19 Apr
2013
19 Apr
'13
10:12 p.m.
If someone owns something, then it is theirs to
dispose of in any way
they wish. That is what private property is all about.
Legally, yes. But there is a large difference between "legal" and
"good", or even "legal" and "not scummy". Just because
someone has a
legal right to do something doesn't mean that doing it it shouldn't
draw censure.
If someone, oh, say, someone with a working ASR-33 chooses to, let's
say, dissect it with a dremel and use the pieces as party favours, I
won't say a word about it from a legal PoV. But I _will_ think, and
quite likely say, it's a wasteful and scuzzy thing to do, and I will
think less of such a person and quite likely refuse to sell to, help
on the lists, buy from, etc, said person - as is _my_ legal right, a
right I don't choose to exercise in most cases....
If you think that such things are precious and need to
be protected,
If you don't, what are you on this list for?
then do something about it. Buy them yourself. [...]
Anything.
Just don't go bitching to the mailing list and
then expect someone
else to do it for you.
I didn't write the text you're reacting to, so I can't know what was in
its auhtor's mind.
But criticism - such as mail on this list - is one of the first steps
that can reasonably be taken upon discovering that someone (apparently)
intends to do something undesirable. I don't see any reason to think
that being critical of a potential actions means "expect[ing] someone
else" to fix the issue; community censure is a reasonable next step
after individual censure - assuming, of course, that the relevant
community _does_, as a community, disapprove of the putative action.
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