Honestly, when Stallman visited my university, because I knew the people that were involved with the organization, I got to know how a massive asshole he is, plus his conduct during the panel he was part of was deplorable. Also the vast majority of the time I saw something written by him made me strongly dislike him. I do recognize how his extremist views have pushed the open source movement into a good direction, though that is pretty much the only positive thing I can say about him.
Still my argument is that he should not be excised from society from having what the hivemind decided was the wrong kind of opinion. It's ok to discuss things and I'd even argue that all discussions should be had.
I just don't want to live in a place where expressing my opinion on some controversial issue, entirely lawfully, might have me excluded from society.
> I just don't want to live in a place where expressing my opinion on some controversial issue, entirely lawfully, might have me excluded from society.
I don't either, but that doesn't mean we need to have an absolutist position on speech. I don't view defending pedophilia or making apologies for the rape of a sex trafficking victim to be merely "controversial."
A few comments up I admitted that I'm torn on how he was ousted as well because I, like you, am not a fan of outrage culture and exiling people who make a remark someone else may find offensive.
That said, I don't think it's reasonable to have this discussion about RMS in a bubble, pretending as if he's never done anything else to contribute to what happened.
Still my argument is that he should not be excised from society from having what the hivemind decided was the wrong kind of opinion. It's ok to discuss things and I'd even argue that all discussions should be had.
I just don't want to live in a place where expressing my opinion on some controversial issue, entirely lawfully, might have me excluded from society.