How to Identify Demonisation or Dehumanisation Tactics Against Interesting Figures or Luminaries in Free Software
Rather than in general or generally in technology
Later this week we'll publish "A Can of WORMS - Part III" (see Part I and Part II). It focuses on RMS and extrapolates a little, as we see the same tactics habitually leveraged against RMS applied also to his FSF colleagues. Inoculation and vaccination against the tactics may come through better understanding of the underlying nature or the inherent patterns.
If you want to carefully watch and then spot mineless, belittling, baseless dehumanisation, then look for the following:
- A focus on the words used (e.g. "Swindle", not Kindle), not the sentences or the messages actually conveyed
- Needless focus on appearance (e.g. he's fat, she's short, he's of [some ethnicity], he's not shaved, she looks gay, he's too young)
- Cherry-picking of some political posting/s, however old, especially regarding some deeply divisive (or outdated) matter
- Projection tactics, e.g. a rapist calling others "rapist" or pedophiles accusing others of pedophilia
- Hypocrisy and contradiction, e.g. using proprietary GitHub (Microsoft) to bemoan a lack of freedom
- Reliance on social control media, where hearsay goes a long way, unimpeded
- Resorting to stereotypes where those are imaginary or inapplicable
- Reliance on the "rich means smart" fallacy, wherein it's easier to attack people who don't "participate in the system" or "don't go with the flow" because they have less money, hence they're presumed "Wrong" or a "Failure"
If you notice such patterns, then look away, don't waste time. Don't bother engaging, either. They'd mistake any form of engagement as legitimacy and affirmation. █