4 ms·

"Stallman's comprehensive personal philosophy on social matters can make people uncomfortable." Could you include a bit on the site that discusses RMS' "pleasu

"Stallman's comprehensive personal philosophy on social matters can make people uncomfortable." Could you include a bit on the site that discusses RMS' "pleasure cards" and how he continued to hand them to women even after he was asked to stop because it made people uncomfortable? https://twitter.com/wiredferret/status/1173042834179534849 https://twitter.com/wiredferret/status/1173042834179534849

d_tr 6y ago
You have to admit that the open letter paints him as something much worse than that though. Quite the vicious and hotheaded campaign that naturally ended up being divisive. At least they did not call him racist.
0xy 6y ago
Devils advocate: is there any proof that these aren't just business cards using poor taste humor, like Zuck's "I'm CEO, Bitch." card? Who exactly coined the "pleasure card" moniker? You also noted he continued to hand them out after being asked to stop, but the link doesn't seem to corroborate that (and is a random Twitter accusation at that).
- oscribinn 6y ago
  It seems like the users of this site would rather downvote this than actually take the time to think of a response.
  - stcredzero 6y ago
    Over the years, HN has gotten more and more brigaded by organized ideologues. They're generally quickly hostile, and are apparently more interested in discrediting and combatting than in actual discourse. Fortunately, their ideological filters generally short circuit their brains and their attention spans. Just keep doing what you do and live for the good conversations.
wrycoder 6y ago
I remember “tender hugs” being quite the thing in the last quarter of the 20th century. What else is notable about his card?
- tenaciousDaniel 6y ago
  I'm really trying to understand the issue with the card itself, but the tweet has no further context. Did he only give these out to women? Were they given with other social cues that would indicate he was handing them out as a way to hit on or make a sexual advance towards women? If either of those things are true then I'd understand. But the cards alone look like a business card from a person with a slightly odd sense of humor.
  - emilyst 6y ago
    He made people uncomfortable. He was asked to stop. He was reported. He kept doing it. So it's not a "slightly odd sense of humor." It's not humor if no one laughs. If someone tells me something makes them uncomfortable, I stop it.
    - senectus1 6y ago
      Making people uncomfortable is essentially free speech. wtf should he be ostracized for doing that? Now, if the Org he's giving a speech for and giving these out at, doesn't like him doing it and asks him not to but he still does it. then THEY are within their right to eject him. But no flash outrage social media push has any right to "cancel" the guy because he creeps them out a little. Just dont take the card. request he leave you alone. He'll either get the message or he wont... if he doesn't then that is harassments. (albeit a very minor sort) but enough to request security/police to step in and communicate more directly to his hind-brain. Beginning to see some of the arguments that the "right" make about cancel culture... and I a lefty.
    - 0xy 6y ago
      Where's the proof of that? Because it's not in the random Twitter allegation. Who asked him to stop? What specifically was said? When was he reported? When did he keep doing it? I've heard this allegation multiple times, and have yet to see any proof.
techrat 6y ago
This is what really confuses me about the whole situation. Stallman has a multi-decade history of being disgusting in nearly every way a human being can be. "Pleasure cards" is but one story of too many I've heard from others and as such, I can give additional (when one is enough) reasons why Stallman should go disappear without having to mention anything highly focused on from the last 3-ish years. People still focusing on arguing that he was taken out context in this current drama have completely missed the point and ignored everything that came before.
torthrowaway999 6y ago
It is a joke on "business or pleasure" and he gave it to both men and women https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574720 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574720 This is the first time that I read that "he was asked to stop".

d_tr 6y ago

You have to admit that the open letter paints him as something much worse than that though. Quite the vicious and hotheaded campaign that naturally ended up being divisive. At least they did not call him racist.

0xy 6y ago

Devils advocate: is there any proof that these aren't just business cards using poor taste humor, like Zuck's "I'm CEO, Bitch." card? Who exactly coined the "pleasure card" moniker? You also noted he continued to hand them out after being asked to stop, but the link doesn't seem to corroborate that (and is a random Twitter accusation at that).

oscribinn 6y ago
It seems like the users of this site would rather downvote this than actually take the time to think of a response.
- stcredzero 6y ago
  Over the years, HN has gotten more and more brigaded by organized ideologues. They're generally quickly hostile, and are apparently more interested in discrediting and combatting than in actual discourse. Fortunately, their ideological filters generally short circuit their brains and their attention spans. Just keep doing what you do and live for the good conversations.

wrycoder 6y ago

I remember “tender hugs” being quite the thing in the last quarter of the 20th century. What else is notable about his card?

tenaciousDaniel 6y ago
I'm really trying to understand the issue with the card itself, but the tweet has no further context. Did he only give these out to women? Were they given with other social cues that would indicate he was handing them out as a way to hit on or make a sexual advance towards women? If either of those things are true then I'd understand. But the cards alone look like a business card from a person with a slightly odd sense of humor.
- emilyst 6y ago
  He made people uncomfortable. He was asked to stop. He was reported. He kept doing it. So it's not a "slightly odd sense of humor." It's not humor if no one laughs. If someone tells me something makes them uncomfortable, I stop it.
  - senectus1 6y ago
    Making people uncomfortable is essentially free speech. wtf should he be ostracized for doing that? Now, if the Org he's giving a speech for and giving these out at, doesn't like him doing it and asks him not to but he still does it. then THEY are within their right to eject him. But no flash outrage social media push has any right to "cancel" the guy because he creeps them out a little. Just dont take the card. request he leave you alone. He'll either get the message or he wont... if he doesn't then that is harassments. (albeit a very minor sort) but enough to request security/police to step in and communicate more directly to his hind-brain. Beginning to see some of the arguments that the "right" make about cancel culture... and I a lefty.
  - 0xy 6y ago
    Where's the proof of that? Because it's not in the random Twitter allegation. Who asked him to stop? What specifically was said? When was he reported? When did he keep doing it? I've heard this allegation multiple times, and have yet to see any proof.

techrat 6y ago

This is what really confuses me about the whole situation. Stallman has a multi-decade history of being disgusting in nearly every way a human being can be. "Pleasure cards" is but one story of too many I've heard from others and as such, I can give additional (when one is enough) reasons why Stallman should go disappear without having to mention anything highly focused on from the last 3-ish years. People still focusing on arguing that he was taken out context in this current drama have completely missed the point and ignored everything that came before.

torthrowaway999 6y ago

It is a joke on "business or pleasure" and he gave it to both men and women https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574720 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574720 This is the first time that I read that "he was asked to stop".