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A comment on On Recent Controversial Events. Parent comment

Re:On Recent Controversial Events by eightysixfour on Thursday October 17, 2019 @08:54PM (#21287729)
> Are people in prominent positions not allowed to have opinions or interests outside of their job?

There are absolutely jobs in the world where “don’t be a distraction” is a requirement for the job.

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Re:On Recent Controversial Events by humanrebar on Thursday October 17, 2019 @10:50PM (#21288255)
Sometimes who you are, a physical trait, an accent, an unrelated disability is a "distraction". And, yes, personality and neurological traits can count as well.

I can understand "don't be a jerk", and maybe RMS failed that test. But "don't be a distraction" can easily be (and has been) an excuse to oppress in the name of pragmatism.

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