rms@AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman) (11/23/90)
Some people have expressed the mistaken impression that the FSF boycott is "directed at" Apple employees, and consider this excessive. Actually, the FSF is not boycotting any individuals--only certain activities. Specifically, activities that help Apple make money. For example, I wouldn't refuse to help a person who (coincidentally) works for Apple who asks for something unrelated to Apple. It's not the person who is being boycotted--it is the projects of Apple Computer, Inc. Every single project carried out by Apple is actually done by individual employees. (This is true for any company.) So, if we don't want to do favors for Apple the company, it means refusing certain requests that are inevitably made by individual employees. A person who works for Apple is not necessarily a bad person, and does not necessarily have any ill will for us. But while the person is on the job, he or is she is working on a project (the prosperity of Apple) that is injurious to the rest of us. Refusing to aid that project is simple common sense, no matter how you feel about the person. If someone can work for Apple without having ill will for you, then you can refuse to assist without ill will.