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

The mob

[(Anonymous)]

This seems to be happening more and more – people calling in the media and on social media for people to be sacked or forced to resign, because of something that they've said which is painted as highly offensive (and let's not try to steelman people or read them charitably or with careful attention to the context, let's just assume whatever the headline says they said is what they said.) And then, rather than standing up with courage to the media mob, people fold and give in to them.

I see what has happened to Stallman as just the latest instance of this disturbing cultural pattern.

The FSF should consider, that while Stallman's departure will please some, there will be others who will view it as injustice and another victory for the mob. This event doesn't increase the standing of the FSF in my eyes, it reduces it, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who sees things this way. (But, fearing the mob ourselves, we aren't going to put our names to our opinions.)

Re: The mob

[(Anonymous)]

I feel the same way. Nothing more is needed to say here.

Re: The mob

[(Anonymous)]

No. Stallman has gotten away with offensive speech and/or bad behaviour in the past(= 1980s, 1990s, 2000s) because there was no social media to stop him or other public figures like him. Nowadays, there is.

Re: The mob

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe the only reasonable answer to that kind of (cyber)bullying would be actually destroying SJW's lives... offline.

But I don't believe USA has any guts to go and liberate itself, never had. It's so much "easier" to go and ruin other countries like former Ukraine. But there's some actual justice out there, and the BOOMerang seems back. Too bad this will hit people of good will as well.

--
Michael Shigorin