Richard Stallman Resigns From The Free Software Foundation

[Guest]

What the hell? I made a post, posting the actual quote of RMS and linking to good/small summary of the situation to slashdot. And it got deleted! Without even a PM explaining why. Why? Is there a bad actor/moderator here in phoronix?

If your post triggers it, your post will need to go through approval. I assume this involves using certain words in your posts. I've had this happen to me a couple of times already. Whenever it happens, you'll get a banner saying that your post is unapproved when it appears after posting.

[PreparationH67]

He should have been forced out long ago for being a creep ass and this isn't even the worst shit he's done just the last, way overdue, straw.

[johnc]

Someone that's 17 years and 364 days can't consent one day, but can the next (same with alcohol, drivers license, guns etc.) because of the legal definition? I realize why the law does it that way, but that doesn't mean it makes sense.
So yes, you can count me as someone with an IQ over 100 that thinks older "minors" could theoretically consent to sex. Heck, I know 16 year olds that I would trust to make that decision more than some of the 26 or 36 year olds I know.

You're lying.

He wasn't talking about 17 year olds or teen sex. He was explicitly talking about "pedophilia" with "children". You know what pedophilia is, right?

“I am sceptical of the claim that voluntarily pedophilia harms children. The arguments that it causes harm seem to be based on cases which aren’t voluntary, which are then stretched by parents who are horrified by the idea that their little baby is maturing.”

“There is little evidence to justify the widespread assumption that willing participation in pedophilia hurts children."

What do you think? Does a smart person really believe that pedophilia doesn't harm children?

It's not surprising though to see many here defend this guy.

[Hibbelharry]

Todays soundtrack.

[L_A_G]

What do you think? Does a smart person really believe that pedophilia doesn't harm children?

It's not surprising though to see many here defend this guy.

That's actually an old quote of his from years and years ago which he has long since recanted and apologized for, admitting that he was wrong, that he didn't fully understand the harm such a thing could to do a still developing person and thanking the people who explained it to him. Obviously it shouldn't have needed to be explained to him, but it's an old quote that gets dug up almost every time people want to demonize him even when they know he's changed his mind and apologized for it.

[DanL]

He wasn't talking about 17 year olds or teen sex. He was explicitly talking about "pedophilia" with "children". You know what pedophilia is, right?

From what I Googled, it depends on the definition you uses. Medical/psychological folks would probably use the term to describe relations only with prepubescent children (13 or younger). But popular and legal usage could also attach the term to those in the scenario(s) I referred to.
I'm not an expert on this, but don't those who have relations with 10 year olds face the same charges as those who have them with 17 year olds (assuming age of consent is 18)? Don't they end up in the same sex offender databases?

You're lying.

If I misunderstood the way words were used in post I quoted, then I would be somewhat off-topic. However, it doesn't make anything I said false or a lie.

[tildearrow]

Free software is dead.

I really wonder what the future looks like...

[Terrablit]

He should have been forced out long ago for being a creep ass and this isn't even the worst shit he's done just the last, way overdue, straw.

Exactly. A lot of people have talked about the creepy shit he used to do to women just at MIT. It's not just normal autist spectrum crap - he legitimately manipulated and harassed them for sex. Someone with lower prestige would have gotten tossed long ago. He repeatedly took advantage of his position and fame to creep on people.

It doesn't matter if the Minsky quote was correct. He pushed too far at the wrong time, and as a result all the shit he'd done that was swept under the rug got yanked out and made public.

Let's not waste time bikeshedding over exactly how bad his quote was when he's clearly done far worse. We'll all be a lot better for not letting predators nest in our organizations.

[Vistaus]

[...] you don't know and have never interacted with.

The fact that you say that means you haven't understood my post.

[Vistaus]

I really wonder what the future looks like...

If only debianxfce was still around to tell us...