2 ms·

I have always been surprised as to why people think its offensive to talk ill of someone just because the person is dead. Death does not change character. If a

I have always been surprised as to why people think its offensive to talk ill of someone just because the person is dead. Death does not change character. If a person could be criticized for something when he was alive, he should not be immune to that after death. There's a time and place to show restraint. How would you feel if one of your mom's ex-boyfriends came to her funeral and started cursing at her? Maybe that's what he did the last time he saw her alive, but you know what, there's a time and place for restraint. (Note, not a dig on you and your mom at all -- but recall that Jobs has family too). Would it have been too much for RMS to say, "I'll respectfully voice my opinions at a later date" Apparently so.

vacri 15y ago
Apples and oranges. Funerals are for people who actually know the person that died. Everyone wailing here has never even met Jobs. But even aside from that, RMS did not 'come to the funeral'. 'The funeral' 'came to him and asked him his opinion': "Stallman made these comments on his personal site, rather than on the FSF site." In your hypothetical, it's more like the funeral went to your mum's ex-boyfriend, known to be critical of her, while he was sitting at home, asked him for his opinion, then acted all offended when he answered as expected. The ex-boyfriend didn't leave his house to make the mourners unhappy, he just said his own thing in his own space.