2025 bingo: $something should be apolitical (insert here your favorite topic.: artists, art, movies, music, political parties, software)
again with this nonsense? On Mon, 3 Nov 2025 at 08:28 Richard Troy <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Sun, 2 Nov 2025, Margaret Miller wrote: > > > Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2025 23:56:26 +0100 (CET) > > From: Margaret Miller <[email protected]> > > To: Richard Troy <[email protected]> > > Cc: Anonymous Viewer <[email protected]>, > > Kde Community <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: Keeping KDE Apolitical > > > > Even still, I don't agree that being "apolitical" in your definition is > > a unquestionable goodm I would like to ask *you* to question why you > > think being "apolitical" is a good thing. > > Simple, Margaret: time and place. > > FWIW, I'm fully prepared to bring on the full-emphasis of my political > views when and where the time and location are appropriate - namely, where > they might do some good. I don't see KDE as a place for a political > discussion at this time. If there's something going on that calls for it, > well... do share! > > Regards, > Richard > > > -- > > Margaret "Mae" Miller (she/her) > > > > > > > > Nov 2, 2025, 14:52 by [email protected]: > > > >> > >> On Sun, 2 Nov 2025, Margaret Miller wrote: > >> > >>> > >>> No. I love KDE precisely because they're not falling for this > "apolitical" nonsense that only ever is used to benefit the far right and > push out marginalized people. > >>> > >> > >> Hmmm... > >> > >> With respect, I'd like to ask you to adjust how you assert stuff like > that. > >> > >> You're not wrong, Margaret, in stating that there are many instances in > modern times, especially in the USA and parts of Western Europe (perhaps > elsewhere) that very partisan and political things are done in the name of > being "apolitical." However, someone else's improper use of our common > language shouldn't be a reason for us to redefine words and twist things. > That is, how you phrased your defense of the marginalized was itself > falling into a linguistic trap. I agree with "Slopsec" we all stay out of > it. > >> > >> I believe "Slopsec's" articulation was the more accurate: We can and > should defend being apolitical in KDE and avoid it in ourselves when > dealing with unrelated subjects. And let us not try and redefine the word > apolitical or buy into other people's false definitions. Slopsec asked we > keep politics out of this venue and I agree, and defending those who need > defending as you propose isn't, in my view, political. > >> > >> Word-hijacking has long been, unfortunately, "a thing" in humanity and > it's both insidious and corrosive and is intended, most times, to either > divide, or convince one of false narratives. A simple but obvious example > would be the likes of Nancy Pelosi (among many others) who try and call > themselves "left" just because they're not where current Republicans are, > when anyone of my generation would call them out as 1980's style > Republicans. It's an attempt to redefine the word for their own political > purposes and I say we not buy into it. Apolitical means NOT political. And > defending against bullying as you propose isn't a political act, it's an > act born of good morals. > >> > >> In any event, ABSOLUTELY, Margaret, DEFEND those who need defending, > like the marginalized. Lets just try and not talk past one another, please. > >> > >> I hope I haven't just whacked a hornet's nest! > >> > >> Regards, > >> Richard > >> > >> P.S. You can read MY basic political affiliations in my signature line > as it articulates the who and what _I_ pledge allegiance to. RT > >> > >>> > >>> -- > >>> Margaret "Mae" Miller (she/her) > >>> > >>> Nov 2, 2025, 14:09 by [email protected]: > >>> > >>>> Hello everyone, > >>>> > >>>> Something concerning that was brought to my attention compelled me to > compose my thoughts. For the sake of maintaining a healthy community with a > diverse array of people from different backgrounds, I would like to implore > that you please keep KDE Plasma apolitical. It should not be used as a > platform for character assassination or the badjacketing of people and > organisations for political views which may differ from your own. There > could be about half a dozen of reasons why KDE Plasma may have wished to > abstain from interacting on X/Twitter and each of them likely to be valid > from a purely technical or utilitarian prospective. Instead, an employee of > KDE Plasma for promotion and communication asserted their own politics and > spoke on behalf of KDE Plasma as a whole in a statement when addressing why > KDE Plasma has stopped posting to X. > >>>> > >>>> I don't think this is something that should be tolerated in our > community, as the politicisation of projects and hobbies only serves to sow > division which leads to ostracism and exclusion rather than inclusion. > Hobbies should be politically neutral as to remain inclusive for all people > from different walks of life. The founding ethos of the free and open > source community ensured that nobody was excluded or marginalised for their > immutable traits or beliefs as they did not matter or would've otherwise > impacted a person's ability to participate. These very founding principles > are being threatened by those who that assert their politics into the > hobbies and projects where it has no business being. The free and open > source movement is political in nature, yes. However, there should be > absolutely no room for identity politics and culture wars which distract > from the very purpose of our hobby. Creating, maintaining and iterating on > software and public infrastructure that anyone may fr > ee > >>>> > >> ly use for the betterment of humanity. > >> > >>>> > >>>> I've left my thoughts here in good faith as a user of KDE Plasma and > welcome any discussion or feedback. > >>>> > >>>> Thank you all for your time and cheers for reading. > >>>> > >>>> —Slopsec > >>>> > >>>> -- > >>>> Sent with https://mailfence.com > >>>> Secure and private email > >>>> > >> > >> -- > >> Richard Troy, Chief Scientist > >> Science Tools Corporation > >> 510-717-6942 > >> [email protected], http://ScienceTools.com/ > >> > >> I pledge allegiance to We, The People, to mutual peace and harmony, and > >> to the natural Earth and biosphere upon which We, The People, depend. > >> > > > > -- > Richard Troy, Chief Scientist > Science Tools Corporation > 510-717-6942 > [email protected], http://ScienceTools.com/ > > I pledge allegiance to We, The People, to mutual peace and harmony, and > to the natural Earth and biosphere upon which We, The People, depend.
