It's time to talk about post-RMS Free Software

[mjg59]

Richard Stallman has once again managed to demonstrate incredible insensitivity[1]. There's an argument that in a pure technical universe this is irrelevant and we should instead only consider what he does in free software[2], but free software isn't a purely technical topic - the GNU Manifesto is nakedly political, and while free software may result in better technical outcomes it is fundamentally focused on individual freedom and will compromise on technical excellence if otherwise the result would be any compromise on those freedoms. And in a political movement, there is no way that we can ignore the behaviour and beliefs of that movement's leader. Stallman is driving away our natural allies. It's inappropriate for him to continue as the figurehead for free software.

But I'm not calling for Stallman to be replaced. If the history of social movements has taught us anything, it's that tying a movement to a single individual is a recipe for disaster. The FSF needs a president, but there's no need for that person to be a leader - instead, we need to foster an environment where any member of the community can feel empowered to speak up about the importance of free software. A decentralised movement about returning freedoms to individuals can't also be about elevating a single individual to near-magical status. Heroes will always end up letting us down. We fix that by removing the need for heroes in the first place, not attempting to find increasingly perfect heroes.

Stallman was never going to save us. We need to take responsibility for saving ourselves. Let's talk about how we do that.

[1] There will doubtless be people who will leap to his defense with the assertion that he's neurodivergent and all of these cases are consequences of that.

(A) I am unaware of a formal diagnosis of that, and I am unqualified to make one myself. I suspect that basically everyone making that argument is similarly unqualified.
(B) I've spent a lot of time working with him to help him understand why various positions he holds are harmful. I've reached the conclusion that it's not that he's unable to understand, he's just unwilling to change his mind.

[2] This argument is, obviously, bullshit

Comments

RMS needs a secretary

[(Anonymous)]

"it's not that he's unable to understand, he's just unwilling to change his mind" do you mean unable to change his mind about the positions themselves, or unable to change his mind about when and how to air them? If he can at least agree that yes in retrospect that might have been an unkind thing to say in that context (even if he still thinks it's technically correct), but no he can't promise not to do it again because he's not very good at spotting insensitivity before it happens, then perhaps all he needs is a good secretary. He can say "post this to the list for me" and the secretary can look at it and go "hold on, this one doesn't look very good". And if he really is neurodivergent (which does not excuse his views, but might affect his ability to stop himself expressing them inappropriately), then he really should get a professional diagnosis: there might even be public funds that could help pay the secretary, just as people with other types of disability can sometimes have assistants; these would be available only with a proper diagnosis, so can we recommend he gets professionally tested?

Re: RMS needs a secretary

[azimech]

“And if he really is neurodivergent (which does not excuse his views, but might affect his ability to stop himself expressing them inappropriately)”

Most men guilty of gross behaviors aren’t Neurodivergent, and Stallman regardless of his Neurological status has, like so many other men, is allowed to get away with things women can’t, and for decades in his case.