6 ms·

>horrendously, gratuitously crass and offensive way. And? It's rms. He's the biggest nerd in the world. Nerds are expected to be horrendously, gratuitously cr

>horrendously, gratuitously crass and offensive way. And? It's rms. He's the biggest nerd in the world. Nerds are expected to be horrendously, gratuitously crass, offensive and insensitive of people's emotions. This is like being mad that the sky is blue. Pointless outrage.

praptak 15y ago
The point of the linked article, as I understood it, was that "it's just Stallman being Stallman" should no longer be an excuse for tolerating this behaviour. It casts bad light on the free software community as a whole.
- forensic 15y ago
  I guess you need to specify what you mean by "tolerate" If you're saying it's organizationally foolish to let Stallman be the face of the FSF due to his insensitivity... I can see a good argument there. If you're saying we need to stop "tolerating" nerd insensitivity by condemning them on blogs and refusing to use their software and stuff like that, then I just think that is childish and pointless.
  - praptak 15y ago
    Gosh, I certainly did not mean the latter. I'm ok with Stallman being crude on his own. I am not ok with this behaviour representing the free software movement.
DanBC 15y ago
It's not outrage at Stallman's comments, but asking whether someone who is horrendously, gratuitously crass, offensive and insensitive of people's emotions should be "cheerleading" free software. See also RMS's disappointment at the developer busy with a new child - start here (http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel/36137 http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel/36137) His inability to understand people is distracting from the aims of FSF.
- alain94040 15y ago
  Indeed: >It doesn't take special talents to reproduce--even plants can do it. On the other hand, contributing to a program like Emacs takes real skill.
  - DanBC 15y ago
    That wasn't the first time RMS had said something like that, but to say it to a fellow dev, when you're asking that person to fix someone else's bug, seems particularly unaware. For sure, Asperger's or Autism explains it, but doesn't make it much easier to deal with.
    - eliasmacpherson 15y ago
      It's black humour.
jvdh 15y ago
Agreed. Stating that a big nerd is one of the worst candidates for spokesperson of a good cause is similarly pointless. Yet somehow he still continues to be just that.
- lurker19 15y ago
  RMS has never tried to stop anyone from being a more charming and eloquent and popular advocate for free software. No one has volunteered; everyone has chosen to let him lead.
  - nostrademons 15y ago
    There're arguably several more charming, eloquent, and popular advocates for free software, notably people like Linus Torvalds, Chris DiBona, Brad Fitzpatrick, etc.
qntm 15y ago
> Nerds are expected to be horrendously, gratuitously crass, offensive and insensitive of people's emotions. This is like being mad that the sky is blue. Speaking as one of millions of pleasant, sensitive nerds, I find this offensive.
- forensic 15y ago
  Millions? I doubt that. There are socially sensitive nerds, but "pleasant" usually describes their SELF-image, not the view that others have of them. Usually nerds like you describe are socially anxious and attempt to "take care" of everyone around them by conforming to their expectations and desires. Normal people actually find it exhausting to hang out with socially anxious "nice guy" nerds. Also, almost all "nice guys" have a lot of repressed anger and rage from trauma in the past. The "nice guys" have repressed it and so are not aware of it, but others see the anger, usually manifesting as cynicism, sarcasm, or passivity. Anyway true pleasant, sensitive people are rarely also described as nerds. They'd be described as socially comfortable, pleasant, emotionally sensitive, and intelligent. "Nerd" would not enter the description unless there is some amount of social anxiety, awkwardness, or intense need for external validation.
mentat 15y ago
So smart necessarily means socially incapable? Haven't we had enough of this generalization yet?
- forensic 15y ago
  Nerd doesn't mean smart. Nerd refers to a particular kind of obsessive skill in a narrow field. People with laser-like obsessions tend to have poor social skills, whether they are programmers or otakus.

praptak 15y ago

The point of the linked article, as I understood it, was that "it's just Stallman being Stallman" should no longer be an excuse for tolerating this behaviour. It casts bad light on the free software community as a whole.

forensic 15y ago
I guess you need to specify what you mean by "tolerate" If you're saying it's organizationally foolish to let Stallman be the face of the FSF due to his insensitivity... I can see a good argument there. If you're saying we need to stop "tolerating" nerd insensitivity by condemning them on blogs and refusing to use their software and stuff like that, then I just think that is childish and pointless.
- praptak 15y ago
  Gosh, I certainly did not mean the latter. I'm ok with Stallman being crude on his own. I am not ok with this behaviour representing the free software movement.

DanBC 15y ago

It's not outrage at Stallman's comments, but asking whether someone who is horrendously, gratuitously crass, offensive and insensitive of people's emotions should be "cheerleading" free software. See also RMS's disappointment at the developer busy with a new child - start here (http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel/36137 http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel/36137) His inability to understand people is distracting from the aims of FSF.

alain94040 15y ago
Indeed: >It doesn't take special talents to reproduce--even plants can do it. On the other hand, contributing to a program like Emacs takes real skill.
- DanBC 15y ago
  That wasn't the first time RMS had said something like that, but to say it to a fellow dev, when you're asking that person to fix someone else's bug, seems particularly unaware. For sure, Asperger's or Autism explains it, but doesn't make it much easier to deal with.
  - eliasmacpherson 15y ago
    It's black humour.

jvdh 15y ago

Agreed. Stating that a big nerd is one of the worst candidates for spokesperson of a good cause is similarly pointless. Yet somehow he still continues to be just that.

lurker19 15y ago
RMS has never tried to stop anyone from being a more charming and eloquent and popular advocate for free software. No one has volunteered; everyone has chosen to let him lead.
- nostrademons 15y ago
  There're arguably several more charming, eloquent, and popular advocates for free software, notably people like Linus Torvalds, Chris DiBona, Brad Fitzpatrick, etc.

qntm 15y ago

> Nerds are expected to be horrendously, gratuitously crass, offensive and insensitive of people's emotions. This is like being mad that the sky is blue. Speaking as one of millions of pleasant, sensitive nerds, I find this offensive.

forensic 15y ago
Millions? I doubt that. There are socially sensitive nerds, but "pleasant" usually describes their SELF-image, not the view that others have of them. Usually nerds like you describe are socially anxious and attempt to "take care" of everyone around them by conforming to their expectations and desires. Normal people actually find it exhausting to hang out with socially anxious "nice guy" nerds. Also, almost all "nice guys" have a lot of repressed anger and rage from trauma in the past. The "nice guys" have repressed it and so are not aware of it, but others see the anger, usually manifesting as cynicism, sarcasm, or passivity. Anyway true pleasant, sensitive people are rarely also described as nerds. They'd be described as socially comfortable, pleasant, emotionally sensitive, and intelligent. "Nerd" would not enter the description unless there is some amount of social anxiety, awkwardness, or intense need for external validation.

mentat 15y ago

So smart necessarily means socially incapable? Haven't we had enough of this generalization yet?

forensic 15y ago
Nerd doesn't mean smart. Nerd refers to a particular kind of obsessive skill in a narrow field. People with laser-like obsessions tend to have poor social skills, whether they are programmers or otakus.