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A well written piece by Perens, but his focus on Stallman's disability leaves the reader to reach the point on their own, which may be difficult for some (perha

A well written piece by Perens, but his focus on Stallman's disability leaves the reader to reach the point on their own, which may be difficult for some (perhaps those with similar issues to Stallman). The point is that people (and corporations) should be more tolerant of the views of others. They are not required to agree, but they should not automatically push the "cancel" button. I don't agree with everything that Stallman believes (for example, GPL3), but I have no desire to shun him. I will likely be modded down for expressing my next opinion: The same thing applies to those who support(ed) President Donald Trump. There was once a day when most US citizens would respect the office of President even when they did not hold the same views as the occupant. Why is there so much hate for those (47%?) who supported, or still support him and his political philosophies?

legulere 6y ago
Can we not act like the Second World War and consequently Karl Popper’s “ The Open Society and Its Enemies” didn’t happen? You cannot run a tolerant society without being intolerant to those that want to destroy it. You are right, that there is too much intolerance in today’s society, but I don’t think that it’s the case here. I think Stallman’s public statements about child rape deserve all the shunning he got.
- anonymousiam 6y ago
  How many people know exactly what was said, vs. reading some media report that "Stallman supported child rape?" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/richard-stallman-returns-to-fsf-18-months-after-controversial-rape-comments/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/richard-stallman... After one person wrote that "Giuffre was 17 at the time; this makes it rape in the Virgin Islands," Stallman responded, "I think it is morally absurd to define 'rape' in a way that depends on minor details such as which country it was in or whether the victim was 18 years old or 17."
  - legulere 6y ago
    I am very aware of the various things RMS said like the following: “I am sceptical of the claim that voluntarily pedophilia harms children.” https://thenextweb.com/dd/2019/09/13/free-software-icon-richard-stallman-has-some-moronic-thoughts-about-pedophilia/amp/ https://thenextweb.com/dd/2019/09/13/free-software-icon-rich...
- Natsu 6y ago
  > You cannot run a tolerant society without being intolerant to those that want to destroy it. Popper predicated that right on the right to self-defense against people who use "fists or pistols" instead of words to argue. Has RMS been out there punching or shooting people or using some other physical violence? Last I knew he wasn't even accused of intolerance at all but of some absurd defense of his now-dead friend who was accused of going to Epstein's island.
  - legulere 6y ago
    Child rape is a form of violence. You think we should tolerate sentences like the following? Richard Stallman: “I am sceptical of the claim that voluntarily pedophilia harms children.”
    - Natsu 6y ago
      I think the very idea is reprehensible and strongly disagree with RMS, but I also don't think that talking about it is the same as doing it.
- panny 6y ago
  >You cannot run a tolerant society without being intolerant to those that want to destroy it. >I think Stallman’s public statements about child rape deserve all the shunning he got. You just invoked Hitler's logic for the holocaust and blood libel in the same post against a person of Jewish ethnicity.
  - dsr_ 6y ago
    Yet they did not: - demonize a large group of people collectively - accuse RMS of making statements he did not make So, no, not very much like Hitler at all.
anonymousiam 6y ago
Replying to myself because the above was instantly modded to oblivion. Is free speech dead? Are we back to the ways of Stalin, Khrushchev, and Mao? Should all non-conformant speech be cancelled? What will our future be like if that is the case?

legulere 6y ago

Can we not act like the Second World War and consequently Karl Popper’s “ The Open Society and Its Enemies” didn’t happen? You cannot run a tolerant society without being intolerant to those that want to destroy it. You are right, that there is too much intolerance in today’s society, but I don’t think that it’s the case here. I think Stallman’s public statements about child rape deserve all the shunning he got.

anonymousiam 6y ago
How many people know exactly what was said, vs. reading some media report that "Stallman supported child rape?" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/richard-stallman-returns-to-fsf-18-months-after-controversial-rape-comments/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/richard-stallman... After one person wrote that "Giuffre was 17 at the time; this makes it rape in the Virgin Islands," Stallman responded, "I think it is morally absurd to define 'rape' in a way that depends on minor details such as which country it was in or whether the victim was 18 years old or 17."
- legulere 6y ago
  I am very aware of the various things RMS said like the following: “I am sceptical of the claim that voluntarily pedophilia harms children.” https://thenextweb.com/dd/2019/09/13/free-software-icon-richard-stallman-has-some-moronic-thoughts-about-pedophilia/amp/ https://thenextweb.com/dd/2019/09/13/free-software-icon-rich...
Natsu 6y ago
> You cannot run a tolerant society without being intolerant to those that want to destroy it. Popper predicated that right on the right to self-defense against people who use "fists or pistols" instead of words to argue. Has RMS been out there punching or shooting people or using some other physical violence? Last I knew he wasn't even accused of intolerance at all but of some absurd defense of his now-dead friend who was accused of going to Epstein's island.
- legulere 6y ago
  Child rape is a form of violence. You think we should tolerate sentences like the following? Richard Stallman: “I am sceptical of the claim that voluntarily pedophilia harms children.”
  - Natsu 6y ago
    I think the very idea is reprehensible and strongly disagree with RMS, but I also don't think that talking about it is the same as doing it.
panny 6y ago
>You cannot run a tolerant society without being intolerant to those that want to destroy it. >I think Stallman’s public statements about child rape deserve all the shunning he got. You just invoked Hitler's logic for the holocaust and blood libel in the same post against a person of Jewish ethnicity.
- dsr_ 6y ago
  Yet they did not: - demonize a large group of people collectively - accuse RMS of making statements he did not make So, no, not very much like Hitler at all.

anonymousiam 6y ago

Replying to myself because the above was instantly modded to oblivion. Is free speech dead? Are we back to the ways of Stalin, Khrushchev, and Mao? Should all non-conformant speech be cancelled? What will our future be like if that is the case?