Edit: the level of downvotes/flag-kills of comments just asking "why" and "what happened" is pretty depressing.
People I imagine were suspicious that you were not simply asking "why" with the somewhat loaded "offended certain political persuasions" bit.
It wasn't just my comment, others were downvoted and flag-killed too (though I can't identify the exact one I saw killed, because it looks like it's been vouched or deleted).
And the "offended certain political persuasions" bit is apt, even if some people don't like it. There's a big one nowadays that will characteristically treat people like Stallman has been treated here.
Meanwhile, Reid Hoffman is now known to have visited the island and has not seen any firestorm of cancellations, as far as I'm aware.
Recently, or years ago? Because I'm pretty sure those remarks happened years ago.
He basically said that the victims were harmed, that they were forced to have sex, but that probably Epstein also forced them to make sure it's not known, otherwise who would agree to such a relationship, that would be basically rape? Taking into account how easy is to accuse people and that Minsky had died 3 years earlier, Stallman just said what he thought of the situation and witch-hunting. Not to mention that the victim just said that Epstein asked her to have sex with Minsky but there is no mention that it actually happened - at least his wife denies this happened.
But this was misrepresented in the media and even in headlines of major papers so I don't think the harm can be ever repaired.
we are comparing two people: one participated, and one was giving a personal opinion about the participation.
here's my question. why are we pretending as if these two offenses are equal?
An opinion can be changed, an action cannot.
the plausible deniability factor of acting deaf and blind to a situation that surrounds you is paper-thin.
It is an abstract academic ideology where symbols and words matter a lot, while real-world activity does not.
[0] https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/of-course-you-know-what...
edit Even this comment, which is just listing a series of objective facts, is getting wildly upvoted/downvoted