I was reading this condescending article by Stephen Prothero that, as usual, chastises the New Atheists for being so danged rude, and I thought I'd have to take time to slap him around a bit. His point is that the reason we're so rude is that we're all arrogant white men, and if only we had more women around, we'd be more sensitive and sweet and nice and gentle, and although he doesn't say it directly, we'd probably also have more lace doilies and wouldn't cuss so much.
I'm spared the effort, since Amanda Marcotte, godless firebrand and possessor of two X chromosomes in every cell, has rudely pointed out that a) it's insulting to insinuate that women are going to be more tolerant of nonsense, and b) niceness isn't a factor in resolving truth claims, anyway.
There are a fair number of outspoken women active in atheism, and none of them are the kind of genteel belles Prothero seems to be imagining he can push around. Ophelia Benson? Greta Christina? Maybe I should introduce him to my daughter for a good disemboweling.
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"Theists are masters at seeing fantastical conceptions as more real than reality; scientific explanations go right over their head (or as with Palin, they have some kind of built-in deflector for the cold, hard facts of reality — like tomatoes)."
Well, exactly. But I don't think this is rare among humans. I think it takes significant effort to thinking scientifically which is why doing science to it is like firing bullets at a ghost.
ps. How do I do proper quotes?
Teshi, <a href="URL">text caption</a>
(where URL is the link, and the text caption is what is seen.)
Sigh. Sorry Teshi, I got distracted, that's for linking. For quoting:
<blockquote>quoted text</blockquote>
Seasonal, isn't it?
{breaks into song*
Forrrrr weee
NEED A LITTLE WOMAN
RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE!
PRACT-I-CALLY HUMAN!
(Bible said so, dinnit?)
Yes we NEED A LITTLE WOMAN
Light'ning up the fighting!
We need a little WOMan NOWwwwwwww.....
/breakage}
Please pardon the all-caps; they always seem to be shouting this one.
Ron Sullivan
*who breaks into song because she can't find the key
*
Well Kristy (#262), hystericalwhinybitch isn't the first or only one of your "sisters" that you've thrown under the bus on the A|N site. I would also add that you vehemently defended a vicious misogynist on my A|N blog (no longer there, since I left A|N and all content disappeared due to a Ning thing).
Before I left Atheist Nexus because of misogyny that is accepted, if not promoted, under the pretense of "freedom of speech", you belittled another one of your atheist "sisters" and threw her under the bus on my blog challenging Atheist Nexus's failure/refusal/neglect to address the misogyny problem — after she posted a laundry list of misogynist quotes from your (and Bro. Richard's) atheist golden boy among several other "angry white males" on A|N —after her repeated complaints to Bro. Richard availed nothing.
You and Bro Richard say "take complaints through the appropriate channels." Well, she did. Didn't do any good. She might as well have prayed to an imaginary God — she'd have gotten results just as quick.
I also challenge you — and Bro. Richard and company — to apply that "cardinal rule of Atheist Nexus" ("Don't Be a Jerk") to your golden boy — the privileged white atheist dood who posted on A|N that he admired and supported middle class white males who go postal killing women in workplaces because of all the "overpaid humans with internal genitalia" (women).
This same favored atheist "son" recently slandered and libeled me quite viciously on an A|N thread after I left because of complulsory birth ("pro-life") and rape apologia coming from "rational", "logical", cleverer-than-thou men who are so far educated beyond their mental capacity, they lost all common sense.
Apparently, suborning cyberbullying, libel, slander, and promoting acts of terrorism against women by "angry white males" isn't subject to the "Don't Be a jerk" rule — it's "free speech!"
Many of his other posts reek with misogyny and a sense of white male entitlement — very similar to the sentiments expressed by angry white Christian males like Timothy McVeigh (OKC bomber), Eric Rudolph (abortion clinic bomber), Scott Roeder (Dr. George Tiller's murderer), and Pat Robertson whose immortal words were: "feminists are godless un-Americans who just want to destroy capitalism, leave their husbands, kill their babies, and become lesbians."
I am a feminist first and an atheist second because a feminist voice that challenges blatant misogyny, injury, and social injustices that the dominant group (middle class/rich white males with advanced educations)would never tolerate being subjected to, is needed on the feminist front more than on the "New Atheist" front because injustice against women is a huge problem — in THIS country, let alone globally. Yet, many men in atheism feel it's perfectly fine to aim rationalization for injustices at underprivileged women.
There are innumerable forums on Atheist Nexus on which men blame feminists for everything that patriarchy set up. Patriarchy goes hand-in-hand with Abrahamic monotheism, like peas and carrots. Refusing to coddle white male sense of entitlement automatically earns an atheist feminist the label of "castrating man-hating bitch."
It's not feminism that foments resentment of feminists towards men; it's patriarchy. And patriarchy is incompatible with atheism. All atheism is not enlightenment and freedom if only male atheists benefit while feminist women atheists are kept as second-class atheists.
I'm more concerned with dismantling religion a structure of oppression against women than I am in debating religious arguments with individual theists. But because I am just some "dumb woman" (I didn't have $130,000 to afford my seat in either law school or grad school) without a science degree, what I think and what I have to say doesn't count.