I know PZ's post has been posted and reposted multiple times, but I have a few thoughts of my own to share, so I'll post it again.
This is not an update by PZ Myers
I can’t explain how things are going except to say…it’s complicated.
Translation: I'm in deep shit and there is no way out. I'm trying in vain to bargain with Shermer, but given he has the upper hand, things aren't going well.
Do try to keep up with others — I can’t. I worry that this is the end of a lot of good things, or rather, things that had to be the potential to be good, and that without many changes, we’re going to lose too many great people, and that conditions have become intolerable.
Translation: Our attempts at brainwashing the mass atheist community into beleiving every male (other than PZ of course) is a rapist have failed. Our numbers are too small, our efforts too weak, and our laziness too great to accomplish anything on our own, so this is probably then end of our dreams.
Let me tell you that when I pressed “publish†on a certain post the other day, I knew that no matter how it turns out, the one thing I could be certain of is that I would be persona non grata in a large segment of the movement, and that I’d be spending many more quiet weekends at home in Morris in the future (which is OK, this is a nice place, and my day job is ramping up the responsibilities...
Translation: When I accused Shermer of being a serial rapist without any evidence, I figured it would finally be the force needed to convince every atheist that they live in a rape culture. It turns out that they value skepticism more than unsubstantiated rumor from people who have previously demonstrated tendencies toward hyperbole and hysteria. I'll be staying in Morris more because Shermer has likely negotiated that I not attend certain atheist events in return for not suing my ass off. My job isn't actually ramping up, but it is a convenient excuse. I really hope the Dean at Morris lets me keep it, but I'm a high risk person and if I pull this shit at Morris, he won't be able to claim ignorance of my personality disorder, in which case the university will be on the hook for damages as well. I really can't be trusted.
... and I’ll always have the blog).But even if I’m squeezed out, it’s time to pick a side and build a better secular movement.
Translation: I'll likely be forced out of the blog too. I'm just too fucking unstable to be trusted. I'm really hoping one of you out there has a great idea that I can attach myself to so that I can claim that I did it all for the right reasons and something better has come of it. Please....anybody?
You can’t do it by simply accepting what is and looking the other way. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. It’s especially important that you don’t walk past the standard set by the powerful men in the movement.
Translation: I'm taking one last swipe at Shermer and all the mean men who helped bring this community together by actually doing something (e.g. publishing a top-selling magazine, writing best-selling books, performing top-notch research widely respected throughout the scientific community). People like Shermer, Dawkins, Krauss and others are way beyond my league. I wanted their positions so bad, but it has backfired in my face. Now I'll play the martyr and pretend that they used their power to cover up what I exposed rather than admit that I interpret everything in a light that benefits my motives, even if that means accusing someone of felony rape without a shred of evidence.
We may never know what the terms of the "negotiation" are, but I imagine it has PZ getting his ass handed to him on every front. He'll be lucky to keep his job given that he may, in the future, expose the university to lawsuits. Does anyone know if he has tenure?
