Quoting Gerardo Ballabio (2021-03-24 12:32:31) > Matthias Klumpp wrote: > > Inclusivity and tolerance does not mean we have to accept every opinion as equally valid. > > Equally valid -- no. > Legitimate to express -- yes. > > I am really worried about the increasing trend (not specific to > Debian) towards demanding that people who hold "dissenting" opinions > be removed from their positions, excluded from the public debate, and > even fired from their jobs, which if universally applied would make > them unable to earn a living. That is what dictatorial regimes do -- > often while maintaining a facade of freedom: "Nobody is being > prevented from speaking, we're just making their life miserable > because we don't like what they're saying". That's exactly what's > happening with the current political correctness storm. Say one bad > word and your life might be ruined. > > Just yesterday I happened to read this quotation (on a Debian mailing > list!). I believe it is very much to the point: > "Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves > exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves > only the unanimity of the graveyard. -- Justice Roberts in 319 U.S. > 624 (1943)" > > What happened to "I don't agree with what you're saying, but I'll give > my life to defend your right to say it"? Very well said, Gerardo - but there is a piece missing: Question is not if legitimate for RMS to have and share opinions. Question instead is if RMS mixes personal opinions with official roles. I sometimes sneeze. If I worked at a restaurant, then I served a role as a servant where it is absolutely unacceptable to sneeze. If I failed at understanding that sneezing while acting in my role as servant was unacceptable, then it would be reasonable that management fired me. And it would be sensible to sign a petition to have the board of the restaurant step down if they failed to fire me. Now imagine that I blogged about my sneezing, shared videos of sneezes in slow-motion, and argued in talk shows that my sneezing was special and could cure COVID-19, not spread it. The restaurant managers fired me, but later changed their mind and hired me back again. Should I be fired again, or the management be shamed? Depends on whether I sneezed at work, not if it was public knowledge that I was a sneezer and clueless about how viruses spread - those features have *nothing* to do with my ability to serve food at a restaurant (regardless of my very presence in the restaurant might make sone guests vomit because they remembered some slow-motion video they once saw, produced by me). - Jonas -- * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt * Tlf.: +45 40843136 Website: http://dr.jones.dk/ [x] quote me freely [ ] ask before reusing [ ] keep private
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