The Privilege Delusion - Skepchick
Mom, Don’t Read This - Skepchick
Me and a friend have got into a bit of debate over this, if you want the long story check out the two links but i'll try to condense it down for you.
Skepchick is a skeptical feminism blog tackling such issues as contraceptive rights and the general sexism inherent in many world religions and cultures, as well as your usual science topics of interest and so on.
One of the writers for the blog Rebecca Watson goes around the world and does talks at Skeptic society meetings at unis and the like. Anyway she was in Dublin not too long ago and after a meeting she went back to the hotel bar and had some drinks with people who came to the meeting. At about 4am she said she was knackered and was heading to bed, she got into a lift with one of the other guys and he then asked her back to his room for coffee and to chat more, she turned him down.
Anywho, she did a wee vidblog shortly after which contained a small two minute segment about how guys trying to chat her up made her uncomfortable and said she didn't appreciate it, especially after it was one of the things she talked about at the meeting and how it weirded her out as she was by herself in a different country late at night.
This was the cue for a whole lot of vitriol and nastiness to be directed her way across the internet, from blogs being set up specifically to call he everything from 'slut' to much worse and that she should be grateful that a guy even asked her out as she's 'ugly' etc also then rape threats.
There are lots of youtube videos that have been since made about her mainly against her from people who often do their own topical video series.
I find the initial situation that set all this off relatively harmless but I do understand that while I as a guy wouldn't feel threatened or made uncomfortable by being propositioned as such, there is a different power dynamic on the go when a guy approaches a girl especially late at night in an enclosed space like a lift.
Richard Dawkins a guy who I have never been that fond of even waded into this discussion with a disparaging email in relation to her (especially after a talk she did which he attended on the rape threats against her), which you can read in the first link, and has thus lowered himself in my esteem.
The heart of this which I find most bewildering is that it all goes to prove her central point that within her society of like minded individuals there remains a beating heart of dinosaur sexism. I find it troubling that people who are meant to display some intellectual rigour in their thinking and be more open minded to the concerns of the world can remain so unchanged. I don't understand how they can turn round after defending women's rights in say the Islamic world and then turn round and threaten violence or be abusive to a woman in their own backyard.
I do find it more shocking than someone of a certain religious mindset's doing it, you just expect better.
Umm can a mod pease remove the three wee iii at the end of the thread title so I don't look thick
Mom, Don’t Read This - Skepchick
Me and a friend have got into a bit of debate over this, if you want the long story check out the two links but i'll try to condense it down for you.
Skepchick is a skeptical feminism blog tackling such issues as contraceptive rights and the general sexism inherent in many world religions and cultures, as well as your usual science topics of interest and so on.
One of the writers for the blog Rebecca Watson goes around the world and does talks at Skeptic society meetings at unis and the like. Anyway she was in Dublin not too long ago and after a meeting she went back to the hotel bar and had some drinks with people who came to the meeting. At about 4am she said she was knackered and was heading to bed, she got into a lift with one of the other guys and he then asked her back to his room for coffee and to chat more, she turned him down.
Anywho, she did a wee vidblog shortly after which contained a small two minute segment about how guys trying to chat her up made her uncomfortable and said she didn't appreciate it, especially after it was one of the things she talked about at the meeting and how it weirded her out as she was by herself in a different country late at night.
This was the cue for a whole lot of vitriol and nastiness to be directed her way across the internet, from blogs being set up specifically to call he everything from 'slut' to much worse and that she should be grateful that a guy even asked her out as she's 'ugly' etc also then rape threats.
There are lots of youtube videos that have been since made about her mainly against her from people who often do their own topical video series.
I find the initial situation that set all this off relatively harmless but I do understand that while I as a guy wouldn't feel threatened or made uncomfortable by being propositioned as such, there is a different power dynamic on the go when a guy approaches a girl especially late at night in an enclosed space like a lift.
Richard Dawkins a guy who I have never been that fond of even waded into this discussion with a disparaging email in relation to her (especially after a talk she did which he attended on the rape threats against her), which you can read in the first link, and has thus lowered himself in my esteem.
The heart of this which I find most bewildering is that it all goes to prove her central point that within her society of like minded individuals there remains a beating heart of dinosaur sexism. I find it troubling that people who are meant to display some intellectual rigour in their thinking and be more open minded to the concerns of the world can remain so unchanged. I don't understand how they can turn round after defending women's rights in say the Islamic world and then turn round and threaten violence or be abusive to a woman in their own backyard.
I do find it more shocking than someone of a certain religious mindset's doing it, you just expect better.
Umm can a mod pease remove the three wee iii at the end of the thread title so I don't look thick