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Thomas Bushnell, former maintainer of GNU Hurd until his dismissal by Richard Stallman, has opined in a biased blog post that the forced resignation of Stallman from MIT and the Free Software Foundation is deserved.
https://medium.com/@thomas.bushnell/a-reflection-on-the-departure-of-rms-18e6a835fd84
So Richard Stallman has resigned from his guest position at MIT and as President of the Free Software Foundation. You can easily find out all you need to know about the background from a web search and some news articles. I recommend in particular Selam G's original articles on this topic for background, and for an excellent institutional version, the statement from the Software Freedom Conservancy.
But I'll give you a personal take. By my reckoning, I worked for RMS longer than any other programmer.
[...]4) RMS's loss of MIT privileges and leadership of the FSF are the appropriate responses to a pattern of decades of poor behavior. It does not matter if they are appropriate responses to a single email thread, because they are the right thing in the total situation.
5) I feel very sad for him. He's a tragic figure. He is one of the most brilliant people I've met, who I have always thought desperately craved friendship and camaraderie, and seems to have less and less of it all the time. This is all his doing; nobody does it to him. But it's still very sad. As far as I can tell, he believes his entire life's work is a failure.
6) The end result here, while sad for him, is correct.
The free software community needs to develop good leadership, and RMS has been a bad leader in many ways for a long time now. He has had plenty of people who have tried to help him, and he does not want help.
MIT needs to establish as best it can that paramount are the interests of women to have a safe and fair place to study and work. It must make clear that this is more important than the coddling of a whiny child who has never reached the emotional maturity to treat people decently.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 23 2019, @04:54PM (12 children)
Was it ever actually proven that Michael Jackson did anything?
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 23 2019, @05:34PM (11 children)
No.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday September 23 2019, @09:10PM (10 children)
But we all know he did.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Monday September 23 2019, @09:37PM (9 children)
Which goes to show that the mere accusation in and of itself may be more damning than anything else.
Job Interview Scenario 1:
Why were you fired from your last job?
Due to accusations of sexual misconduct, but they didn't sue me (or I was acquitted).
Job Interview Scenario 2: (Still looking for a job.)
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday September 24 2019, @02:30AM (8 children)
Oh, come on: he was grooming children for sex.
How many grown men do you know who sleep with little boys who aren't called "Uncle Pervy"?
Give. me. a. break.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday September 24 2019, @04:51AM (7 children)
I started with no particular opinion on MJ (not a fan, thought him astonishingly immature, and mostly ignored his existence) but a couple things changed my mind:
-- saw video of MJ playing in a pile with several kids. It was remarkably like watching a little boy playing with puppies for the first time, surprised and delighted that all the puppies love him. This isn't the behavior of a pervert. For contrast, observe Gropin' Joe around preteen girls, where it's all about having them in his power (however briefly).
-- MJ's wife's kids are quite obviously not his. (Been a long time since I saw good photos, but I remember thinking they must be the offspring of some unknown white dude.)
So I began to doubt MJ was sexually competent (ie. that immaturity was physiological), thus unlikely to get it on with kids. Wouldn't rule it out, but this is why I don't jump on that kneejerk bandwagon.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday September 24 2019, @07:43PM (4 children)
Read up on serial killers, and pedophiles grooming kids: it is astounding how these people can seem to be the best person while conning parents and others while moving their agenda forward.
MJ was grooming those kids, picking and choosing the most vulnerable, and when 'caught' moved to the child sex trade capital of the world: he could have gone anywhere in the world, but chose to go where he had access to children, no questions asked.
Nope: it may be love to him, just love, but most people call it pedophilia.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday September 24 2019, @11:00PM (3 children)
Where, Belize? that seems to be where all the pedo types wind up. I've heard some ...interesting... tales from folks who've been there.
I don't think sexually incompetent and 'interested in younger boys' are mutually exclusive. I don't doubt there was plenty of circle-jerking, that being the nature of unsupervised youth (and IMO MJ never matured mentally past about age 15 -- I wouldn't call him normal by any stretch). But I'm not sure I'd call it 'grooming' when the perp is so emotionally needy that he's looking for love any way and anywhere, and absent that, puppy-like adoration will do. It isn't good, or right, but I'm not (yet?) convinced he crossed the line to intentional harm.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday September 25 2019, @01:04AM (2 children)
I'm old and my brain is going, but i thought i read that he had moved to Malaysia or Taiwan: that general area... can't remember.
I just don't buy it: if he was interested in 'children', why did he only invite little boys and not girls?
Here's some interesting stuff:
https://www.thoughtco.com/profile-of-pedophile-and-common-characteristics-973203 [thoughtco.com]
and a quick google search brought up this, with info about the pornography and picture books found in Neverland:
https://www.quora.com/Was-Michael-Jackson-really-a-pedophile [quora.com]
I dunno: if he WASN'T, then what WAS it all about???
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday September 25 2019, @05:35PM
Someone wanted a payday, because he had deep pockets.
Also, he's quite dead now, but I don't remember hearing he'd moved to any place outside of the USA.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday September 26 2019, @03:14AM
He got married the 2nd time in the Dominican Republic. Can't find anything about moving elsewhere. (Maybe thinking of McAfee? IIRC he spent a while in Belize, possibly for lamentable reasons.)
As Freeman says, more likely "deep pockets" has more to do with it than anyone's sexual predilections. Guy is dead and can't tell us, and I don't put much trust in kids' old memories; I remember the McMartin Preschool debacle all too well.
I'm old too (dang, when did that happen?) and spent the day fixing roof; by some miracle I did not fall off, but I think my brain is still up there...
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday September 24 2019, @07:47PM (1 child)
Read Mindhunters, by the guy who started the behavioral science dept at the FBI to catch serial killers: they can seem perfectly normal while being rotten inside: it is their CRAFT, it is honed to perfection so they can do what they do.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday September 25 2019, @05:56PM
The accusation was enough to stick with his name ever since, no matter that he wasn't convicted. Even, with the FBI's file supporting his innocence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_child_sexual_abuse_accusations_against_Michael_Jackson [wikipedia.org]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"