Notices by Drew DeVault (drewdevault@fosstodon.org), page 8

@tyil quoting stallman: "I am sure her recounting of her recollections is sincere"

I support a rather broad and inclusive definition of "hacker" so long as it excludes Sam Altman

Caveats:
* He has, to the best of my knowledge, made one vague and narrowly scoped apology
* He has changed his opinion on one issue (children consenting to sex), but in a manipulative way that does not account for minors above the age of 13

Debunking the mythical stallman apology fantasy is probably the next blog post I'll write about him, assuming I write anything else about him.

Some Stallman apologists seem to hold the view that the criticisms of RMS *were* valid, but that he has apologized, acknowledged wrongdoing, and changed his views and his behavior, and therefore deserves forgiveness

I would agree if it weren't for the fact that he has done none of these things, but it's a myth. He has never apologized and he has not meaningfully retracted his views and his problematic behavior has continued post-reinstatement at the FSF.

@tyil @goku12 @cafkafk he acknowledges her description of events as true, " I am sure her recounting of her recollections is sincere", but says that he must have been misunderstood. Saying that you'll kill yourself if someone doesn't go out with you is not something which is easily misunderstood. He does not take responsibility for what he said or demonstrate knowledge of why it is wrong. He apologizes not for what he did but for how she feels about it -- a classic non-apology tactic.

@tyil @goku12 @cafkafk it's not new. The story is quoted here:

https://daringfireball.net/2019/09/richard_stallmans_disgrace

Stallman has acknowledged that this story is legitimate in a non-apology here:

https://stallman.org/archives/2020-jul-oct.html#19_July_2020_(A_note_to_Betsy_S.)

(let me know if you need me to explain why this is not a good apology)

Neurodivergence and accountability in free software

https://drewdevault.com/2024/09/25/2024-09-25-Neurodivergence-and-accountability-in-free-software.html

ship it

Okay, I think the article is almost ready

@sun @SuperDicq the majority are not wrong. It is wrong to kiss someone without their consent. It is wrong to violate someone's boundaries and violate their bodily autonomy.

@asthargf it doesn't, but I stated the argument at face value to avoid colouring the discussion

@sun @SuperDicq an unwanted kiss is sexual assault, and has been prosecuted as such before the law. Consent and bodily autonomy *matter*.

Is it problematic if I quip about how easy it was to research this article on the basis that neurodivergent people love to talk about neurodivergence /s

@lxo are you rambling about RMS or something

@SuperDicq is not wrong. He also definitely does *not* understand how power dynamics erode consent: he dismisses a clear case of quid-pro-quo, for example.

@SuperDicq I agree that he has a common pattern of word fixation, but I will state that even when his remarks are interpreted as such it is harmful. However, he justifies and re-enforces his word fixations from beliefs rooted deeper: for example, his defense of Roy Moore endorses grooming of minors. Moreover, when he downplays sexual assault, it is not only because of his word fixation, but re-enforced by beliefs that erode the norms of consent: he thinks, for example, that "stealing a kiss"[..]

Neurodivergent members of the free software community: what are some forms of discrimination and ableism that you have experienced in our community? What are some steps that have helped, or could help, ease your participation?

One more note: I will be drawing from this discussion in future writings. I will assume that anyone participating is comfortable being anonymously paraphrased, if you are comfortable being quoted verbatim or being cited as the source of a quote please let me know (bearing in mind that this is going to open you up to a lot of reactionary abuse)

@SuperDicq and if these patterns support the interpretation that RMS displays problematic behaviors for which he should be held accountable