Atheism Plus/Free Thought Blogs (FTB)

[Checkmite]

Try using the search function instead of your unreliable memory. The statement was made in jest.



I don't think squealpiggy was saying it was a "good idea" or that someone should actually do it.

Hard to tell sometimes. I have literally no idea who squealpiggy is or if his posting history suggests he says such things without meaning them.

I don't think the "search function" would've told me either.

 

[Axiom_Blade]

I have yet to see any repercussions or implications outside of the atheist community; and I'd be hard pressed to say that as yet I anticipate any.

Not surprising, since I have yet to see any repercussions or implications inside of the atheist community.

Well, I suppose everyone has a right to do whatever they want. I was just curious if there was more to it aside from "because we can".

Groups of extremists with irrational beliefs tend to attract skeptics. You might as well ask why we pick on 9-11 Truthers.

 

[devnull]

And yet somehow I suspect that if someone had written:

"Because I am poor and an ethnic minority I am treated as a potential criminal."

...the response would decidedly NOT have been:

"Not legitimate lack of privilege. It is because poor minorities are disproportionately the perpetrators certain crimes, that others have to assume you COULD be a criminal until proven otherwise. That isn't a lack of privilege on your part."

Gah, back to following my own rule about not complaining about internet forums in other internet forums...

Yup, this stuff is classic. Seriously, you cant pay for comedy like this.

 

[Piscivore]

Don't know if this has anything to do with the plussers or not:
http://memegenerator.net/Privilege-Denying-Dude/images/popular

 

[devnull]

Don't know if this has anything to do with the plussers or not:
http://memegenerator.net/Privilege-Denying-Dude/images/popular

Some were amusing, but some were obviously strawmanning. At least, half of those Ive never heard anyone utter anywhere.

I did like the "if women are paid less than men for the same job, why dont employers employ only women to save money?" one especially.

I guess it's easy to play the victim when you construct your own enemy.

 

[westprog]

And yet somehow I suspect that if someone had written:

"Because I am poor and an ethnic minority I am treated as a potential criminal."

...the response would decidedly NOT have been:

"Not legitimate lack of privilege. It is because poor minorities are disproportionately the perpetrators certain crimes, that others have to assume you COULD be a criminal until proven otherwise. That isn't a lack of privilege on your part."

Gah, back to following my own rule about not complaining about internet forums in other internet forums...

If it were just this thread in this forum, it wouldn't be worth making a point about it, but it's a way of thinking that is hugely prevalent.

 

[westprog]

I sincerely doubt that. I can see the logic, but I'm most extremely skeptical that the "battle" between atheists and atheists-plus matters to anyone except you guys who are fighting it, so to speak. I have yet to see any repercussions or implications outside of the atheist community; and I'd be hard pressed to say that as yet I anticipate any.

I suspect that the existence of an "atheist community" is unknown to most people, including atheists.

 

[westprog]

Some were amusing, but some were obviously strawmanning. At least, half of those Ive never heard anyone utter anywhere.

I did like the "if women are paid less than men for the same job, why dont employers employ only women to save money?" one especially.

I guess it's easy to play the victim when you construct your own enemy.

I wonder what privilege-accepting guy would say? "As a man, my life is so much better, I'm happy to die sooner." "As a Vietnam vet, I feel shame that benevolent sexism denied women the opportunity to serve their country."

 

[Axiom_Blade]

Don't know if this has anything to do with the plussers or not:
http://memegenerator.net/Privilege-Denying-Dude/images/popular

I wish that people without a sense of humor didn't try to be funny.

 

[Acleron]

What makes you imagine I'm getting upset? Do I not sound calm?



I sincerely doubt that. I can see the logic, but I'm most extremely skeptical that the "battle" between atheists and atheists-plus matters to anyone except you guys who are fighting it, so to speak. I have yet to see any repercussions or implications outside of the atheist community; and I'd be hard pressed to say that as yet I anticipate any.



Well, I suppose everyone has a right to do whatever they want. I was just curious if there was more to it aside from "because we can".

Doubt it all you want, but there are atheists who argue in religious areas against homophobia, lack of equal rights for women, the enforcement of anti-contraception measures, the dumbing down of children's education to incorporate irrational beliefs, the lack of freedom of expression and the levels of conflict caused by religion.

We are told we have beliefs, dogma and political agendas. Those arguments can be deflected, but now they can point to A+ to back up their arguments.

 

[Verklagekasper]

In the A+ privilege thread:

DarthSutekh wrote:
Because I am male I am treated as a potential rapist.

The mod wrote:

Not legitimate lack of privilege. It is because men are overwhelmingly the aggressors in violent crimes, and particularly in rapes, that women have to assume you COULD be a rapist until proven otherwise. That isn't a lack of privilege on your part.

It's a lack of logic thinking on the mod's part. The likelihood of a man being X isn't connected to the ratio of men being X vs women being X. Perhaps he considers logic to be one of those man-things to be avoided, or it's a disability that he forgot to put on the misery list:
"Because I couldn't make a valid argument if my llife depended on it, I was made mod of the Atheism Plus forum".

But I cannot blame him. Atheism Doubleplusgood was founded by privileged white gossip-queens who deem their ilk more important than Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a feminist who actually does need 24/7 security to protect her from assaults since she's dealing with more important issues than spoiled-white-girl fantasies about how unsafe they feel walking down the sidewalk and thus need to take over a "boy's club".

 

[Checkmite]

I suspect that the existence of an "atheist community" is unknown to most people, including atheists.

I use the term loosely. "The set of people who are atheists" might be more accurate.

 

[ponderingturtle]

In the A+ privilege thread:



The mod wrote:



So complaining about being treated as a rapist gets you treated as a rapist. Nice.

Yet they bitch if we apply the same "logic" to blacks.

 

[Checkmite]

Atheism Doubleplusgood was founded by privileged white gossip-queens who deem their ilk more important than Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a feminist who actually does need 24/7 security to protect her from assaults since she's dealing with more important issues than spoiled-white-girl fantasies about how unsafe they feel walking down the sidewalk and thus need to take over a "boy's club".

This is the kind of manufactured controversy I'm talking about. The poll was "most influential", not "most important"; and it was taken in 2011, long before the creation of "atheist plus". If we're talking only a couple hundred respondents almost all of whom are westerners then of course they are more likely to have been more personally influenced by an American or European than by Ali.

 

[Verklagekasper]

This is the kind of manufactured controversy I'm talking about. The poll was "most influential", not "most important"; and it was taken in 2011, long before the creation of "atheist plus". If we're talking only a couple hundred respondents almost all of whom are westerners then of course they are more likely to have been more personally influenced by an American or European than by Ali.

Yes, Ali doesn't come from America or Europe but from Africa. A continent apparently so marginal that you don't even realize how condescening and marginalizing your statement is. For your interest, here's a westener who was way more influenced by Ali than by the stars of your precious western internet movement.

 

[AlBell]

I suspect that the existence of an "atheist community" is unknown to most people, including atheists.

I'd guess each atheist believes they are the center of the atheist community.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

So if you're a white male you're privileged.

But if you're disabled you're not privileged.

What if you're a disabled white male?

I asked a similar question somewhere here - if you're white, you're privileged. If you're a woman, you're not. What if you're a white woman? How does that work? Do they cancel each other out? This is why the "privilege" argument is so stupid.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

I think they'd have to admit this one is legitimate:

"Because I am left-handed, the buttons on women's clothing are on the wrong side for me to undress them easily."

You should post that and see if you get banned.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Yes, Ali doesn't come from America or Europe but from Africa. A continent apparently so marginal that you don't even realize how condescening and marginalizing your statement is. For your interest, here's a westener who was way more influenced by Ali than by the stars of your precious western internet movement.

Yep until one of the A+ crowd gets someone killed they are clearly not every influential.

 

[Myriad]

You should post that and see if you get banned.

Ermm, no. That would be trolling.

But there's also another reason, that I've alluded to before. If they want to be activists, then sooner or later they have to come here, or go to more important targets elsewhere, and attempt to persuade others that their ideas and plans have merit. Going there to debate them, no matter if one's attitude is amicable or hostile, is counterproductive for everyone, even them.

"Come to our special heavily censored forum and let us convince you!" is the dead end that the Truthers ended up in. The appropriate consequence of disregard for free speech is that those you most need to convince in order to advance your cause will go elsewhere instead. If they want to effect change, let them present their claims where they can be questioned and challenged. Or not; their choice.

Respectfully,
Myriad