On Fri, Apr 2, 2021, 5:05 PM lolwut <[email protected]> wrote: > -----Original Message----- > From: David Barrett [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, 02 April, 2021 7:38 PM > To: lolwut > Cc: [email protected] > Subject: Re: GNU FSF: Richard Stallman Returns > > > On Fri, Apr 2, 2021, 4:04 PM lolwut <[email protected]> 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
