I also agree with the troll and it really does look like that was deliberate trolling. But really, it made sense anyway. You're not allowed to criticize Stallman on HN. I found that out the hard way. It's frowned upon even more than criticizing Steve Jobs (both before and after his passing). But since you brought this up I'd also like to add that I question how this got to the front page. I mean, yeah it sucks and I feel for the guy but this stuff happens. It's not like it was Obama or his bag was filled with national security secrets or a cure for cancer. I can summarize the story in a few words: Stallman had his bag containing his passport and important personal items stolen at a talk he gave. He was very upset. Really? That's big news? I could see bloggers passing the story around but when it ends up here I begin to wonder how much longer before HN is "not like it used to be".
I've criticized both RMS and Jobs on HN. People upvoted me for it. The quality of your arguments matters a lot in those and similar cases because people are more inclined to downvote for a poor argument where they would otherwise let it slide.
Exactly! If you want to convince a Christian that it would be better if some of Jesus's lessons were not followed, and you actually care about convincing them, then you should carefully phrase your criticism.
Perhaps that shouldn't be necessary, but if you rank spreading certain opinions higher than being able to spread them in a certain way, then you'll have to choose. I usually choose adjusting my communication to be more effective in spreading the opinion.
Of course some people can't be reasoned with, but if you communicate effectively, you will find most people can be reasoned with.
