Anne Robinson has no soul, and is history, thank fuck!

[JackSkeptic]

Strange Sally Syringe, being strange again. It's about her motivation to attend the American Atheist Convention. Why? 'To piss off the haters'.

Because, apparently, she's that important to skeptical womanhood, y'know.

http://strangesally.wordpress.com/2013/ ... feminists/

BTW - I'm thinking of going to Burger King later sometime next week. Please let the militant vegans know - I can't stand 'em, and such strident activism on my part is sure to piss them off.

It's just a long winded begging letter. It's designed to push all the emotional buttons of the deluded. I'd rather donate my cash to real causes.

Then they wonder why they are called professional victims.

[Tigzy]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

[Submariner]

Strange Sally Syringe, being strange again. It's about her motivation to attend the American Atheist Convention. Why? 'To piss off the haters'.

Because, apparently, she's that important to skeptical womanhood, y'know.

http://strangesally.wordpress.com/2013/ ... feminists/

BTW - I'm thinking of going to Burger King later sometime next week. Please let the militant vegans know - I can't stand 'em, and such strident activism on my part is sure to piss them off.

It's just a long winded begging letter. It's designed to push all the emotional buttons of the deluded. I'd rather donate my cash to real causes.

Then they wonder why they are called professional victims.

Wow that was hard to read, much like many of the FfTB's. Sally certainly has the style and playbook down pat.

[Lsuoma]

http://i.imgur.com/QjuoEnc.jpg

How much planning do these conferences require once you have people booked? I would have thought it was book somewhere, get speakers, profit.

It's a fuck of a lot of work. Trust me.

[Submariner]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

I couldn't care less if Sally attends the conference or not. More power to her if she does.

[ReneeHendricks]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

I couldn't care less if Sally attends the conference or not. More power to her if she does.

I'd venture to say not a damned one of us here gives a fuck what conferences Sally attends. Pretty inflated ego, that one.

[KenD]

PZ has posted a video clip of stand-up comic and secular activist Kate Smurthwaite verbally bitch-slapping a dude on a chat-show. That's right - the clip is called "Atheist Bitchslap." So much for splash damage.

Seeing that was what convinced me to stop lurking and sign up here. What I find ironic is that PZ was just complaining about people attacking "strawfeminists", then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite.

One attention seeking stunt she pulled was a God Hates Fags style picket at the funeral of British atheist artist/writer (and former male escort) Sebastian Horsley, upsetting his grieving friends and family because Horsley had dared to write in defence of prostitution. Of course other feminists celebrated his death too, just like they did when Christopher Hitchens died. The hypocritical thing is that she defended herself by arguing that nobody has a right to not be offended, and then took part in a feminist campaign against "trolling" on the internet...

The worst thing from a sceptical perspective is the many examples of Smurthwaite using bullshit statistics and blatant lies against the people and organisations she opposes. This blog post is pretty typical, with a bizarre attempt to smear sex worker group the IUSW as pimps "funded by the Conservative Party", and a strawman argument built around the debunked statistic that the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. She's used similar tactics when campaigning for sex shops and strip clubs to be banned, including promoting false claims about them causing rape.

That's the kind of person who's uncritically accepted as a leading light in British feminism/scepticism/secularism, yet people who have issues with feminism in the secular community are "misogynists" attacking "strawfeminists"...

If I had to choose, I'd support liberal Christians over authoritarian secular feminists like Smurthwaite.

[TheMudbrooker]

PZ has posted a video clip of stand-up comic and secular activist Kate Smurthwaite verbally bitch-slapping a dude on a chat-show. That's right - the clip is called "Atheist Bitchslap." So much for splash damage.

Seeing that was what convinced me to stop lurking and sign up here. What I find ironic is that PZ was just complaining about people attacking "strawfeminists", then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite.

One attention seeking stunt she pulled was a God Hates Fags style picket at the funeral of British atheist artist/writer (and former male escort) Sebastian Horsley, upsetting his grieving friends and family because Horsley had dared to write in defence of prostitution. Of course other feminists celebrated his death too, just like they did when Christopher Hitchens died. The hypocritical thing is that she defended herself by arguing that nobody has a right to not be offended, and then took part in a feminist campaign against "trolling" on the internet...

The worst thing from a sceptical perspective is the many examples of Smurthwaite using bullshit statistics and blatant lies against the people and organisations she opposes. This blog post is pretty typical, with a bizarre attempt to smear sex worker group the IUSW as pimps "funded by the Conservative Party", and a strawman argument built around the debunked statistic that the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. She's used similar tactics when campaigning for sex shops and strip clubs to be banned, including promoting false claims about them causing rape.

That's the kind of person who's uncritically accepted as a leading light in British feminism/scepticism/secularism, yet people who have issues with feminism in the secular community are "misogynists" attacking "strawfeminists"...

If I had to choose, I'd support liberal Christians over authoritarian secular feminists like Smurthwaite.

Hi Ken, someone will be along to greet you in the proper manner shortly.

[Git]

Ken, do you have kittehs? If so, please post photos here.

[JackSkeptic]

Welcome Ken.

[Submariner]

Ken, do you have kittehs? If so, please post photos here.

Actually doggehs are preferred.

[decius]

Hi Ken, best first post in ages. Now fuck off.

[Submariner]

Hi Ken, best first post in ages. Now fuck off.

Right, how "uncivil" of me. Welcome Ken. Fuck off.

[katamari Damassi]

Sara Mayhew arguing with Jen McWrong on twitter...

Love this:
Sara E. Mayhew ‏@saramayhew
@jennifurret why not apply tools of skepticism and read w/o biased filter?

15h Jennifer McCreight ‏@jennifurret
@saramayhew hahahahaha what?

"hahahahaha what?" That pretty much sums up the Seattle Filly, don't you think?

"hahahahaha what?' belongs on a SurlyRamic(TM).

[Apples]

PZ has posted a video clip of stand-up comic and secular activist Kate Smurthwaite verbally bitch-slapping a dude on a chat-show. That's right - the clip is called "Atheist Bitchslap." So much for splash damage.

Seeing that was what convinced me to stop lurking and sign up here. What I find ironic is that PZ was just complaining about people attacking "strawfeminists", then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite.

One attention seeking stunt she pulled was a God Hates Fags style picket at the funeral of British atheist artist/writer (and former male escort) Sebastian Horsley, upsetting his grieving friends and family because Horsley had dared to write in defence of prostitution. Of course other feminists celebrated his death too, just like they did when Christopher Hitchens died. The hypocritical thing is that she defended herself by arguing that nobody has a right to not be offended, and then took part in a feminist campaign against "trolling" on the internet...

The worst thing from a sceptical perspective is the many examples of Smurthwaite using bullshit statistics and blatant lies against the people and organisations she opposes. This blog post is pretty typical, with a bizarre attempt to smear sex worker group the IUSW as pimps "funded by the Conservative Party", and a strawman argument built around the debunked statistic that the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. She's used similar tactics when campaigning for sex shops and strip clubs to be banned, including promoting false claims about them causing rape.

That's the kind of person who's uncritically accepted as a leading light in British feminism/scepticism/secularism, yet people who have issues with feminism in the secular community are "misogynists" attacking "strawfeminists"...

If I had to choose, I'd support liberal Christians over authoritarian secular feminists like Smurthwaite.

Hi Ken. Here's a welcome basket (a nod to A+'s 'basket o' links' of required reading for new posters).
http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/images2 ... se2-01.jpg

[Altair]

http://i.imgur.com/QjuoEnc.jpg

I really love that "other shit I don't care about" line. Yes, I am an executive director for CFI, but I don't give two fucks about some of the things that are covered in our mission statement. Is nobody in that organisation reading her stuff online and having second thoughts about her suitability for the job?

I hadn't noticed that part. It makes sense now, she doesn't give a fuck about skepticism and what are usually skepticism's targets, so that's why she's trying to turn the CFI into the Center for Feminist Inquiry.
What the hell did she think she was going to talk about if she got a job at a place that includes this in their mission statement:

Moreover, unlike many other institutions, we maintain that scientific methods and reasoning should be utilized in examining the claims of both pseudoscience and religion. We reject mysticism and blind faith. No topic should be placed off limits to scrutiny—certainly not fringe science and religion, which have an enormous influence on beliefs and conduct

[katamari Damassi]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

I couldn't care less if Sally attends the conference or not. More power to her if she does.

It might help her to get out of the house for a while. I get the feeling that a lot of the FTB crowd are shut-ins.

[Altair]

Wow, just fucking wow. The blog he wrote was almost 100% feminist ideology. He added in the skeptical part of conflating "beaten or raped" with "economic abuse" and other things that are decidedly NOT beatings and/or rape and said, hey the true numbers are bad enough, no need to artificially inflate them. He also said, hey, maybe dancing isn't really helping the abused.

For these crimes, he is now a sexist.

He committed the extremely heinous crime of saying that some forms of violence against women don't even involve men (bolding mine). I like how they slip "same-sex violence" in there in a very stealthy manner. I can imagine some reading the list and going "dating violence, cough ame-sex violen cough, elder abuse...".

... but instead that one-third of women "has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused" in her lifetime (as referenced in the study linked to on the web site). "Otherwise abused" includes "homicide, intimate partner abuse, psychological abuse, dating violence, same-sex violence, elder abuse, sexual assault, date rape, acquaintance rape, marital rape, stranger rape and economic abuse." All these are serious, legitimate problems, but not all of them are physical beatings or rape (nor even involve men)

And of course if we take that list of events that make part of "otherwise abused", I'm positive we'd find a huge number of men who have suffered from that as well.

[Badger3k]

What movement is that Melody? You're supposed to be working for the CSI. I didn't realize they had a "movement". The CSI mission statement:

The mission of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry is to promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims. To carry out these objectives the Committee:

Maintains a network of people interested in critically examining paranormal, fringe science, and other claims, and in contributing to consumer education
Prepares bibliographies of published materials that carefully examine such claims
Encourages research by objective and impartial inquiry in areas where it is needed
Convenes conferences and meetings
Publishes articles that examine claims of the paranormal
Does not reject claims on a priori grounds, antecedent to inquiry, but examines them objectively and carefully

The last one is something Melody and her ilk distinctly do not want to do. Their claims can not be held to any sort of objective examination. To do so is misogynistic. She must have something on the people in charge. That's about the only way she can be so directly opposed to the mission of CFI (as it is written, maybe they need to rewrite them to reflect the current goals?). Or maybe the current leadership actually feels the same way (plausible) or they leadership are so scared of firing her and making her a martyr - you know if she was fired for cause, she would claim sexual harassment or something similar and probably try to make it a civil rights case.

[Tigzy]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

I couldn't care less if Sally attends the conference or not. More power to her if she does.

It might help her to get out of the house for a while. I get the feeling that a lot of the FTB crowd are shut-ins.

If you've ever seen that twitter pic of her, then yes - that girl seriously needs some fresh air. And vitamins. Shitloads of vitamins, in fact.

[KenD]

No doggehs or kittehs here, but thanks for the heart warming fucking welcome.

[Dick Strawkins]

What the hell did she think she was going to talk about if she got a job at a place that includes this in their mission statement:

Moreover, unlike many other institutions, we maintain that scientific methods and reasoning should be utilized in examining the claims of both pseudoscience and religion. We reject mysticism and blind faith. No topic should be placed off limits to scrutiny—certainly not fringe science and religion, which have an enormous influence on beliefs and conduct

I'm not sure she expected to talk about anything when she got her initial start at CFI.
As far as I can tell Hensley wasn't hired for any expertise or interest in skepticism. She was originally hired as an "events organizer" - a job that may require a certain aptitude and ability but not necessarily any great knowledge of critical thinking or science.
It was only years later that she moved into her current job title of Executive Director of CFI Washington.
I get the impression that the situation can be likened to that of a secretary, PA, or warehouse worker getting appointed the director of a company.
Now this is not an unheard of situation. People rise through company ranks all the time.
The trouble is that CFI is not really like a company. It is much more like an academic department at a university.
In that situation it is completely unprecedented that an unqualified person will become head of department in a relatively short space of time. The reason should be obvious. They won't have the necessary education or interest in the academic subject and this deficiency is going to be felt through their actions as they exert their power over the running of the department.

[Altair]

Man, I love Sara Mayhew, she's engaging Amanda Marcotte and making her show her true colors.
Sara is getting better at arguing with them, she's not letting Marcotte change the topic and is maintaining the conversation related to the actual article.

https://twitter.com/saramayhew/status/3 ... 1942736897

My favorite part:

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew He was clear that he's against rape in war zones and developing countries, but not so much against college girls at parties.
Details
4h Sara E. Mayhew Sara E. Mayhew ‏@saramayhew

@AmandaMarcotte he was clear? Where does it say that?
Details
4h Amanda Marcotte Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew The only way to think 1 in 3 is outrageous is to start quietly discounting some rapes, which he clearly does.

Notice how Marcotte is unable to produce an actual quote, and instead of that shows her amazing mind-reading abilities to determine how and why someone thinks something.

(bolding mine)

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew Yeah, you're not being skeptical. That would require being willing to allow that violence against women could be endemic.

http://bensix.files.wordpress.com/2010/ ... ploded.jpg

[Scented Nectar]

PZ has posted a video clip of stand-up comic and secular activist Kate Smurthwaite verbally bitch-slapping a dude on a chat-show. That's right - the clip is called "Atheist Bitchslap." So much for splash damage.

Seeing that was what convinced me to stop lurking and sign up here. What I find ironic is that PZ was just complaining about people attacking "strawfeminists", then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite.

One attention seeking stunt she pulled was a God Hates Fags style picket at the funeral of British atheist artist/writer (and former male escort) Sebastian Horsley, upsetting his grieving friends and family because Horsley had dared to write in defence of prostitution. Of course other feminists celebrated his death too, just like they did when Christopher Hitchens died. The hypocritical thing is that she defended herself by arguing that nobody has a right to not be offended, and then took part in a feminist campaign against "trolling" on the internet...

The worst thing from a sceptical perspective is the many examples of Smurthwaite using bullshit statistics and blatant lies against the people and organisations she opposes. This blog post is pretty typical, with a bizarre attempt to smear sex worker group the IUSW as pimps "funded by the Conservative Party", and a strawman argument built around the debunked statistic that the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. She's used similar tactics when campaigning for sex shops and strip clubs to be banned, including promoting false claims about them causing rape.

That's the kind of person who's uncritically accepted as a leading light in British feminism/scepticism/secularism, yet people who have issues with feminism in the secular community are "misogynists" attacking "strawfeminists"...

If I had to choose, I'd support liberal Christians over authoritarian secular feminists like Smurthwaite.

Me too. PZ's endorsement of her must mean he has taken on the anti sexworker bigotry of most radfems. Is Greta Christina going to that conference too? I kind of hope so. She's the only FfTBer who is known to be pro sexworkers' rights. It would be nice if those two had a debate during a panel talk.

[Metalogic42]

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew The only way to think 1 in 3 is outrageous is to start quietly discounting some rapes, which he clearly does.

Wait, what? It's 1 in 3 now? What happened to 1 in 6? *facepalm*

[Submariner]

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew Yeah, you're not being skeptical. That would require being willing to allow that violence against women could be endemic.

How about: Violence against HUMANS is fucking endemic.

Can we all just fight against that: Violence against every human being regardless of gender?

[Dick Strawkins]

PZ has posted a video clip of stand-up comic and secular activist Kate Smurthwaite verbally bitch-slapping a dude on a chat-show. That's right - the clip is called "Atheist Bitchslap." So much for splash damage.

Seeing that was what convinced me to stop lurking and sign up here. What I find ironic is that PZ was just complaining about people attacking "strawfeminists", then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite.

One attention seeking stunt she pulled was a God Hates Fags style picket at the funeral of British atheist artist/writer (and former male escort) Sebastian Horsley, upsetting his grieving friends and family because Horsley had dared to write in defence of prostitution. Of course other feminists celebrated his death too, just like they did when Christopher Hitchens died. The hypocritical thing is that she defended herself by arguing that nobody has a right to not be offended, and then took part in a feminist campaign against "trolling" on the internet...

The worst thing from a sceptical perspective is the many examples of Smurthwaite using bullshit statistics and blatant lies against the people and organisations she opposes. This blog post is pretty typical, with a bizarre attempt to smear sex worker group the IUSW as pimps "funded by the Conservative Party", and a strawman argument built around the debunked statistic that the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. She's used similar tactics when campaigning for sex shops and strip clubs to be banned, including promoting false claims about them causing rape.

That's the kind of person who's uncritically accepted as a leading light in British feminism/scepticism/secularism, yet people who have issues with feminism in the secular community are "misogynists" attacking "strawfeminists"...

If I had to choose, I'd support liberal Christians over authoritarian secular feminists like Smurthwaite.

Me too. PZ's endorsement of her must mean he has taken on the anti sexworker bigotry of most radfems. Is Greta Christina going to that conference too? I kind of hope so. She's the only FfTBer who is known to be pro sexworkers' rights. It would be nice if those two had a debate during a panel talk.

I think you are reading FAR too much into PZ's endorsement.
Kate Smurthwaite is famous amongst online atheists for one thing only - that one minute clip of her on the British TV show calling religious people idiots.
I don't think PZ knows anything else about her.

[Badger3k]

PZ has posted a video clip of stand-up comic and secular activist Kate Smurthwaite verbally bitch-slapping a dude on a chat-show. That's right - the clip is called "Atheist Bitchslap." So much for splash damage.

Seeing that was what convinced me to stop lurking and sign up here. What I find ironic is that PZ was just complaining about people attacking "strawfeminists", then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite.

One attention seeking stunt she pulled was a God Hates Fags style picket at the funeral of British atheist artist/writer (and former male escort) Sebastian Horsley, upsetting his grieving friends and family because Horsley had dared to write in defence of prostitution. Of course other feminists celebrated his death too, just like they did when Christopher Hitchens died. The hypocritical thing is that she defended herself by arguing that nobody has a right to not be offended, and then took part in a feminist campaign against "trolling" on the internet...

The worst thing from a sceptical perspective is the many examples of Smurthwaite using bullshit statistics and blatant lies against the people and organisations she opposes. This blog post is pretty typical, with a bizarre attempt to smear sex worker group the IUSW as pimps "funded by the Conservative Party", and a strawman argument built around the debunked statistic that the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. She's used similar tactics when campaigning for sex shops and strip clubs to be banned, including promoting false claims about them causing rape.

That's the kind of person who's uncritically accepted as a leading light in British feminism/scepticism/secularism, yet people who have issues with feminism in the secular community are "misogynists" attacking "strawfeminists"...

If I had to choose, I'd support liberal Christians over authoritarian secular feminists like Smurthwaite.

Me too. PZ's endorsement of her must mean he has taken on the anti sexworker bigotry of most radfems. Is Greta Christina going to that conference too? I kind of hope so. She's the only FfTBer who is known to be pro sexworkers' rights. It would be nice if those two had a debate during a panel talk.

I think you are reading FAR too much into PZ's endorsement.
Kate Smurthwaite is famous amongst online atheists for one thing only - that one minute clip of her on the British TV show calling religious people idiots.
I don't think PZ knows anything else about her.

Agreed - does anybody think PZ actually did any research into her before promoting her? When has he ever done that kind of thing?

[Gefan]

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew Yeah, you're not being skeptical. That would require being willing to allow that violence against women could be endemic.

How about: Violence against HUMANS is fucking endemic.

Can we all just fight against that: Violence against every human being regardless of gender?

Allow me to translate from Marcottese: "Women" = "humans". "Men" = meh, no so much.

[Altair]

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew Yeah, you're not being skeptical. That would require being willing to allow that violence against women could be endemic.

How about: Violence against HUMANS is fucking endemic.

Can we all just fight against that: Violence against every human being regardless of gender?

I agree with that, and it's the line I use when discussing issues like DV and the one billion rising thing.

I think that the focus on violence against women and the refusal to consider violence against everyone for people like Marcotte is because they don't want to acknowledge their own potential ability to commit violence, or women in general's potential ability for abuse.
As long as they keep looking at violence against women (and disregarding same-sex violence, of course), they don't have to admit that women are able to commit violent, abusive and heinous acts just as well as men.

It's very related to this quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

[Gumby]

Can you tell me what this means?

http://slymepit.com/staticimgs/threevdicks.jpg
Your wish is my command.

Some mad shoop skilz there, Lsuoma.

[Scented Nectar]

PZ has posted a video clip of stand-up comic and secular activist Kate Smurthwaite verbally bitch-slapping a dude on a chat-show. That's right - the clip is called "Atheist Bitchslap." So much for splash damage.

Seeing that was what convinced me to stop lurking and sign up here. What I find ironic is that PZ was just complaining about people attacking "strawfeminists", then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite.

One attention seeking stunt she pulled was a God Hates Fags style picket at the funeral of British atheist artist/writer (and former male escort) Sebastian Horsley, upsetting his grieving friends and family because Horsley had dared to write in defence of prostitution. Of course other feminists celebrated his death too, just like they did when Christopher Hitchens died. The hypocritical thing is that she defended herself by arguing that nobody has a right to not be offended, and then took part in a feminist campaign against "trolling" on the internet...

The worst thing from a sceptical perspective is the many examples of Smurthwaite using bullshit statistics and blatant lies against the people and organisations she opposes. This blog post is pretty typical, with a bizarre attempt to smear sex worker group the IUSW as pimps "funded by the Conservative Party", and a strawman argument built around the debunked statistic that the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. She's used similar tactics when campaigning for sex shops and strip clubs to be banned, including promoting false claims about them causing rape.

That's the kind of person who's uncritically accepted as a leading light in British feminism/scepticism/secularism, yet people who have issues with feminism in the secular community are "misogynists" attacking "strawfeminists"...

If I had to choose, I'd support liberal Christians over authoritarian secular feminists like Smurthwaite.

Me too. PZ's endorsement of her must mean he has taken on the anti sexworker bigotry of most radfems. Is Greta Christina going to that conference too? I kind of hope so. She's the only FfTBer who is known to be pro sexworkers' rights. It would be nice if those two had a debate during a panel talk.

I think you are reading FAR too much into PZ's endorsement.
Kate Smurthwaite is famous amongst online atheists for one thing only - that one minute clip of her on the British TV show calling religious people idiots.
I don't think PZ knows anything else about her.

You're probably right. I didn't take into account his usual lack of depth in vetting things for his blog.

However, doesn't he promote that silly who-you-associate-with type of thing? :lol:

[JackSkeptic]

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew Yeah, you're not being skeptical. That would require being willing to allow that violence against women could be endemic.

How about: Violence against HUMANS is fucking endemic.

Can we all just fight against that: Violence against every human being regardless of gender?

Allow me to translate from Marcottese: "Women" = "humans". "Men" = meh, no so much.

Yes. Feminism, the radical idea that women are human, but men are not.

[Dick Strawkins]

Agreed - does anybody think PZ actually did any research into her before promoting her? When has he ever done that kind of thing?

Reading some of her blog posts about feminist issues I notice that she is very much against sex work.
She advocates the 'Swedish model' for the UK as regards the legality of sex work. For those unfamiliar with this idea, it pertains to the legal situation in Sweden, where prostitution was made illegal a few years ago using a feminist inspired legal model.
In Sweden it is not illegal to be a prostitute. It IS illegal, however, to PAY a prostitute - with 100% responsibility for the crime falling on the customer rather than the sex worker.
It is based on the idea that all prostitutes are victims and all customers are victimizing these women.
As far as I know, this is a contentious issue amongst the FTB crowd.
If you call yourself a "sex-positive feminist", it basically equates to being a libertarian as regards sex workers (they are adults who should be allowed to decide whether they want to work this way or not without interference from the State.)
On this side of the fence are Greta Christina, Ed Brayton, Richard Carrier, Greta Christina and Cristina Rad.
On the other are Taslima Nasreen and Ophelia Benson.
Some of the others - in particular the Minnessota Mafia (Peezus, Svan and Laden) and Watson keep deliberately quiet about this matter as they know it's a powderkeg that will tear their alliance apart if it ever sparks into life.

[Tigzy]

Amanda Marcotte ‏@AmandaMarcotte

@saramayhew Yeah, you're not being skeptical. That would require being willing to allow that violence against women could be endemic.

How about: Violence against HUMANS is fucking endemic.

Can we all just fight against that: Violence against every human being regardless of gender?

Allow me to translate from Marcottese: "Women" = "humans". "Men" = meh, no so much.

I sometimes wonder if to Marcotte and her ilk, feminism is the radical notion that women are less deserving of violence than men.

[welch]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

I couldn't care less if Sally attends the conference or not. More power to her if she does.

It might help her to get out of the house for a while. I get the feeling that a lot of the FTB crowd are shut-ins.

Imagining we're all wrapped up in what conference she goes to is far more of a balm to her ego than the truth.

[Dick Strawkins]

I sometimes wonder if to Marcotte and her ilk, feminism is the radical notion that women are less deserving of violence than men.

Some women.

I'm pretty sure that gender traitors like Sara Mayhew are honorary men in the eyes of Marcotte.

[AndrewV69]

StatsCan is not a trustworthy source in my opinion. I've been fighting with them over the census for a long time. It appears by the questions that everyone must legally answer, that if you have had sex with anyone you live with, you must tell them, including the person's name and whether it was gay or straight sex. I asked StatsCan if that was the definition of their questions, and their responses were as evasive as any radfem or politician would be. My case number was never resolved, and I shared it with anyone else who wants to let their local census worker know the reference number of why they've not yet been able to send in their forms. StatsCan stopped replying to me. My interactions with them, and articles ranting about the sexual activity and ancestry questions, are at http://scentednectar.blogspot.ca/search ... sus%202011 It reads from bottom to top, if you read them chronologically.

Remember when Harper scrapped the long form and all kinds of people had an aneurysm?

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/27 ... cellation/

The agency released its final tranche of the 2011 census last week, focusing on languages, but it included a big warning that cautions data users about comparing key facts against censuses of the past.

“Data users are advised to exercise caution when evaluating trends related to mother tongue and home language that compare 2011 census data to those of previous censuses,” Statistics Canada states bluntly in a box included in its census material.

Languages? Really? Do you really really really believe, cross your heart and hope to die that was the only issue? Languages? Really? Do you fucking think everyone is as stupid as you think they are?

You fucking liers and your fucking cooking of the fucking books made all the fucking data completely fucking suspect. You and your ideological fucks have so fogged up and confused the fucking picture of what the fuck is really going on, that it would have been less effort and more productive, to take all the fucking money spent on this shit, make a big fucking pile of it and set it on fucking fire for all the good it did us. Fuck you! Fuck you in all directions and the fucking goats you buggered since 1995. Fuck you very much and fuck off.

/rant

Scrapping the long form being mandatory was one of the few good things Harper's ever done. The left however, especially the NDP, wanted to bring the mandatory long form back again, along with even more mandatory personal information questions for everyone. The only part of a census that should be mandatory is the number of people living at that address and (maybe) also names. Not one's income, religious views, ancestral nationality/race, sexual activity and orientation, etc. Those should never be mandatory. Languages learned as a child (one of the ways one is forced to reveal one's family's nationality) is only a part of it. Well, maybe a big part, since the census was used in WW2 to find everyone with Japanese ancestry (even if they were born and raised in the US) and put them into concentration camps in Canada and the US.

Who's to say that a future right wing gov't won't round up all the non-xtians, or all the non-heterosexuals, or even all the unmarried people who have sex (must be revealed on the census), or all the people of [whichever] race/nationality? It's not like it hasn't been done before.

/adding my own rant to Andrew's rant

Or, a future left wing government decides that a particular group is at fault in a three way split in sectarian violence between Sunni, Shia and Hindu groups, and decides to round up every single Tamil speaker (Hindu) associated in any way with Sri Lanka.

Remember right or left, the actual nuts and bolts of Government, particularly the Social Services appears to be increasing composed of professionals trained in the various virtue industries.

They tend to lean towards authoritarian views of the people they "manage" for their own good, and are largely immune to exterior influences after being inoculated within an ideological framework that brooks no dissent, and is determined to silence any other viewpoints in the name of among other things, eradicating hate speech.

Think of the baboons employed in the various branches of the social services, and I doubt you will have any difficulty in seeing where this leads to. I would not be surprised if this is what has happened to StatsCan. You will certainly find that the CAS (Childrens Aid Society) is rife with it.

[Pitchguest]

Welcome, KenD! Fuck off! (No, that's a compliment.)

I agree with you, only adding that I'd support the cause of anyone liberal enough to not be blinded by dogma. That's true of any ideology and religion. It's a sad state of affairs when fellow sceptics can't turn to eachother for support unless they also support the tenets of radical feminism.

[Dick Strawkins]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

I couldn't care less if Sally attends the conference or not. More power to her if she does.

It might help her to get out of the house for a while. I get the feeling that a lot of the FTB crowd are shut-ins.

Imagining we're all wrapped up in what conference she goes to is far more of a balm to her ego than the truth.

Is someone keeping a list of all the things we are supposed to be mad about? :lol:

1. Assorted feminists getting shoes.
2. Ophelia getting paypal donations to spend on 'cookies'.
3. Sally Strange getting financial aid to go to a conference.

and those are just the recent rage baits they've tossed out way. :D

We still have the old:

4. Harrassment policies that prevent men from groping women at skeptic conferences without consequence
5. Women getting to speak at those very conferences!
6. The fact that there is a conference about women in secularism in the first place!

None of those induce any anger in me whatsoever!

I feel like I've failed you all... :oops:

[CommanderTuvok]

then he gushes about meeting an extreme puritanical radical feminist like Kate Smurthwaite

I disagree. I wouldn't say she's puritanical or radical, even. I certainly don't see her sharing the same insane views as Marcotte, Hensley and McWrong.

[CommanderTuvok]

BTW, Opheliar has a another post up about Shermer because she still hasn't got over her BUTTHURT from last time.

[Gumby]

BTW, Opheliar has a another post up about Shermer because she still hasn't got over her BUTTHURT from last time.

"It's a guy thing" = ten or so wailing blog posts from Ophelia Benson insulting Shermer up, down and sideways. Nah, no over-reaction there, Ophelia. Cunt.

[AndrewV69]

He committed the extremely heinous crime of saying that some forms of violence against women don't even involve men (bolding mine). I like how they slip "same-sex violence" in there in a very stealthy manner. I can imagine some reading the list and going "dating violence, cough ame-sex violen cough, elder abuse...".

Remember, in Canukistan we went from this:
StatsCan 2005 (From the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS)):
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidie ... 4a-eng.htm

An estimated 7% of women and 6% of men in a current or previous spousal relationship encountered spousal violence during the five years up to and including 2004, according to a comprehensive new report on family violence.

Note that not only was the incidence of violence was relatively low compared to the population as a whole, both men and women were nearly equally in utilizing it.

To this:

1 in 2 Canadian women will be sexually or physically abused in her lifetime. That’s 50% of all girls and women!

So, not only have the definition of sexual and physical abuse been expanded, they have been conflated into a lifetime statistic.

Did they go as far as including being pushed on the playground by another little girl? They do not say. But go ahead and look here at what they came up with:

http://www.canadianwomen.org/facts-about-violence

Women are clearly an endangered species in Canukistan we are lead to believe.

[Dick Strawkins]

BTW, Opheliar has a another post up about Shermer because she still hasn't got over her BUTTHURT from last time.

Is Ophelia considered a liberal?

I noticed that in one of her recent posts, she writes about her hopes that Raphael Golb gets tortured in prison - by being forced to eat food full of weevils.

Mass murderer? :think:
Child killer? :think:
Rapist? :think:

...Err no...
He created sock puppets on the internet. :doh:

http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterflies ... to-prison/

http://i.imgur.com/S9m8tVA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4ZUkAKg.jpg

She has such a delightful turn of phrase, don't you think?

[JackSkeptic]

Just thought I'd do a very amateur experiment, underlining is my direct observation. Again, I make no claims, just an observation. I suspect I can see any of the following in myself from time to time.


An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
Difficulty with empathy
Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
Haughty body language
Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them(narcissistic supply)
Detesting those who do not admire them (narcissistic abuse)
Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
Pretending to be more important than they really are
Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
Claiming to be an "expert" at many things
Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people
Denial of remorse and gratitude

[Submariner]

Just thought I'd do a very amateur experiment, underlining is my direct observation. Again, I make no claims, just an observation. I suspect I can see any of the following in myself from time to time.


An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
Difficulty with empathy
Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
Haughty body language
Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them(narcissistic supply)
Detesting those who do not admire them (narcissistic abuse)
Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
Pretending to be more important than they really are
Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
Claiming to be an "expert" at many things
Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people
Denial of remorse and gratitude

Ugh. You should have weevils in your prison food.

[Pitchguest]

BTW, Opheliar has a another post up about Shermer because she still hasn't got over her BUTTHURT from last time.

Hehe

Hehehe

Hehehehehehe

Let me post this exchange from Dan Fincke's blog:

I’ve seen Ophelia Benson ask to be left alone by the Slymepitters. That doesn’t happen.

That has been acknowledged for a while, but she has a funny way of showing that she wants to be left alone – by constantly referring back to the people she wants to leave her alone, by referring back to the Slymepit, and by constantly envoking an almost martyrous personality by trying very hard to piss off the very people she wants to leave her alone, including Justin Vacula. But I suppose it only works one way. One rule for her, another for everyone else.

I knew a slymepitter would try to justify his misogyny and those of his buddies.

Ophelia Benson does want to be left alone. She doesn’t act against the slymepit, she reacts when she’s attacked. There’s a difference. I realize you’re going to pretend you slymepitters treat her nicely but reality says differently.

Ophelia Benson’s wish to be “left alone”, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Case in point, she keeps writing about them. She kept saying she wanted Shermer to leave her alone, but she kept writing blog post upon blog post upon blog post addressing Shermer, challenging Shermer, and the one who begun that spat in the first place? Benson. (And why did that spat take off? Because Ophelia had twisted Shermer’s words to “women don’t do thinky” which Shermer took offense to. Why shouldn’t he? He definitely did not say that.)

She just can't help herself, can she? Wants to be left alone? Pull the other one.

[Dick Strawkins]

Just thought I'd do a very amateur experiment, underlining is my direct observation. Again, I make no claims, just an observation. I suspect I can see any of the following in myself from time to time.


An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
Difficulty with empathy
Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
Haughty body language
Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them(narcissistic supply)
Detesting those who do not admire them (narcissistic abuse)
Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
Pretending to be more important than they really are
Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
Claiming to be an "expert" at many things
Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people
Denial of remorse and gratitude

Ugh. You should have weevils in your prison food.

And not just weevils...

http://i.imgur.com/4ZUkAKg.jpg

[JackSkeptic]

Just thought I'd do a very amateur experiment, underlining is my direct observation. Again, I make no claims, just an observation. I suspect I can see any of the following in myself from time to time.


An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
Difficulty with empathy
Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
Haughty body language
Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them(narcissistic supply)
Detesting those who do not admire them (narcissistic abuse)
Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
Pretending to be more important than they really are
Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
Claiming to be an "expert" at many things
Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people
Denial of remorse and gratitude

Ugh. You should have weevils in your prison food.

I enjoyed trying to understand the psychology of theists, now I have another group to get to grips with.

[JackSkeptic]

Just thought I'd do a very amateur experiment, underlining is my direct observation. Again, I make no claims, just an observation. I suspect I can see any of the following in myself from time to time.


An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
Difficulty with empathy
Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
Haughty body language
Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them(narcissistic supply)
Detesting those who do not admire them (narcissistic abuse)
Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
Pretending to be more important than they really are
Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
Claiming to be an "expert" at many things
Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people
Denial of remorse and gratitude

Ugh. You should have weevils in your prison food.

And not just weevils...

http://i.imgur.com/4ZUkAKg.jpg

Poor Weevils.

[Submariner]

Just thought I'd do a very amateur experiment, underlining is my direct observation. Again, I make no claims, just an observation. I suspect I can see any of the following in myself from time to time.


An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
Difficulty with empathy
Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
Haughty body language
Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them(narcissistic supply)
Detesting those who do not admire them (narcissistic abuse)
Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
Pretending to be more important than they really are
Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
Claiming to be an "expert" at many things
Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people weevils
Denial of remorse and gratitude

Ugh. You should have weevils in your prison food.

And not just weevils...

http://i.imgur.com/4ZUkAKg.jpg

Poor Weevils.

Looks like you can cross two off your list. Here let me do it for you.


There FTFY

[Lsuoma]

Can you tell me what this means?

http://slymepit.com/staticimgs/threevdicks.jpg
Your wish is my command.

Some mad shoop skilz there, Lsuoma.

I larned 'em on B3ta...

[JackSkeptic]

Just thought I'd do a very amateur experiment, underlining is my direct observation. Again, I make no claims, just an observation. I suspect I can see any of the following in myself from time to time.


An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
Difficulty with empathy
Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
Hypersensitivity to any insults or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
Haughty body language
Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them(narcissistic supply)
Detesting those who do not admire them (narcissistic abuse)
Using other people without considering the cost of doing so
Pretending to be more important than they really are
Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating their achievements
Claiming to be an "expert" at many things
Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people weevils
Denial of remorse and gratitude

Ugh. You should have weevils in your prison food.

And not just weevils...

http://i.imgur.com/4ZUkAKg.jpg

Poor Weevils.

Looks like you can cross two off your list. Here let me do it for you.


There FTFY

We should start a Weevil Rights Movement.

[Lsuoma]

Poor Weevils.

Weevils wovvle but they don't fall down.

[JackSkeptic]

Call it Weevil Plus, fighting for the rights of Weevils not to be abused by prisoners under the banner 'Hey, Prisoner, leave our shit alone!!!'

[Submariner]

What exactly does Ophie have against Shermer, apart from the fact that he was in "Mr. Deity" and she wasn't??


[youtube]6gnQz32c5EA[/youtube]

[AnotherLurkerMKII]

@Jack

Indeed. Given Sally's missive, I have to wonder where all these pitters are who are apparently baying for blood at the prospect of Sally attending the conference. Maybe it's all happening on the secret forum, or something.

I couldn't care less if Sally attends the conference or not. More power to her if she does.

It might help her to get out of the house for a while. I get the feeling that a lot of the FTB crowd are shut-ins.

Imagining we're all wrapped up in what conference she goes to is far more of a balm to her ego than the truth.

I AM FURIOUS THAT SALLY STRANGE IS GOING TO A CONFERENCE! THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!

There, I hope she feels better now. You're welcome, Sally.

[Jan Steen]

BTW, Opheliar has a another post up about Shermer because she still hasn't got over her BUTTHURT from last time.

"It's a guy thing" = ten or so wailing blog posts from Ophelia Benson insulting Shermer up, down and sideways. Nah, no over-reaction there, Ophelia. Cunt.

Another blog post and another lazy copy-paste job. Ophelia Benson is not a writer, she's a copy-paster.

[Lsuoma]

What exactly does Ophie have against Shermer, apart from the fact that he was in "Mr. Deity" and she wasn't??


[fooltube]6gnQz32c5EA[/fooltube]

She's just a sad, aging woman, bitter at the fact that she is ill-regarded pretty much everywhere outside the fellow FTB saddos, and she thinks that because she is "important" there, she should be lionized everywhere. She's not, of course, because the rest of the world can see how pathetic she is.

She doesn't just have A chip on her shoulder, she has enough chips to keep San and Tray satisfied for years (apart from what they get from Baz).