[Discuss] RMS in the news

[Rich Pieri]

NB: I'm on csail-related.

On Wed, 18 Sep 2019 09:06:49 -0400
John Abreau <abreauj at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'd like to see his original email that sparked the whole mess. From
> what little I've seen, it sounds like RMS condemned Epstein but
> defended Minsky, as Minsky is dead and thus cannot defend himself.

The originals with names redacted have been published on The Verge
website. One of my own is included in the "leak".

In a nutshell, RMS supposed that Minsky did have sex with the Virginia
Giuffre:

"The reference reports the claim that Minsky had sex with one of
Epstein's harem. [...] Let's presume that was true (I see no reason to
disbelieve it)."

He then tried to redfine the terms "rape" and "sexual assault" so that
if this is true, that Minksy did have sex with Giuffre, then it could
not have been rape or sexual assault because a) she presented as
willing and b) she was not physically forced.

The press had a field day with this. RMS' attempts at redefining these
words to make Minsky not a rapist would, if successful, also have made
Epstein not a rapist or less of one. So while RMS did not specifically
defend Epstein and in fact condemned the man, his typical rhetoric
indirectly did.

-- 
Rich Pieri