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#1 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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Freethought blogs as your skeptical stewards?
I'm being attacked there now-- they accuse me (among other things) of running an anonymous, racist (?) twitter account because, well, they said so.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdi...mong-atheists/ I post my reply to them below (am I owed an apology on the twitter thing? I don't care about them claiming I am racist). This thread's purpose, though, is to complain on general principle about the lack of intellectual and academic integrity displayed often by FTB (and their precursor, "science" blogs). I'm curious whether others have experienced censorship, bullying, moderators literally editing comments; and conduct unbecoming a skeptic there? *** Hi Stephanie. 1. That's not my twitter account. I have one account there; haven't used it in something like a year. You should present even some tiny bit of evidence the account referenced above is mine, or retract? 2. I do not consider myself active in the "movement". To the contrary, and to the extent that FTB is representative, I take pains to distance myself from the movement. The only skeptical place I post regularly on is the JREF. The Myspace group's fame was a fluke. It was originally called Community (of) United Non-Theistic Skeptics (Counts, of course). The group hasn't existed on Myspace in years, and I never use the monicker "Atheists & Agnostics". As proof, see the shell group on Facebook. It has the group's original name. 3. I do not consider you qualified to comment on many things scientific. I bet lots that if you were male, there's no way in hell Scientific American would post your thoughts as written there (nice privilege, btw). These are my opinions only. 4. I imagine that if a thread like this were posted by me against you, the ensuing drama / charges of "isms" would be epic. I bet laden would even show up at my door with a pipe wrench. 5. Show me anywhere on here or “science” blogs where I state race differences on IQ tests are caused by genes. |
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#2 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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Wow, instead of retracting or apologizing on the twitter accusation, she updates the post-- at the very end-- with this:
Update: Pesta says that it is simply a coincidence that a MySpace group tweeting under the name Atheists&Agnostics, that this is not his Twitter account. |
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#3 |
boy named crow
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,205
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Does she think there would be a rational reason to make a twitter account named atheistsagnostics, write a bunch of tweets with it, and then falsely proclaim it's not yours?
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#4 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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Nice!
I have a long history with her and Laden (and to a lesser degree, PZ) debating all things IQ. At one point, I mentioned I was on paxil. They now use that to mock me when they got no rational counter-argument (see her recent comment on how it's my mental state that's causing me to question her fairness here). |
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#5 |
Critical Thinker
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 365
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Well, it's always important not to generalize "Free thought blogs" since not all there are [censored adjective] [censored plural noun].
But as rational people pull away from there and the fringe thinkers keep coming in, I wonder if they will just distance themselves, going further and further away from center, crystallize as a subgroup that just embraces that identity? |
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#6 |
Thinker
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 178
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At least Greg Osama Laden doesn't blog there anymore.
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#7 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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#8 |
Illuminator
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 4,654
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To be fair she doesn't mention you by name until the paragraph before that update, and it's right after the line about them being your tweets.
To be pedantic it's one sentence before "the very end" ![]() ... and she responded to you in the comments. You had a whole dialogue there. Why bring it here? ... and why did I read this? ... and why did I respond? ... and why am I suddenly seized by ennui? |
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"The priests used to say that faith can move mountains, and nobody believed them. Today the scientists say that they can level mountains, and nobody doubts them." - Joseph Campbell We cannot defend freedom abroad by abandoning it at home. —Edward R. Murrow |
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#9 |
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,358
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Freethought Blogs looks like a joke to me, especially after their recent intra-wars of which I'm vaguely aware. Can't for my life understand why PZ Myers moved away from Science Blogs to there.
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#10 |
a carbon based life-form
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 39,049
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You could ask him, or maybe just read his blog.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ That way you might be vaguely aware of what you're talking about before you comment. |
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#11 |
Master Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Blackstone River Valley, MA
Posts: 2,298
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These two posts explain why Ed Brayton and PZ founded FTB.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngu...-the-new-digs/ http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatch...ion-statement/ NatGeo the new owners of ScienceBlogs told them they would be applying their corporate standards and practices policy to the bloggers, so they set up a place where they could post their thoughts without any restrictions. |
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#12 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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#13 |
Adelaidean
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 11,019
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And after the thing with Thunderf00t they're going to introduce a bunch of rules.
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#14 |
Thinker
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 178
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#15 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 6,057
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"Here we go again.... semantic and syntactic chicanery and sophistic sleight of tongue and pen.... the bedazzling magic of appearing to be saying something when in fact all that is happening is diverting attention from the attempts at shoving god through the trapdoor of illogic and wishful thinking." - Leumas |
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#16 |
a carbon based life-form
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 39,049
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#17 |
a carbon based life-form
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 39,049
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#18 |
A post by Alan Smithee
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 26,840
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I am an American citizen who is part of American society and briefly served in the American armed forces. I use American dollars and pay taxes that support the American government. And yes, despite the editorial decison to change American politics to the nonsensical "USA politics" subforum, I follow and comment on American politics. |
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#19 |
Guest
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,212
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The general forum is now also a place where skepticism goes to die?
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#20 |
Grammar Resistance Leader
TLA Dictator Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Pattaya, Thailand
Posts: 41,468
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But is there any statistical correlation that he's hitting that group? You could say that an incompetent cop busts a lot of people but a lot of people need to be busted, but you haven't addressed whether the cop's busting the right people or just busting people for the hell of it and occasionally getting one right.
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Ha! Foolmewunz has just been added to the list of people who aren't complete idiots. Hokulele It's not that liberals have become less tolerant. It's that conservatives have become more intolerable. |
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#21 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 6,057
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"Here we go again.... semantic and syntactic chicanery and sophistic sleight of tongue and pen.... the bedazzling magic of appearing to be saying something when in fact all that is happening is diverting attention from the attempts at shoving god through the trapdoor of illogic and wishful thinking." - Leumas |
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#22 |
a carbon based life-form
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 39,049
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#23 |
a carbon based life-form
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 39,049
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#24 |
a carbon based life-form
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 39,049
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#25 |
A post by Alan Smithee
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 26,840
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Ah, so you have a poor memory then. It was Rebecca who used the phrase "Guys don't do that". It was PZ, et. al. who conflated Elevator Guy's clumsy come on with the advances of a potential rapist - exactly as devnull connoted in his comment. You might try reading the three posts you quoted again in that context and, again, try responding to what devnull actually wrote rather than what you think he wrote.
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I am an American citizen who is part of American society and briefly served in the American armed forces. I use American dollars and pay taxes that support the American government. And yes, despite the editorial decison to change American politics to the nonsensical "USA politics" subforum, I follow and comment on American politics. |
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#26 |
A post by Alan Smithee
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 26,840
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I am an American citizen who is part of American society and briefly served in the American armed forces. I use American dollars and pay taxes that support the American government. And yes, despite the editorial decison to change American politics to the nonsensical "USA politics" subforum, I follow and comment on American politics. |
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#27 |
Grammar Resistance Leader
TLA Dictator Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Pattaya, Thailand
Posts: 41,468
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You're getting worse at this as the day wears on. YOU are getting a reaction from me. I don't follow PZ, do not read his blogs, and don't comment on them. It's your insisting on defending him against all comers that piques my curiosity. I suppose we all need heroes, even in the skeptical community.
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Ha! Foolmewunz has just been added to the list of people who aren't complete idiots. Hokulele It's not that liberals have become less tolerant. It's that conservatives have become more intolerable. |
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#28 |
Guest
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,212
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#29 |
boy named crow
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,205
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#30 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 6,057
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This, except perhaps without the word "potential". According to some over there, the mere act of him asking (stupid as it was) amounted to direct threats of rape and violence, and anybody who doesnt agree can sodomise themselves with a dead porcupine, cupcake.
After seeing that kind of amazing repartee, oh, a thousand times, I stopped reading and havent been back. It also looked as if PZ no longer cared about biology and the other sciences, and merely liked to post stuff along the lines of "hey resident foam-mouthed feminists! Here's a statement by someone that could be twisted in a way that would make them seem slightly misogynistic! Have at it!". And who could forget the classic PZ thread of "all people who disagree with my resident foam-mouthed feminists are misogynostic wankers! Oh, my daughter disagrees with them? errr.... cough... look over there! A squid!" Pass. |
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"Here we go again.... semantic and syntactic chicanery and sophistic sleight of tongue and pen.... the bedazzling magic of appearing to be saying something when in fact all that is happening is diverting attention from the attempts at shoving god through the trapdoor of illogic and wishful thinking." - Leumas |
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#31 |
A post by Alan Smithee
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 26,840
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But he's feisty! Er.. he smacks people around who need to be smacked around, especially those stupid religious doo doo heads. That means he's cool.
It never ceases to amaze me at how many critical thinkers get caught up on personality cults, but then I remember Shermer's chapter in "Why people believe weird things" that covers Ayn Rand and the personality cult that developed around her. |
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I am an American citizen who is part of American society and briefly served in the American armed forces. I use American dollars and pay taxes that support the American government. And yes, despite the editorial decison to change American politics to the nonsensical "USA politics" subforum, I follow and comment on American politics. |
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#32 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 8,529
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"A closed mouth gathers no feet" "Ignorance is a renewable resource" P.J.O'Rourke "It's all god's handiwork, there's little quality control applied", Fox26 reporter on Texas granite You can't make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you're doing is recording it. Art Buchwald |
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#33 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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Just stumbled across this lady-- "girl writes what."
Anyone ever hear of her? She seems to be the anti-ftb. Her vids are long but worth watching, esp. if you are at work and bored: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-N9daqANcw&feature=plcp |
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#34 |
Thinker
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 178
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#35 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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#36 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Pensacola
Posts: 1,216
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I liked meeting PZ at CSICon, I pretty much skip his blog.
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I love this crazy tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful beautiful life. - Darryl Worley The Stupid! It burns! |
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#37 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 6,057
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"Here we go again.... semantic and syntactic chicanery and sophistic sleight of tongue and pen.... the bedazzling magic of appearing to be saying something when in fact all that is happening is diverting attention from the attempts at shoving god through the trapdoor of illogic and wishful thinking." - Leumas |
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#38 |
Cereal Killer
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,942
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See, now, she must have a crush on me, or am I being paranoid?
http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdi...ualifications/ |
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#39 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 31,237
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Every time I've ever read anything on any sceptical blog, it's been one bunch of sceptics arguing with and bitching about another bunch of sceptics.
I don't read sceptical blogs. |
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I don't trust atoms. They make up everything. |
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#40 |
Guest
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,212
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