Frankly, I see many cancellations being overly punitive. And that has a dramatic effect on expression and culture leading to a strong orthodoxy and potential f

Frankly, I see many cancellations being overly punitive. And that has a dramatic effect on expression and culture leading to a strong orthodoxy and potential fascism. People will do bad things, make mistakes, offend others. So, are we one and done on that, or are we going to work a process where people can improve and or those who feel wronged can balance that with some perspective, see justice? What do we expect cancelled people to actually do? It is not like there is a process to work through. Do they just go away, die? We have a similar thing in three strikes laws. People doing life on what can be trivial in any other context. Stallman is right about software. Those ideas are important, but they can and will die too. This is a priority discussion: Is it about software freedom, or something else? Here is a parallel: Take health care. Even the bigots, racists and theocrats need to see the doctor. I actually have heard people say, no. We are better off without them. Cancel. I can't answer what to do or want for anyone. None of us can. But, our collective decisions will impact the ideas and how they may grow, and or endure. If cancelling is more important than software freedom, we will have cancelling and will not have software freedom. That dynamic has played out among us humans many, many times. Here is another reality to think about: Cancelling, in the fashion we see it playing out today, can be gamed. Got an enemy, or want a resource, or need a door opened, leverage? Find an event that was not orthodox, where they just did not make good choices and get that amplified. I am not saying that is the case here. Not at all. But it does happen and we lack process to understand that it has happened as well as to understand how to open the door for people to improve. I don't have answers here. Just offering some food for thought. The whole mess troubles me deeply. At the core, I do not want people cancelled. I do want a process, means, methods for them to improve. And I want justice for the wronged. Ending people in this fashion comes with a high cost. Does that cost make sense? To me? No, and that discussion, how to do this better should definitely be a priority.