Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

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Matt Cavanaugh
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Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

#1

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Ophelia Benson makes the serious accusation that Slymepitters are harassing her. In a brief display of perestroika, she allows comments from 'Pitters through moderation, but then blocks us again.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterflies ... arassment/

Why is Benson so afraid of letting her followers read my words? What is it about Matt Cavanaugh, brive1987, Steersman and Aneris that sends chills down her spine? Why does Benson treat Welch like Emmanuel Goldstein?

Ophelia Benson claims to be a skeptic. But skeptics aren't afraid of opposing viewpoints. By blocking our rebuttals to her accusations, Benson is practicing one of the classic tactics of a cult, information control:
Those who control the information control the person. In a mind control cult any information from outside the cult is considered evil, especially if it is opposing the cult. Members are told not to read it or believe it. Only information supplied by the cult is true. One cult labels any information against it as “persecution” or “spiritual pornography”, another cult calls it “apostate literature” and will expel you from the group if you are caught with it. Cults train their members to instantly destroy any critical information given to them, and to not even entertain the thought that the information could be true.
http://www.cultwatch.com/howcultswork.html


So, what is it, Ophelia -- are you a skeptic, or a cult leader?

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

#2

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Ophelia Benson, why does the following make you soil your knickers?

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your comment is awaiting moderation

159. Goodbye Enemy Janine wrote:
Wow, Matt Cavanaugh! Really? All those subjects have come up? Cool.
But what if I do not want to have to deal with photoshopped sex picture, sexist name calling, cries about feminazis and the occasional AVfM member?
Umm... don't visit The Slymepit?

158. Brony wrote:
The ‘pitters may be suppressing empathy.
We don't like you, and we don't like what you're trying to do -- there's nothing to empathize with in the first place, bro. And, since y'all are too afraid to debate us directly, and have declared No Quarter in your Kulturkampf, you've left us with with few options other than tackling you indirectly via satire.

162. Stacy wrote:
I suppose I’m putting too fine a point on it, but the pompous Pit self-aggrandizement on display in this thread is annoying as hell.
This post accuses Slymepitters, as a group, of "harassment." I appreciate Ms. Benson allowing us to respond to that accusation.

165. Arawhon wrote: The Pit actively engages in harassment. There is no question about this if you have any understanding of what actual harassment is.
I'm aware of no definition of harassment, common or legal, that applies to any content at The Slymepit. But I'd be interested in you providing some examples, with an explanation of just how each is illegal. I'd happily present your findings as a guest post on my blog.

Also, if Ms. Benson believes the content at The Slymepit to be harassment, it is curious why she has yet to take legal action.

163. Ophelia Benson wrote: I think we’re supposed to be impressed by the long and varied list. Right, because blogs (for instance) don’t talk about long varied lists of things. This blog right here for instance doesn’t talk about a long varied list of things. Only the people at the slime pit can do that.
Hankstar asked for evidence of "vibrant intellectual" content at the Pit. Why are you now giving me grief for providing it?

I have no desire to impress you or persuade you. I'd gladly debate you civilly and rationally on issues of import, but I doubt you're open to that. I do wish to see your attempt, to graft assorted social justice causes onto atheism, fail. That makes me no more a bad person than your desire to succeed makes you one. But it does make you and I antagonists. So don't be surprised when 'Pitters antagonize you. Either engage us directly on the issues, or just ignore us.

John Greg
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Re: Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

#3

Post by John Greg »

Hey! You left me out. I was one of the very first Pitters that Ophie ever banned. And these days it's just auto-ban and she won't even lower her standards enough to even mention me, even in bile-dripping hatred.

My crime? In my first post (or one of my first) to her pre-FTB blog, I referred to PZ Myers as "PZ (myvaginaismorevaginathanyourvagina) Myers", and she had a hysterical hissy and left me out on the rain.

Actually, I'm joking. You don't need to mention me at all. I'm just havin' fun.

My real reaction to all this FfTB / Skepchick / A+ banning business is along the lines of that quote from Justice ... erm, "Frederick Douglas" (I think), the old black fella who was the first America black man to attain such high socio-political power. Anyway, my feeling is that the more these morons and twats moderate, delete, and ban people, the more they ensure their own abysmal ignorance of reality. So, fuck 'em; fuck 'em into the ground.

Carry on.

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

#4

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Ha, John! I was just mentioning us Pitters foolish enough to fall for Lucy's latest football. There's a lot of banhammer merit badges to go around. Now I can add FtB to my skepticblog and SKINK bans.

John Greg
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Re: Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

#5

Post by John Greg »

I do believe I hold the, no doubt dubious, honour of being banned from more FfTB blogs than anyone else. I think the current count is 13, but I'm not sure. Some of the blogs I was banned from no longer exist, and there are a few I was banned from before I even posted -- for all I know, there are others.

Oh, and to be fair -- though I don't know why I should; historicity, I suppose -- some of the blogs I claim to be banned from, I am in fact only on perma-moderate at. I never get through though, so I might as well be banned, but those particular blogs hosts "pride" themselves on claiming they never ban anyone. HAHAHA. Such fun people.

Ah well. All in a day's socio-political critique.

John Greg
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Re: Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

#6

Post by John Greg »

Ah yes, Lucy's famous footbal.

The most blatant instance of Lucy's football that I fell for came courtesy of Toiletbowl:

http://freethoughtblogs.com/lousycanuck ... john-greg/

It is a prime example of the toxic methodology of the FfTB clowns.

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Re: Why is Ophelia Benson So Afraid of Me?

#7

Post by QuiteSo »

Complaining about harassment, when her own cultists indulge in such activity like it's going out of fashion is ludicrous. Whether or not it's more ludicrous than anything else she has spewed out, the jury is still out on that

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