Hi, I'm a former FSF staff person and a former GNU maintainer who has left most of the FSF & GNU mailing lists that I was on because of the extremely toxic, harassment-filled environments on those lists. I stayed on the LibrePlanet list because it's usually ok and I appreciate seeing the occasional campaign messages and actions to take in support of free software. RMS inspires a toxic, sexist and unrepentant culture. I'm one of the people who has asked him -- many times -- to take a strong stance against sexism in GNU, to stop treating women as second-class citizens, and to re-consider his utterly clueless and disrespectful treatment of transgender people in our communities. I want free software to win. I want everyone to be able to choose free software for everything. There is no way for free software to win if hundreds of previously interested people are leaving after they get sick of the hateful, sexist and intolerant parts of our communities. People take their cue from RMS and he has demonstrated over and over again that he is not interested in removing intolerance. If we want a movement that grows, instead of a quirky and toxic private club, then RMS shouldn't lead. Sincerely, Deb Nicholson
On Fri, Mar 26, 2021 at 8:31 AM Ali Reza Hayati <[1][email protected]> wrote: Hello Danny. I'm sorry that your feelings are hurt but I don't see anything wrong here. Dark humor is everywhere and many people like it. I've seen gay people liking dark humor about gays for example. As I said, after all, that's just jokes and humor. About being offended, again that's not a problem with RMS. Maybe he hasn't be nice to you or people you know but if you want a nice person to lead a foundation, you may need a kid, not a grown up person. Every person may upset you or others in some way. I've upset many people in my life without any intention, to that I apologize to them. If you believe RMS is not a good person, that's your opinion and respectable. If you don't think RMS is a good leader, that's again respectable and may even be a fair point if presented well. However, that's not where RMS opposers stand today. What you've signed is based on false accusations and lies. When it comes to defending truth, that statement/letter is completely false. I still urge people to support RMS in this matter because defending truth is important. Again, I'm sorry that your feelings have been hurt but that's just your personal conflict/disappointment. On 26/03/2021 09:06, Danny Spitzberg wrote: > I am having a difficult time right now. This person Georgia shares > several years of experience working at FSF and directly with RMS. Ali, > their testimony makes me think that maybe the free software movement > needs to move beyond RMS. Here are their words, copied from > [2]https://twitter.com/georgialyle/status/1374504389155508232 > <[3]https://twitter.com/georgialyle/status/1374504389155508232>: > “I worked at the FSF from 2015-2018 & was shop steward for a while. I > recall having a months (MONTHS) long conversation with ED John Sullivan > about why racist & sexist 'hacker humor' from the 90s needed to be > removed from [4]gnu.org <[5]http://gnu.org>. rms didn't get why it was harmful. > > Also the abortion joke ('contributed' by rms) in a technical manual? He > threw a fit when it was removed, & the energy many people (who respected > him!!) put in to attempting to educate him in why that wasn't cool. > > The thing that randos who have never had to actually work with rms don't > understand is that MANY people who deeply respected him tried to help > him learn to not objectify women, shout over others at Libreplanet as if > it was his birthday party, stop shit like 'emacs virgins' > > Meanwhile that energy, utterly wasted, could've been spent advocating > for free to software and building the inclusive, impractical community > so many people WANT. Spent, instead, on a man's ego, over and over. > > This whole thing is incredibly depressing. The free software community > is largely full of interesting, rad people - I got to work with a bunch > of people I like & respect & feel inspired by, organizing Libreplanet > was my job & introduced me to amazing people from across the world > > free software has the ability to do so much good, but there's an ugly > cult of personality around rms, & the fact that he faced consequences > for his creepy Epdtein-adjacent comments and not the decades of shitty > behavior towards women is infuriating & excuses his return > > It's easy for people to dismiss shitty words, & because we don't focus > on shitty actions (& actions are easily dismissed by assholes sealioning > for 'evidence' - bc "I saw it/experienced it" is NEVER enough) it's > possible for a floundering FSF to 'uncancel' rms now. DON'T LET THEM > > My github account was, uh, dusty, to say the least, but I made a pull > request in order to sign on to this letter. > [6]https://rms-open-letter.github.io/ <[7]https://rms-open-letter.github.io/> > > One final thing: do not shit on FSF staff about this. They didn't ask > for this, they weren't notified in advance of rms' apparently impromptu > announcement, they labor for the organization and for the community > every day. Put pressure on the board and the executive director.” > > The letter is signed by 40 organizations and over 500 individuals, > including dozens of former FSF staff and board members. > > On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 6:04 PM Ali Reza Hayati <[8][email protected] > <mailto:[9][email protected]>> wrote: > > Recently, RMS announced that he's back on FSF board of directors. Now, > some organizations and people are attacking FSF and RMS and are asking > them to resign. > > Since the accusations are false, we're asking FSF to resist this > pressure and continue work for the good of the software libre movement. > > Sending message to [10][email protected] <mailto:[11][email protected]> is a way of > showing your support. They > are acting like mobs and bullies, we should not step down from our > principals, which are fighting for justice and truth. > > On 26/03/2021 04:49, Danny Spitzberg wrote: > > I’m not clear on why I should send a message of support for RMS. > > > > On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 4:57 PM Ali Reza Hayati > <[12][email protected] <mailto:[13][email protected]> > > <mailto:[14][email protected] <mailto:[15][email protected]>>> wrote: > > > > People, > > > > FSF board has received lots of messages today and there's no > need to > > add > > to the pile. Please send your support for RMS to [16][email protected] > <mailto:[17][email protected]> > > <mailto:[18][email protected] <mailto:[19][email protected]>> and ask > > them to resist pressures and stay with us. > > > > Software libre is a matter of justice. If we can learn one > thing from > > the whole movement is to keep our principals and fight for > justice. FSF > > made a mistake back in 2019 and that was not to defend RMS > against > > false > > accusations. Today, we can make that right by supporting a > wonderful > > honorable man. > > > > Show your support by sending messages to [20][email protected] > <mailto:[21][email protected]> > > <mailto:[22][email protected] <mailto:[23][email protected]>>. Do it now, later > > may be late. > > > > Best. > > -- > > Ali Reza Hayati ([24]https://alirezahayati.com > <[25]https://alirezahayati.com> <[26]https://alirezahayati.com > <[27]https://alirezahayati.com>>) > > Libre culture activist and privacy advocate > > PGP: B7DC C419 C0ED 05D5 6535 1BD3 2A7F A925 75A3 C354 > > > > _______________________________________________ > > libreplanet-discuss mailing list > > [28][email protected] > <mailto:[29][email protected]> > > <mailto:[30][email protected] > <mailto:[31][email protected]>> > > > [32]https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discu ss > <[33]https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-disc uss> > > > <[34]https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-disc uss <[35]https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-disc uss>> > > > > -- > Ali Reza Hayati ([36]https://alirezahayati.com <[37]https://alirezahayati.com>) > Libre culture activist and privacy advocate > PGP: B7DC C419 C0ED 05D5 6535 1BD3 2A7F A925 75A3 C354 > -- Ali Reza Hayati ([38]https://alirezahayati.com) Libre culture activist and privacy advocate PGP: B7DC C419 C0ED 05D5 6535 1BD3 2A7F A925 75A3 C354 _______________________________________________ libreplanet-discuss mailing list [39][email protected] [40]https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discu ss References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. https://twitter.com/georgialyle/status/1374504389155508232 3. https://twitter.com/georgialyle/status/1374504389155508232 4. http://gnu.org/ 5. http://gnu.org/ 6. https://rms-open-letter.github.io/ 7. https://rms-open-letter.github.io/ 8. mailto:[email protected] 9. mailto:[email protected] 10. mailto:[email protected] 11. mailto:[email protected] 12. mailto:[email protected] 13. mailto:[email protected] 14. mailto:[email protected] 15. mailto:[email protected] 16. mailto:[email protected] 17. mailto:[email protected] 18. mailto:[email protected] 19. mailto:[email protected] 20. mailto:[email protected] 21. mailto:[email protected] 22. mailto:[email protected] 23. mailto:[email protected] 24. https://alirezahayati.com/ 25. https://alirezahayati.com/ 26. https://alirezahayati.com/ 27. https://alirezahayati.com/ 28. mailto:[email protected] 29. mailto:[email protected] 30. mailto:[email protected] 31. mailto:[email protected] 32. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss 33. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss 34. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss 35. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss 36. https://alirezahayati.com/ 37. https://alirezahayati.com/ 38. https://alirezahayati.com/ 39. mailto:[email protected] 40. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss
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