6 ms·

I think message is genuine, and sympathize with his stand. His work on free software has been invaluable and shaped the software world in a good way. To paint t

I think message is genuine, and sympathize with his stand. His work on free software has been invaluable and shaped the software world in a good way. To paint the whole person as a "bad guy" ("terrible person") in the context of the latest developments always seemed off to me. However, usually apologies in this context backfire. Everything that you say about this can and will be used against you. This has happened to various people before, who (I believe) have been well-meaning but offended the wrong people. I sincerely hope the best for him, but I don't expect this apology/elaboration will help him.

whatshisface 6y ago
>However, usually apologies in this context backfire. As pointed out by other commenters, this is more of a defense, or an explanation, than it is an apology.
- Sharlin 6y ago
  So technically it is an apology but in the other sense of the word :)
- singlow 6y ago
  A defense is not the most common definition of apology in modern usage, but it is the most historical meaning of the word, and most aligned with its Greek etymology. This letter is very much a hybrid of both a defense and a mea culpa, the two modern usages of apology. He acknowledges some shortcomings which were partially responsible for him being criticized, but also explicitly rejects the accusations that he believes were unfounded.
sneak 6y ago
rms has a long history of what today qualifies as sexual harassment, independent of his current controversy surrounding the Minsky/Epstein mailing list posts. He's also a bad leader (a drama llama that causes misunderstandings and controversies at every turn) regardless of his extremely controversial views on things like pedophilia, the definition of "sexual assault", Epstein's victims, et c.
- pydry 6y ago
  Are there sources for rms's long history of sexual harassment?
  - sneak 6y ago
    Mostly in-person around MIT (just like Captain Crunch or Jake Appelbaum in the conference scene... informal until it wasn't), but a few have made it onto the web. See #2 here: https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix-a-a7e41e784f88 https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix...
    - thewakalix 6y ago
      1. rumors 2. a mattress with “obvious implications” which I doubt he found obvious 3. rms: “I’m suicidal, please date me” Regardless of whether or not this qualifies as “harassment” (semantic arguments being pointless), I don’t think this justifies Removing him in any sense.
      - vidarh 6y ago
        I mean, I've had a mattress in an office before, and the implication was I for a time lived in the office. No sex happened there, just poor work-life balance. A lot of the complaints against RMS seem like ableist assumptions about intent to me. Some of his behaviours are clearly problematic, but so is piling on someone this way. Frankly a lot of these attacks tells me more about the lack of empathy shown by the attackers.
        skjfdoslifjeifj 6y ago
        RMS isn't even the only person that has had a mattress by the door in their office at MIT. It used to be common enough, among both males and females, that nobody thought anything of it.
    - Ygg2 6y ago
      Those read as, "he made me uncomfortable". That's not sexual harassment.
eternalban 6y ago
It does not matter one bit if contemporary audiences react as you predict. His statements, and that of his accusers, are all on the record. I suspect RMS is made of sterner stuff, given his track record, and while no doubt these events must have exacted a psychological toll (after all, he is a human being) he must also be aware that there remain today many of us who deeply appreciate his principled positions regarding matters that affect us all. And one remains hopeful that future generations that are afforded the necessary distance from conflated matters that cloud contemporary judgment will reach a more balanced conclusion and give the man his due credit.
n9 6y ago
He didn’t apologize authentically. He might not be capable of it. And... if he did it doesn’t at all follow that his apology would be accepted. It is neither timely, nor adequately sincere and it doesn’t indicate that he is taking appropriate actions to atone. This statement is as self countered and RMS centering as his actions were. I suspect he isn’t capable of change without intervention and a lot of therapy, neither of which have been indicated here. Note: I’ve directly witnessed and dealt with RMS’s awful behavior towards women twice in my career.

whatshisface 6y ago

>However, usually apologies in this context backfire. As pointed out by other commenters, this is more of a defense, or an explanation, than it is an apology.

Sharlin 6y ago
So technically it is an apology but in the other sense of the word :)
singlow 6y ago
A defense is not the most common definition of apology in modern usage, but it is the most historical meaning of the word, and most aligned with its Greek etymology. This letter is very much a hybrid of both a defense and a mea culpa, the two modern usages of apology. He acknowledges some shortcomings which were partially responsible for him being criticized, but also explicitly rejects the accusations that he believes were unfounded.

sneak 6y ago

rms has a long history of what today qualifies as sexual harassment, independent of his current controversy surrounding the Minsky/Epstein mailing list posts. He's also a bad leader (a drama llama that causes misunderstandings and controversies at every turn) regardless of his extremely controversial views on things like pedophilia, the definition of "sexual assault", Epstein's victims, et c.

pydry 6y ago
Are there sources for rms's long history of sexual harassment?
- sneak 6y ago
  Mostly in-person around MIT (just like Captain Crunch or Jake Appelbaum in the conference scene... informal until it wasn't), but a few have made it onto the web. See #2 here: https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix-a-a7e41e784f88 https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix...
  - thewakalix 6y ago
    1. rumors 2. a mattress with “obvious implications” which I doubt he found obvious 3. rms: “I’m suicidal, please date me” Regardless of whether or not this qualifies as “harassment” (semantic arguments being pointless), I don’t think this justifies Removing him in any sense.
    - vidarh 6y ago
      I mean, I've had a mattress in an office before, and the implication was I for a time lived in the office. No sex happened there, just poor work-life balance. A lot of the complaints against RMS seem like ableist assumptions about intent to me. Some of his behaviours are clearly problematic, but so is piling on someone this way. Frankly a lot of these attacks tells me more about the lack of empathy shown by the attackers.
      - skjfdoslifjeifj 6y ago
        RMS isn't even the only person that has had a mattress by the door in their office at MIT. It used to be common enough, among both males and females, that nobody thought anything of it.
  - Ygg2 6y ago
    Those read as, "he made me uncomfortable". That's not sexual harassment.

eternalban 6y ago

It does not matter one bit if contemporary audiences react as you predict. His statements, and that of his accusers, are all on the record. I suspect RMS is made of sterner stuff, given his track record, and while no doubt these events must have exacted a psychological toll (after all, he is a human being) he must also be aware that there remain today many of us who deeply appreciate his principled positions regarding matters that affect us all. And one remains hopeful that future generations that are afforded the necessary distance from conflated matters that cloud contemporary judgment will reach a more balanced conclusion and give the man his due credit.

n9 6y ago

He didn’t apologize authentically. He might not be capable of it. And... if he did it doesn’t at all follow that his apology would be accepted. It is neither timely, nor adequately sincere and it doesn’t indicate that he is taking appropriate actions to atone. This statement is as self countered and RMS centering as his actions were. I suspect he isn’t capable of change without intervention and a lot of therapy, neither of which have been indicated here. Note: I’ve directly witnessed and dealt with RMS’s awful behavior towards women twice in my career.