Re: Support RMS

[Jean Louis]

* Alexandre Oliva <lxoliva@fsfla.org> [2021-04-16 01:19]:
> On Apr 15, 2021, Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> wrote:
> 
> > Alexandre Oliva, have you been on many Libreplanet videos, that you
> > can confirm how RMS yelled on public speakers and if that is so, can
> > we know which video is it?
> 
> I recall witnessing him run to the microphone more than once to interact
> with speakers at LibrePlanet and elsewhere, and his speaking without
> yelling in those occasions.
> 
> That is not supposed to mean that the reported incident hasn't happened,
> just that, if it did happen, I wasn't there.  I believe that if I had
> witnessed it, I'd remember.

Thank you.

I cannot see how possibly the number of all people ever interacting
with one person can be comfortable at all times and in full agreement
at all times. And Libreplanet has its purposes which RMS knows inside
out, it will be quite logical and I am expectin RMS to speak, in fact
I expect many other participants to speak as to forward purposes.

If some public speech or approach by RMS does not align to purposes of
Libreplanet, and in the same time it happens too many times, that
would be something to discuss.

Because I do not, and did not see such events, and nobody presented
video excerpt when I asked, I can for now just imagine that
disagreements by RMS are related to free software, maybe terminology
and similar. Of course I have seen his funny reactions when speaker
mentions "intellectual property" or when somebody speaks of "open
source" or something similar like RMS being leader of "open source" as
such organizators did not make their home work well.

In general, there are many speakers that will do things in public that
may be funny, exaggerated, that may represent strong critics, speakers
will yell and similar, but I have to, and wish to understand if that
belongs to disagreements on political issues, or it is something that
belongs to lack of self-control and lack of respect to people.

So far I could not, as being on distance, not get a single event of
any such occurences and I find the complaints generalized and not
specific. 

And I cannot see how possibly a public person can escape the fact that
some of women approached will be discreet about those approaches. All
that is human nature.

But so far I do not see from stories anything that would ever justify
public shaming, defamation and constant character ruin.

In my personal work, I sometimes fetch 4800 people from a website and
into the database on my computer, then I devise a process how to test
these people for literacy, their ability to be attentive, tenacity,
their intellectual capacity, and I give them a project that once
finished would qualify them for partnership position in business. In
that project I mention all possible details.

>From 1050+ people contacted from that list, though I have explained
myself so well in the letter that is very personal, despite I have
explained all kinds of businesses where I need those people to help
me, and how I have found them and everything decent and kind, I will
get about 3 people who will complain so harsh and attack me by all
means feeling disrespected. And all what I tell them is "Hello, I have
found your application for a job, please read my offer here and let me
know if you are interested" -- they read the offer and may feel
awful. Then I never let those people who feel so in their sad
situation, regardless if their emotions are by no means caused by my
actions. So I keep communicating, and at least try to find out what
happened, and after a while 1 out of 3 persons will keep talking with
me as person realized that emotional reaction was not appropriate to
the situation.

Those are just 3 extremes among 1050 people. By using the principles
from Scientific Advertising book by Claud C. Hopkins I am
extrapolating a ratio of such occurences.

The extrapolated ratio will tell me what is going to happen with the
rest of (- 4800 1050) ⇒ 3750 people. I can guess there will be about
10+ people who will give me that same emotional reaction that I myself
find out of order.

And no matter what I change on my side, there will be number of people
complaining.

Regarding approaches to women is very similar, even public people like
RMS are attracted by other persons and approaches may be positively
and negatively cause a reaction that people will like to share with
other people. If such approach was verbal and discreet and then few
women find it rather important to share with other people, their
reactions are nothing that shall be relevant to the humanitarian and
social work that RMS conducts, neither is relevant to this mailing
list, and should not be the subject of second hand generalized story
interpretations.

In some countries people mate by approaching each other out of the
blue on street and asking for appointment, there is acceptance and
denial as outcome, but none of them will complain that approach
happened. In some countries mating requires longer or more harmonized
communication beforehand which is anyway better connecting people, but
there people may complain for a quicker approach. Different people on
Libreplanet may react differently.

My question is not if RMS will get reactions for reasonable
conversation, that somebody may feel as "interruption" -- but hey,
interruptions are common by many professors on every university, there
are many ways how a speaker from audience may try to "lead" and
deviate into whatever purposes that are not aligned with the public
speech purpose. Interruptions may be well justified, but question is
not if reactions exist, rather if such interruption is not
reasonable. Of course that interruption will appear rude to the one
talking. Those are in disagreements.

My question is not if nobody will ever complain or disagree with RMS,
but I just don't see anything that falls out of what is otherwise
expected with philosophers. Myself I do expect many protesters to come
to speeches where is RMS and Libreplanet, as it is civilized
discussion and people do not necessarily share opinions. They may
agree on something or mostly there will be people in agreement, but
many will like to say their opinions which are contradictory, clashes
are expected to happen in public discussions.

-- 
Jean

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