Richard Stallman's political discourse on sex
Richard Stallman's political discourse on sex
Permanently deleted
Also, GNU foundation , software, and license were product of community efforts. Just like science. We only see names because of our own biases towards the cult of personalities. Imho this is bc everyone wants to be a hero, and no one likes thinking we are just pieces playing a role that can very much be carried out by other people sooner or later. That's why we all should be doing our greatest efforts, even if you are not the legend you may want to be in whatever field of work you're doing..
I feel about that with many Software Devs that do great stuff but I cant help but think they must be pretty horrible socially. Not that level actually though.
Permanently deleted
I say this time and time again; only listen to people regarding their field of authority. For anything outside the world of software, Stallman's opinions should not be seen any more valid or important than any other person on the internet. We should stick to that more. (What happened/happens due to his position in the FSF is a different topic)
People do the same with Musk. What anyone cares what Stallman, or Musk, says about things they know nothing about is beyond me.They both have said crazy things.
Why anyone cares what Musk says about things he knows nothing about is beyond me.
Likely because Elon Musk has built an entire career around convincing people who know even less about the subject than he does that he is an expert in this week's scientific field
I think he makes the mistake of assuming that every person has a similar life experience to his own. I've read his biography, and apparently he was extremely intelligent and acted like an adult from a very young age. It could be that he hated being seen as a child and saw himself as a fully functional adult in a transitioning body.
In everything he says and does there is an extreme single-mindedness: his extremely strict free software and privacy related ideas show this. I think he applies a similar single-mindedness to a clearly nuanced situation, namely that of conscent. The nuance of power dynamics and coercion probably don't play a role in his experience and therefore he ignores it. This results in the very wrong and dangerous opinions stated in the article.
I am not saying this to excuse any of his opinions, this is just my interpretation of where it might come from. It's sad that the people around him are seemingly unable to educate him on these topics, but I believe it might be the same stubbornness that made him the proponent of the Free Software movement that is causing him to not mentally grow on this specific topic. It's a truly unfortunate situation, but one that should not be ignored and people who oppose him because of these opinions are right to do so.
He totally thinks like somebody with highly rigid linear thinking. A person says yes to sex means consent, he does not comprehend kids can't consent due to not knowing the full future impacts of what they agree to. Especially, if as you say, he saw himself as being autonomous at a younger age.
What biography did you read, would you recommend it? I assume there's more than one.
I totally disagree with Stallman's views and personally I do find them pretty worrying.
But I also disagree with the concept that employers should be the executive of the court of public opinion.
We have real courts and real police, we don't need to invent a secondary one where people lose their jobs due to shitstorms.
If you think he did something illegal, report him to the police or sue him. If not, then this is freedom of speech. Even though he uses the freedom to voice a pretty crappy opinion.
I mean, if everyone who said something that lots of people disagree with, I guess we would all be unemployed now.
Permanently Deleted
The things you say actively reflect on your employer and future employers.
why?
Imagine a interview where employer tries to know every aspect of your personality and ideas, before hiring you.
Seems quite impossible.
For a celebrity like Stallman seems easy. But imagine checking the background of a random candidate just to see if she posted something bad years ago. And rejecting her application because of a post defendig the wrong ideas.
I agree we already have courts and police. If he did something illegal, there's a course of action there.
If you think he did something illegal, report him to the police or sue him. If not, then this is freedom of speech.
…and? People also have freedom of association, and people can choose not to associate with an organization that employs someone with morally awful beliefs - especially when they make those beliefs very public.
Apparently, Stallman is a net positive for them, so they keep him.
Doesn't mean that they in any way endorse pedophilia.
And the freedom of association also doesn't mean that a bunch of enraged people online have the freedom to decide whom they associate with.
And apparently, in the USA there is a whole party devoted to child marriage and other ways to have sex with minors. That might be the better point to start, because they actually have a say regarding laws on that matter.
Freedom of speech is freedom of suppression from the government not freedom of social consequences.
Fuck him and not hiring assholes is praxis. A shitty person isnt isolated from being shitty when they are doing the one thing they are good at.
You can find non shitty people who are good at the same thing and keep the community clean from shitbags.
Our communities dont need terrible people even if they do good work.
There is this tendency to put people into either the good or bad box and that is something we all need to work on.
In light of his position with the FSF, it is unwise for him to say controversial things unrelated to this role simply because people are just waiting to make hay.
However calling someone bad or evil just because you disagree with them is really nuts. Ironic this forum is suppose to be accepting of differences and Stalmann is certainly different.
Yes, the old "hebephilia is not pedophilia, and is normal" shtick.
Obviously yes, there is a very big (biological) difference between sexual attraction to pubescent vs pre-pubescent persons.
That has nothing to do with the Age of Consent, which is a legal standard set in order to account for social dynamics (power dynamics, education differences, etc) that also factor into consent, which is most of the situations he's talking about, e.g. Roy Moore.
If Stallman wants to do the whole, "there's no difference between being attracted to a 17-and-364-days year-old and an 18 year-old" bit, I don't think anyone would care outside of the fact that being hung up on that when you're not yourself in that dating range just makes you seem creepy. When you're 18, that discussion is much more relevant. Not so much at Stallman's age.
But him clearly talking more about the 13-14 year old range, where even someone going through puberty is much closer to pre-pubescent than post-pubescent, just makes him seem like he's actually a pedophile who wants a loophole.
Yup it is totally weird, why would anyone even argue about this? How did which conversations actually go in that direction, why would they?
I like stallman and I have not read this yet but as much as I like his free software movement, he is not the first person I would seek out to get sex advice from.
I remember reading a comment somewhere that said it’s hard to explain the difference between children and teenagers (in this context) without sounding like a creep. Him being very adamant in pointing out the distinction is a prime example of that.
You might have heard that in a comedy routine: https://youtu.be/nu6C2KL_S9o?si=Wwa-D1QFciB5sb78
Why does this reek of the BBC and Jimmy Savile?
Because it's the exact same bloody pattern. Only thing is, FOSS circles don't have enough political clout to hush things up the way the BBC did.
This analysis is full of non sequiturs. Disappointed in DeVault.
What do you mean?
He said that Stallman had some fucked up views, showed quotes on what his views are, explained how this is a pattern, and finally said why this should make it so that we reject him in the Free Software community.
Which part was the non sequitur?
So he's attracted to Girls plus Puberty.
The only thing I know about this guy is that he's "that" kind of libertarian
This is btw not new at all