October 14th, 2024 Richard Stallman (aka “RMS”) is the founder of GNU and the Free Software Foundation and present-day voting member of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) board of directors and “Chief GNUisance” of the GNU project. He is responsible for innumerable contributions to the free software movement, setting its guiding principles, organizing political action, and directly contributing to a flourishing free software ecosystem. The majority of Stallman’s political activity has been of priceless value to society at large.
You might want to remember that he has done more to advance open source software than perhaps any other person on this planet. You don’t get to take away someone’s achievements just because you don’t like them…
I don’t see anyone trying to take away his achievement. The report and most commenters even recognize his contribution.
Also this goes more deeply than “not liking them”, he has some morally reprehensible views. I admit I haven’t read the whole report, but I have seen some of the things it touches on in the past and it’s pretty damning.
I gave him credit for that while also saying we shouldn’t platform him or give him attention until and unless he recants and / or apologizes. Just like the report says.
I think, this is what contemporary cancel culture usually tries to do.
I also think, that this is wrong on most occasions. Maybe sometimes possible damage warrants cancelling someone, I don’t know