacity because others do is... ableist, I guess?
    - user-the-name 6y ago
      That is not a thing.
      - incrudible 6y ago
        It is a thing. QED
- quonn 6y ago
  It‘s not okay to say they are abusive. You wouldn‘t call a child abusive if it shouts out some words that it doesn‘t understand.
  - krapp 6y ago
    >You wouldn‘t call a child abusive if it shouts out some words that it doesn‘t understand. Are you implying that Richard Stallman is so cognitively impaired that he literally cannot comprehend the meaning of the language he uses, or control his behavior? That he has the mind of a child? If that's the case, he should be assigned a legal guardian, not given a position of leadership and role as spokesman for the FSF.
Number157 6y ago
Well it's for good reason. He displays the symptoms so he probably has it, regardless of what he says.
- smt88 6y ago
  You can't diagnose someone else on the autism spectrum. Applying your bullshit armchair psychology to strangers is harmful to people who actually are on the spectrum. My sister has Asperger's and is easily able to understand why children can't consent to sex and that it doesn't hurt anyone to use preferred pronouns. I don't see what Asperger's has to do with the issues RSM was/is ignorant about.
  - orra 6y ago
    > My sister has Asperger's and is easily able to understand [...]. I don't see what Asperger's has to do with the issues RSM was/is ignorant about. Exactly. And regardless, his (willful) non-understanding makes him a terrible leader, a terrible spokesperson.
skissane 6y ago
As I've said before, RMS obviously has a flawed understanding of ASD and so his "self-undiagnosis" of it shouldn't be given a lot of weight: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537802 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537802 And I agree that nobody other than a professional personally evaluating him should diagnose him with ASD (or anything), but he displays obvious traits of BAP (broad autism phenotype, subclinical ASD) – https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537443 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537443 – and that's not a "diagnosis" because BAP is by definition not a diagnosis.
incrudible 6y ago
He may not have sought a clinical diagnosis, or if he does he may not want to disclose it, which is within his rights. Nevertheless, he clearly and obviously displays so many symptoms from that spectrum that it would only be charitable to treat his communications under the assumptions that there's something there.
- user-the-name 6y ago
  Even if he does, it in no way whatsoever excuses his awful behaviour, abuse and harassment. And it is cowardly and incredibly insulting to those who do suffer from it to claim it is.
  - incrudible 6y ago
    It's not a carte blanche, but acting socially inappropriately is a hallmark of Autism-Spectrum disorders. I do believe that does excuse or at least re-frame certain behaviors that might be otherwise construed as "awful" or "abusive". Intent matters.
    - user-the-name 6y ago
      It really, really does not. I think you should try to first go find out what the behaviours actually are. It's not just having awkward opinions or butting into conversations. Like, https://twitter.com/grok_/status/1375049417926053894 https://twitter.com/grok_/status/1375049417926053894
      - incrudible 6y ago
        He also ate ”something” from his own foot, in public. I’m not saying his behavior is not highly inappropriate for an adult man. I simply refuse to attribute malice. He probably thought it was hilarious to lick the arm of someone he just met.
        user-the-name 6y ago
krapp 6y ago
>But for some reason people online can't stop themselves from diagnosing him with it. Doing so makes it easier to excuse Stallman's behavior and demonize his critics by implying their only motivation is hatred of conventionally unattractive and neurodivergent people - an argument designed to strongly resonate emotionally with the tech community and serve as a thought terminating cliche. It's ironically exactly the sort of bad faith strategy they constantly accuse "the SJWs" of partaking in.

Stallman has stated that he does not have Aspergers or Autism. But for some reason people online can't stop themselves from diagnosing him with it.

by Jonnax 6y ago

Stallman has stated that he does not have Aspergers or Autism. But for some reason people online can't stop themselves from diagnosing him with it.

user-the-name 6y ago

Also, even if he did, implying that it is ok to be abusive or a sexual harasser because of it is not just absolutely wrong, but a massive, massive insult to all people with autism.

orra 6y ago
This is spot on, even though predictably and depressingly you've been downvoted to hell. Autism does not excuse sexual harassment. Pretending it does is a complete ableist trope. As you say, it's a disservice to everybody with disabilities who have learnt, as necessary, to not sexually harass others.
- incrudible 6y ago
  If I crack a bad joke due to my social ineptness, you may call that sexual harassment. However, due to my social ineptness, I will simply reject your definition of sexual harassment and insist that I was just making a harmless joke. Perhaps some people with different expressions of that "disability" have the capacity to "learn" that they're "wrong". I don't. To suggest that I should have that capacity because others do is... ableist, I guess?
  - user-the-name 6y ago
    That is not a thing.
    - incrudible 6y ago
      It is a thing. QED
quonn 6y ago
It‘s not okay to say they are abusive. You wouldn‘t call a child abusive if it shouts out some words that it doesn‘t understand.
- krapp 6y ago
  >You wouldn‘t call a child abusive if it shouts out some words that it doesn‘t understand. Are you implying that Richard Stallman is so cognitively impaired that he literally cannot comprehend the meaning of the language he uses, or control his behavior? That he has the mind of a child? If that's the case, he should be assigned a legal guardian, not given a position of leadership and role as spokesman for the FSF.

Number157 6y ago

Well it's for good reason. He displays the symptoms so he probably has it, regardless of what he says.

smt88 6y ago
You can't diagnose someone else on the autism spectrum. Applying your bullshit armchair psychology to strangers is harmful to people who actually are on the spectrum. My sister has Asperger's and is easily able to understand why children can't consent to sex and that it doesn't hurt anyone to use preferred pronouns. I don't see what Asperger's has to do with the issues RSM was/is ignorant about.
- orra 6y ago
  > My sister has Asperger's and is easily able to understand [...]. I don't see what Asperger's has to do with the issues RSM was/is ignorant about. Exactly. And regardless, his (willful) non-understanding makes him a terrible leader, a terrible spokesperson.

skissane 6y ago

As I've said before, RMS obviously has a flawed understanding of ASD and so his "self-undiagnosis" of it shouldn't be given a lot of weight: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537802 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537802 And I agree that nobody other than a professional personally evaluating him should diagnose him with ASD (or anything), but he displays obvious traits of BAP (broad autism phenotype, subclinical ASD) – https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537443 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537443 – and that's not a "diagnosis" because BAP is by definition not a diagnosis.

incrudible 6y ago

He may not have sought a clinical diagnosis, or if he does he may not want to disclose it, which is within his rights. Nevertheless, he clearly and obviously displays so many symptoms from that spectrum that it would only be charitable to treat his communications under the assumptions that there's something there.

user-the-name 6y ago
Even if he does, it in no way whatsoever excuses his awful behaviour, abuse and harassment. And it is cowardly and incredibly insulting to those who do suffer from it to claim it is.
- incrudible 6y ago
  It's not a carte blanche, but acting socially inappropriately is a hallmark of Autism-Spectrum disorders. I do believe that does excuse or at least re-frame certain behaviors that might be otherwise construed as "awful" or "abusive". Intent matters.
  - user-the-name 6y ago
    It really, really does not. I think you should try to first go find out what the behaviours actually are. It's not just having awkward opinions or butting into conversations. Like, https://twitter.com/grok_/status/1375049417926053894 https://twitter.com/grok_/status/1375049417926053894
    - incrudible 6y ago
      He also ate ”something” from his own foot, in public. I’m not saying his behavior is not highly inappropriate for an adult man. I simply refuse to attribute malice. He probably thought it was hilarious to lick the arm of someone he just met.
      - user-the-name 6y ago

krapp 6y ago

>But for some reason people online can't stop themselves from diagnosing him with it. Doing so makes it easier to excuse Stallman's behavior and demonize his critics by implying their only motivation is hatred of conventionally unattractive and neurodivergent people - an argument designed to strongly resonate emotionally with the tech community and serve as a thought terminating cliche. It's ironically exactly the sort of bad faith strategy they constantly accuse "the SJWs" of partaking in.