There’s nothing skeptical about the Skepchicks’ vicious “campaign”
The Skepchick “Campaign” (see here and here) makes me ill. It’s baseless scapegoating. It’s vindictive and self-serving. It’s bullying. It’s viciousness and nastiness of the highest degree, and it’s a perfect example of groupthink at its worst. They’re acting in the most irrational, childish, and un-skeptical way possible.
And let’s call a spade a spade: it’s nothing less than an attempt at character assassination.
I just can’t grasp how anyone who possesses even an ounce of intellect or empathy or skepticism could support what they’re doing. It’s truly vile.
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I’m so glad there are some of us who agree that Watson et al are simply being ridiculous at best, and vindictive at worst.
I am sure that her supporters can see this too, but are so caught up in the thoughtless & reactionary tribal bandwagon effect, that they cannot back down now and admit they are, if not entirely incorrect, at least over-reacting.
Ah well.
At least this issue has helped me to sieve out hordes of clan-slaves, in short order.
I’m no one of consequence, but thought I’d mention why I’ve now added this page to my RSS feed.
A while back, on Jerry’s site, I disagreed with Miranda on the topic of “Boobquake”. Her misconstrual of one of my comments made me believe she was what I’d label a hyper-feminist (a bad term, but superior to that abomination coined over 20 years ago by Rush Limbaugh, derived from a disagreeable political party from early-to-mid 20th century Germany). I don’t mind being disagreed with, but I do mind when it’s not me being disagreed with, but a constantly morphing straw man vaguely derived from my views.
In several comments I’ve seen from her since (most notably when she disagreed with Ophelia Benson about the “sexism” of a particular discussion panel, where a woman objected to the word “female”), I’ve seen I was wrong, and her stance on this kerfuffle has clinched it.
I won’t agree with her about everything, but it’s good to get other perspectives from someone who understands that disagreement is allowed.
Excellent!
You have garnered a life-skill that is increasingly rare in the Internet age:
“Growing Up”. :)
http://tonyryan.org.uk/?p=602 – mostly borrowed from Skeptoid, but this situation is getting silly and makes watson and her skepchick followers look even more so.
I’m so relieved someone is saying what I have been thinking since I encountered this controversy. This garbage just makes me feel more and more like I’ll be let down by anything people group themselves into. The fact that it wasn’t just one person who foamed at the mouth about something so pathetically childish but a legion of loser knee-jerk reactionaries makes me so jaded. I went over to her blog and I couldn’t believe the hypocrisy and witch-burning that was going on. Rape-apologists, white rich heterosexual man, and “you just don’t get it”, were thrown around with glee. I’m sickened and saddened to see how disgusting supposed rational people can be.
I think the Skepchick campaign has simply made it clear how their priorities rank: feminism first, skepticism a (distant) second.
That fits in well with PZ Myers, who is renowned for championing rationality and skepticism in all areas EXCEPT where gender is concerned. As soon as feminism appears, all critical thinking is shut down; anecdotes become data; and the voice of the sacred authority (feminist women) is accepted as gospel, just as with any religion.
Skepchick is following along the same lines: skepticism is all well and good, but when something IMPORTANT–like random conversation from strangers on elevators–comes up, it’s too important to subject it to a thoughtful and reason-based discussion. Feminism > skepticism at skepchick.org.
Sweet jesus h. christ on a stick. What a bunch of whiners without girlfriends. Listen you bunch of wheenies, ever loved a woman threatened by a male in a lonely place? Ever loved, or even known a woman who was raped? If female, have you ever felt threatened, alone, frightened, even terrified when running into a male when alone? Of all the things you peckerwoods could be commenting on, you choose this. Pathetic. You should be ashamed.