What's your beef with the FTB/Skepchick/A+ crowd?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:18 am
I mentioned these points in the undead thread, so I thought I'd discuss it here as well.
Overall, what are the major problems you have with the FTB/Skephchick/A+ crowd? I thought a threat that summarizes the issues might be useful. Here's a summary of thoughts I put together, based on my initial observations and what I put together from later discussions:
Anyone share the same thoughts? What are your issues with them?
Overall, what are the major problems you have with the FTB/Skephchick/A+ crowd? I thought a threat that summarizes the issues might be useful. Here's a summary of thoughts I put together, based on my initial observations and what I put together from later discussions:
- A destructive "callout culture". Not only is this counterproductive in resolving conflicts and harmful to interpersonal relationships and trust, but it contributes to an aggressive dogpiling "witch-hunt" environment. It's also self-destructive - former allies can become enemies or outcasts overnight as callout culture can be direceted inwards as well as outwards
- Uncritical acceptance of radical feminist dogmas such as patriarchy theory, privilege, infantalization of women, victimhood wallowing, and biodenial (the view that gender is entirely socially constructed).
- Related to the point above, a form of gynocentrism or "genderitis" as it's been called elsewhere. That is, the tendency to wear "gender goggles" when looking at social problems - the assumption that "gender power struggle" is behind social problems to the exclusion of other factors and nuances.
- The abuse of words such as misogynist, harassment, and rape-apologist. Not only are they used as a smear tactic against dissent, but they are given misleadingly broadened definitions. This includes defining the word "feminism" broadly as "the view that women are people" and using it as a cudgel to misleadingly characterize dissent as "anti-woman".
- A patronizing attitude towards women who disagree with their ideology. This includes rhetoric such as "listen to women!" with the implication that they speak for all women. In reality, it's "listen to [some] women!" Dissenting women are condescendingly dismissed as been duped by patriarchy and given dogmatic ideological labels like "chill girl", "gender traitor", "sister punisher" and "handmaidens of patriarchy".
- An often neo-Victorian attitude towards sexuality. What most would consider harmless flirting, they would consider harassment or sexism. Even thinking about sexual attraction towards someone could be considered thoughtcrime.
- A tribalistic, cult-like mentality that encourages groupthink, vilification of dissent, and othering. Dissent is automatically dismissed as misogyny, being anti-woman, hate, sexism, or harassment. Dissenters' statements or behaviours are interpreted in the worst possible light and attributed to sinister motivations (e.g. the "threat" narrative)
- Equating internet troll culture with dissent. In other words, some obnoxious 15-year old in his parents' basement who tries to get a rise out people are placed in the same group as legitimate critics.
- Use of postmodernist argumentation such as "kafkatrapping". Concepts such as "privilege" become like the doctrine of original sin. In other words, "you are part of the problem if you don't agree with my ideology" (*often heard as "you don't get it!" or "check your privilege!")
- A commitment to a stuffy, overreacting, oversensitive political correctness philsophy that's counterproductive to free expression (i.e. "your rights end where my feelings begin!")
- Frequent hypocritical behaviours. For example: "don't objectify me, but have our naked Skepchick calendar"; "we want a 'safe' space, but let's dogpile dissenters with vitriole and public shaming"; "we oppose hate, but fuck you you fucking fuck and go die in a fire!"; and "I value freedom of thought, and I like to smear dissenters and ban them", and others...
Anyone share the same thoughts? What are your issues with them?