> Don’t people sometimes reflect upon themselves, “are we the baddies”? Don’t people see a value in having a moral ground?
That's not the point. The point of this cancellation is the exercise of power; it makes those who are perpetrating this action feel powerful, and closes the loop of a feedback cycle of justification.
Intentions and facts do not matter, because ultimately in this new era there is no path to redemption, no mechanism by which an apology can be accepted. The point is not consistency or actually building a safer or better world - if it were, RMS would rightly be considered a saintly figure for his contributions to the world. The creation and popularization of Free Software is a higher moral act than anything any social-justice keyboard warrior will ever accomplish, no matter how many luminaries they take down.
No, the point is to exercise power, to show any straight white (or white-presenting) male that they are vulnerable, and to ensure that more and more of us hide our heads lest we be the tall blade of grass that gets the scythe. This is, of course, our new privilege.
That's not the point. The point of this cancellation is the exercise of power; it makes those who are perpetrating this action feel powerful, and closes the loop of a feedback cycle of justification.
Intentions and facts do not matter, because ultimately in this new era there is no path to redemption, no mechanism by which an apology can be accepted. The point is not consistency or actually building a safer or better world - if it were, RMS would rightly be considered a saintly figure for his contributions to the world. The creation and popularization of Free Software is a higher moral act than anything any social-justice keyboard warrior will ever accomplish, no matter how many luminaries they take down.
No, the point is to exercise power, to show any straight white (or white-presenting) male that they are vulnerable, and to ensure that more and more of us hide our heads lest we be the tall blade of grass that gets the scythe. This is, of course, our new privilege.