Richard Stallman, Ultimatist

8 points by specialist 14y ago ↗ HN

Richard Stallman is an Ultimatist. He pushes the boundaries, creating more room for more diversity. Think of The Overton Window, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window . Without Stallman and others staking out the far position, the entire dialog is constrained.

Stallman's job isn't to "win". It's to defend a certain form of expression's right to exist. There are no half-measures, no room for compromise.

Agree or disagree with Ultimatists like Stallman, I really don't care, because this isn't about you. Just know this: if the push for free software (as in speech, not beer) was gone, your range of options would be diminished, and then you'd care.

Ultimatists tend to be outside of the mainstream, mocked. Makes them easier to dismiss. Kudos to David Winer for standing up for Stallman, because haters suck.

Other contemporary Ultimatists you may have heard of, and mocked, are:

Glenn Greenwald, defense of human rights, civil liberties, the US Constitution.

Bev Harrison, opposition to touchscreens, internet voting.

Greg Palast, investigative reporter.

NARAL, defense of abortion rights.

Earth First, others, defense of the environment.

NRA, defense of gun rights.

EFF, defense of privacy rights.

ACLU, defense of civil liberties.

In conclusion, I hope that anyone who reads this thinks twice about the role Ultimatists play.

1 comment

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beatpanda 14y ago ↗

So few people understand this. Every critique of Stallman that begins with "...but I think we need someone more reasonable" can usually be dismissed right away because it's already missed the point. I'm grateful that he's taken it upon himself to take the criticism for the sake of the rest of us.