Re: why isn't stallman on lp2022 speakers list?

[Dora Scilipoti]

On 3/6/22 03:25, Kaio Duarte Costa wrote:
> Em 2022-03-05 19:46, Dora Scilipoti escreveu:

> In the event, I was not mistaken about the first part of my text. In
> fact, I didn't say that his participation would replace another or that
> others would do this as well, he is certainly welcome to participate and
> sign up when there is the process again. I believe that he, as well as
> anyone else, will never be prevented from participating without good
> reason!

True, you didn't say that. Your argument was that he hadn't gone through
the application process, therefore it would be unfair. What I was trying
to say is that it wouldn't be unfair because he wouldn't be taking
anybody's place (last Thursday it was announced that the early
registration had been extended until March 6.)


>> But you are right. He probably didn't apply and thus didn't fill the
>> forms. That's because applying is something he never did before. If for
>> whatever reason the organizers wanted to change this tradition, the
>> least they could have done to avoid all this is to inform him: "Richard,
>> this year you won't be invited by default, you need to apply." But they
>> didn't, AFAICT.
> 
> Regarding the other question, if he wants to participate, why didn't he
> ask the LibrePlanet Organization Team if he would be invited?

If you read again what I wrote above, you will see my point, but I
will try again.

RMS never had to apply, his speaking there was "by default," so to
speak. How would you expect a man who works 18 hours a day --for both
the FSF and GNU-- addressing a number of complicated issues
simultaneously, having to keep them in mind all the time, to even
remotely think that this year things at LP have changed and all of the
sudden he is expected not only to apply, but to apply on time?

I believe it's the organizer's job to inform him.

> And then,
> in the same way, did other people who were interested in seeing him
> speak, ask the team?

For the same reason I explained above. People found out only after the
schedule was published. They were taken by surprise.

> Surely, if this was not
> intentional, they would find a way to fit it into the schedule.

It was probably not intentional, although strange. Most importantly, I'm
not even sure RMS himself feels it is _that_ important for him to speak.
He's awfully busy. It is possible that he would dismiss the whole thing
with a "Oh, I forgot to apply."


> At least I, regardless of being invited or not, would expect people to
> sign up and do the same process, because the process should be the same
> for everyone. 

Organizers will correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that
the process is not the same for everyone. Some speakers have to be
specifically invited.

I believe that some keynote speakers are specifically contacted and
invited to participate in the event. This is likely to happen in the
case of some keynote speakers.

To name just one, Edward Snowden was a keynote speaker at LP not long
ago. I may be wrong, but chances are he did not submit an application.
https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/libreplanet-2016-the-last-lighthouse-3d51/

Assuming I am correct that Snowden did not go through the usual
application procedure, I will also assume that none of the other
speakers --I'd dare emphasize, *none*-- complained about it.

As you can see in the video, Snowden was acclaimed by a standing
audience at LP, and I believe RMS was among that audience. I will take
this opportunity to say, for those who don't know him, that RMS is a
humble person, just the contrary of what he has often been accused of,
being self-centered. We all need to learn to be a bit less pretentious.

This takes us to the question of whether all leaders are equal. Of
course at a human level we are equals, but not when it comes to what
each of us do or has accomplished in life. I lead two small GNU
projects, I have achieved some good results in my local group of free
software activists as well as with other political causes in my youth. I
don't think my achievements are equal to those of RMS in the field of
software freedom or to those of Snowden in the political field.


> After all, we are all activists and want to be heard,
> right? [...]

Right.

[...]

> Regarding "Hero Worship" as some say, I may have misunderstood, but I
> have felt in some e-mails that certain individuals speak in a way that
> sounds worshipful. And I, in my personal opinion, do not support that.

That's because some people are more passionate than others. It can be a
matter of personality or culture. It is important not to use it as an
excuse to dismiss their opinions, if we want to be serious about
inclusion. Such an attitude can hurt a lot, it can easily lead
people to self-censorship or even to leave. I've seen it.

[...]

Thank you for the conversation.

-- 
Dora Scilipoti
gnu.org/education
stallmansupport.org -- Disinformation succeeds because so many people
care deeply about injustice but do not take the time to check the facts.