GNU FSF: Richard Stallman Returns

[David Barrett]

On Fri, Apr 2, 2021, 5:05 PM lolwut <lolwut9001 at cock.li> wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Barrett [mailto:dbarrett at expensify.com]
> Sent: Friday, 02 April, 2021 7:38 PM
> To: lolwut
> Cc: cypherpunks at cpunks.org
> Subject: Re: GNU FSF: Richard Stallman Returns
>
> > On Fri, Apr 2, 2021, 4:04 PM lolwut <lolwut9001 at cock.li> wrote:
> >> that it, in effect, makes illegal
>
> > I'm a bit confused by the whole concept of "cancel culture".  You
> describe it as free speech being made "in effect illegal" by people
> expressing their concerns (eg, in this case calling for RMS to be removed
> from the board).  But aren't they just as free to speak their concerns, as
> the speech that created the concerns?  And isn't the board fully within
> their rights to listen to the those concerns and weigh them in their
> decisions?
>
> > Basically, is this actually a few speech issue, or do you just disagree
> with the perfectly legal decisions of the board, who are listening to the
> perfectly free feedback and concerns of the public?
>
> > David
>
> The main point was that I was criticizing the notion of "cyberbullying",
> because it's an idiotic concept that, if made into law, restricts freedom
> of speech. This criticism of mine persists outside of the particular RMS
> issue.
>
> I think that you are confused over the thing I was describing that makes
> free speech "in effect illegal": I was referring to laws against
> "cyberbullying", which is absolutely a form of censorship that reduces the
> amount of free speech; I was not referring to cancel culture, which does
> not make certain speech illegal, though it is nevertheless contemptible.
> Yes, I agree that Stallman's opponents are free to speak their concerns,
> and even insult him, which is why I took issue with the Molly de Blanc
> article that grarpamp linked to, because it is basically calling for
> censorship of de Blanc by means of the meme law of "cyberbullying". This is
> something that not even some moron of cancel culture deserves.
>

Got it, thanks for the clarification!

David
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