3 ms·

Stallman told a woman he would kill himself if she wouldn't date him. That's not just 'sad', as you call it. That's abusive emotional manipulation. And no, ne

by orra 5y ago

Stallman told a woman he would kill himself if she wouldn't date him. That's not just 'sad', as you call it. That's abusive emotional manipulation. And no, neither depression nor autism excuse such behaviour.

pydry 5y ago
This is news to me. Do you have a source? Not to put too fine a point on it but google revealed exactly one source for this rumor. You : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574487
- orra 5y ago
  Er, if you found my previous post criticising his behaviour, you should have found the article I cited previously. Here is the article link again: https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix-a-a7e41e784f88 https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix... Specifically, here is one of many accusations in that article: > When I was a teen freshman, I went to a buffet lunch at an Indian restaurant in Central Square with a graduate student friend and others from the AI lab. I don’t know if he and I were the last two left, but at a table with only the two of us, Richard Stallman told me of his misery and that he’d kill himself if I didn’t go out with him. > I felt bad for him and also uncomfortable and manipulated. I did not like being put in that position — suddenly responsible for an “important” man. What had I done to get into this situation? I decided I could not be responsible for his living or dying, and would have to accept him killing himself. I declined further contact. > He was not a man of his word or he’d be long dead.
  - themaninthedark 5y ago
    So we should trust someone who has already used half-truths and manipulations about RMS as proof that RMS is a bad person. Not saying that RMS didn't do that, but the only evidence offered is in a section with two other anonymous quotes: “He literally used to have a mattress on the floor of his office. He kept the door to his office open, to proudly showcase that mattress and all the implications that went with it. Many female students avoided the corridor with his office for that reason…I was one of the course 6 undergrads who avoided that part of NE43 precisely for that reason. (the mattress was also known to have shirtless people lounging on it…)” I recall being told early in my freshman year “If RMS hits on you, just say ‘I’m a vi user’ even if it’s not true.” Honestly, looking at this: to proudly showcase that mattress and all the implications that went with it. ... the mattress was also known to have shirtless people lounging on it… Makes it seem like RMS might like to have shirtless men hang around his office and the writer sounds homophobic.
    - orra 5y ago
      > and the writer sounds homophobic. Please. What a complete (and baseless) misdirection. This is like that time Kevin Spacey responded to accusations of him committing sexual assault by coming out as gay.
      - themaninthedark 5y ago
        Exactly. The accusations are all compiled from one source and are baseless. >showcase that mattress and all the implications that went with it. We, the reader, are supposed to read into the implications, I have seen it argued up and down over the web that this is PROOF that RMS was a serial abuser because he had a mattress in his office. I am showing that you can read the "implications" in a completely different way.
hbogert 5y ago
such behaviour? Sounds more like a desperate loser. So what, I imagine many people do that. Exaggerating someones words without the complete context and tone is manipulation as well. I think a grown-up woman could've just asked at that time, "sir, do you really mean this? - yes/no ... ". Is this really the dirt you can come up with after 40 years? The garbage my GF looks at on MTV and whatever american stations there are, shows far worse stuff which everybody thinks is okay. All those people are not canceled and do a lot less for the world in general.
elzbardico 5y ago
Have you seen that? Does she have witnesses? An audio or video recording of that happening? If not. How can I condemn the guy?

by orra 5y ago

pydry 5y ago

This is news to me. Do you have a source? Not to put too fine a point on it but google revealed exactly one source for this rumor. You : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26574487

orra 5y ago
Er, if you found my previous post criticising his behaviour, you should have found the article I cited previously. Here is the article link again: https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix-a-a7e41e784f88 https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-appendix... Specifically, here is one of many accusations in that article: > When I was a teen freshman, I went to a buffet lunch at an Indian restaurant in Central Square with a graduate student friend and others from the AI lab. I don’t know if he and I were the last two left, but at a table with only the two of us, Richard Stallman told me of his misery and that he’d kill himself if I didn’t go out with him. > I felt bad for him and also uncomfortable and manipulated. I did not like being put in that position — suddenly responsible for an “important” man. What had I done to get into this situation? I decided I could not be responsible for his living or dying, and would have to accept him killing himself. I declined further contact. > He was not a man of his word or he’d be long dead.
- themaninthedark 5y ago
  So we should trust someone who has already used half-truths and manipulations about RMS as proof that RMS is a bad person. Not saying that RMS didn't do that, but the only evidence offered is in a section with two other anonymous quotes: “He literally used to have a mattress on the floor of his office. He kept the door to his office open, to proudly showcase that mattress and all the implications that went with it. Many female students avoided the corridor with his office for that reason…I was one of the course 6 undergrads who avoided that part of NE43 precisely for that reason. (the mattress was also known to have shirtless people lounging on it…)” I recall being told early in my freshman year “If RMS hits on you, just say ‘I’m a vi user’ even if it’s not true.” Honestly, looking at this: to proudly showcase that mattress and all the implications that went with it. ... the mattress was also known to have shirtless people lounging on it… Makes it seem like RMS might like to have shirtless men hang around his office and the writer sounds homophobic.
  - orra 5y ago
    > and the writer sounds homophobic. Please. What a complete (and baseless) misdirection. This is like that time Kevin Spacey responded to accusations of him committing sexual assault by coming out as gay.
    - themaninthedark 5y ago
      Exactly. The accusations are all compiled from one source and are baseless. >showcase that mattress and all the implications that went with it. We, the reader, are supposed to read into the implications, I have seen it argued up and down over the web that this is PROOF that RMS was a serial abuser because he had a mattress in his office. I am showing that you can read the "implications" in a completely different way.

hbogert 5y ago

such behaviour? Sounds more like a desperate loser. So what, I imagine many people do that. Exaggerating someones words without the complete context and tone is manipulation as well. I think a grown-up woman could've just asked at that time, "sir, do you really mean this? - yes/no ... ". Is this really the dirt you can come up with after 40 years? The garbage my GF looks at on MTV and whatever american stations there are, shows far worse stuff which everybody thinks is okay. All those people are not canceled and do a lot less for the world in general.

elzbardico 5y ago

Have you seen that? Does she have witnesses? An audio or video recording of that happening? If not. How can I condemn the guy?