3 ms·

Someone with Stallman's level of clout is not the victim of bullying. He has been very well recognized for his work, including a MacArthur "Genius" grant. He's

Someone with Stallman's level of clout is not the victim of bullying. He has been very well recognized for his work, including a MacArthur "Genius" grant. He's a big enough deal that he can have really specific requirements in his rider and can walk away from speaking engagements when the organizers don't meet them. This is getting a little paternalistic. Stallman is not a child, and speaking of others' bullying him strikes me as somewhat diminutive, particularly when the example Raganwald compared Stallman to was his son.

tokenadult 15y ago
Stallman is not a child True enough. But behavior fitting only for overgrown children is still a bad idea, even if Stallman can take the heat. I agree with raganwald here that if we can say "I am a human being" we ought to have some basis for treating all of our fellow human beings humanely.
- nknight 15y ago
  RMS's repeated failure to demonstrate any humanity has an awful lot to do with the dislike people are feeling towards him.
  - gillianseed 15y ago
    I seriously doubt that, it seems ad hominem attacks are used because his detractors in general don't feel they have enough to argument with and/or that their arguments hold little weight. He, being an 'odd bird' from a social aspect makes him an easy target for these kinds of attacks. Has Steve Jobs displayed more 'humanity' than Stallman? Has Steve Ballmer? Linus Torvalds, Mark Zuckerberg?
    - billpatrianakos 15y ago
      , Ballmer, Jobs, and Zuckerberg, and even Torvalds aren't on the font lines of advancing an agenda. And they also didn't write posts about being glad a competitor was dead the day after that death (don't even try to say Stallman didn't say he was glad, see my comment above a little ways on why that argument is total bunk). Those guys aren't looking for controversy like Stallman. They do their job, get things done, and don't whine constantly like RMS. The others you mention certainly do get their fair share of ad nominee attacks and they don't even set themselves up for it like Stallman. RMS has an appropriate last name as he really is stalling the progress of the FSF.
    - nknight 15y ago
      The principles articulated by the FSF are ones I broadly agree with. I have no ulterior motive (nor any real vested interest) in being a "detractor" of RMS, I simply find him to be an irredeemable ass and the worst possible spokesman for the principles he advocates. Steve Ballmer seems like kind of a jerk sometimes, but if he agreed with the principles of the FSF, I'd find him a far more palatable frontman than RMS.

tokenadult 15y ago

Stallman is not a child True enough. But behavior fitting only for overgrown children is still a bad idea, even if Stallman can take the heat. I agree with raganwald here that if we can say "I am a human being" we ought to have some basis for treating all of our fellow human beings humanely.

nknight 15y ago
RMS's repeated failure to demonstrate any humanity has an awful lot to do with the dislike people are feeling towards him.
- gillianseed 15y ago
  I seriously doubt that, it seems ad hominem attacks are used because his detractors in general don't feel they have enough to argument with and/or that their arguments hold little weight. He, being an 'odd bird' from a social aspect makes him an easy target for these kinds of attacks. Has Steve Jobs displayed more 'humanity' than Stallman? Has Steve Ballmer? Linus Torvalds, Mark Zuckerberg?
  - billpatrianakos 15y ago
    , Ballmer, Jobs, and Zuckerberg, and even Torvalds aren't on the font lines of advancing an agenda. And they also didn't write posts about being glad a competitor was dead the day after that death (don't even try to say Stallman didn't say he was glad, see my comment above a little ways on why that argument is total bunk). Those guys aren't looking for controversy like Stallman. They do their job, get things done, and don't whine constantly like RMS. The others you mention certainly do get their fair share of ad nominee attacks and they don't even set themselves up for it like Stallman. RMS has an appropriate last name as he really is stalling the progress of the FSF.
  - nknight 15y ago
    The principles articulated by the FSF are ones I broadly agree with. I have no ulterior motive (nor any real vested interest) in being a "detractor" of RMS, I simply find him to be an irredeemable ass and the worst possible spokesman for the principles he advocates. Steve Ballmer seems like kind of a jerk sometimes, but if he agreed with the principles of the FSF, I'd find him a far more palatable frontman than RMS.