Comment by jared manley on January 6, 2013 at 6:52pm

I hope you have a safety word Robert.

Comment by RobertPiano on January 6, 2013 at 6:54pm

LOL Jared, that may be the best advice I will ever get on any forum !

Comment by Morgan Matthew on January 6, 2013 at 8:57pm

Sad but true, it is poisoning atheism. This blog post is now featured. 

Comment by Kim on January 6, 2013 at 9:55pm

Thanks, Morgan!

And thank you, Nate!  That was an excellent video...I found it very insightful!  Brilliant.

Comment by Kairan Nierde on January 7, 2013 at 12:04am

But I can't even allow myself to consider myself a feminist, who fights for equality and human rights for women worldwide, when feminism is now beginning to mean "how DARE you think I'm attractive as well as intelligent" or "you asked me out on a date because you were interested in me?

That is stupidity.  Feminism/womanism as I know it from blogs and books dedicated to the subject (not any of these atheist-feminists) really looks nothing like this. 

This whole controversy is all very strange.  I am a feminist but I do not understand much of what these atheist-feminists are up in arms about (Jewelry is sexual harassment?  Ok, then, mullets must be murder.).  Some of their A+ ideas seemed interesting at the start...but I haven't followed their development.  If this video is an accurate portrayal of the A+ crowd, I'm very disappointed in the direction their 'movement' has chosen.

I would just like to let you all know that not all feminists are like the women and man in the video.  As a feminist, I prize free speech...if you don't like what someone is saying, you can call them out on their bullshit, tolerate it, or leave.  You don't get to silence them unless they are directly inciting violence.  That's democracy, and yes, sometimes democracy gets ugly.  In the marketplace of ideas, gender equality has to stand on its own merits.

It also alarms me that not just verbal but also visual forms of self-expression are being stifled at conferences.  I can't believe these conferences have dress codes!  What the fuck?  Jewelry, make-up, and sexually appealing fashion can produce a "sexualized" environment (which is fine) in which sexual harassment may be more apt to occur, BUT we're all adults here.  In the year 2013, a woman can wear something sexy, expect to be treated well, and is justified in defending herself from sexual harassment if it does occur.  She doesn't need some patronizing fashion police telling her what to wear to "keep her safe" from harassment. 

This is classic blaming the victim (you tramp, look at what your sexy clothes made that helpless, libidinous man do!) and it displaces the responsibility for poor behavior from the harasser onto the harassee's clothes.  There is a long tradition of rape victims having to defend their choice of dress.  Mainstream feminists have argue that to tell women what they can and cannot wear is to embrace the idea that men cannot control their urges and must to act on base desires in the presence of visual stimuli.  Utter bullshit.  I respect men more than that.  To be perfectly honest, blaming sexual harassment on a woman’s appearance is a common place tactic used by rape apologists and detractors of women's rights. 

The solution to sexual harassment is not controlling dress but instead, it is to foster respect for women, no matter how they dress.   

 

 

 

Comment by Jimmy Russell on January 7, 2013 at 12:23am

Reminds me of a Dave Chappelle bit from his standup... Basically says woman should absolutley be allowed to wear what they want without fear of harrassment or rape etc. etc.  But...also, that when you do go out dressed scantily clad, that doesn't make you a whore, but you are wearing a whore's uniform.  So don't get pissed at unwanted advances.  Sure if a guy gets too pushy kick him in the dick but otherwise it's just the way of the world. 

It will be a sad day tho when these people are held up as bat shit crazy examples of atheism and we take huge steps back for it. 

Comment by Cara Coleen on January 7, 2013 at 12:38am

THANK YOU! I applaud anyone brave enough to speak up. You said it perfectly. And I back Thunderf00t as well. Misogyny is a problem, but it shouldn't be a word we lob at anyone with whom we disagree. Criticism of women is not sexism, and it's insulting to suggest such a thing. I could go on, but I'll stop. For now. Thanks again, Kim.

Comment by Gallup's Mirror on January 7, 2013 at 1:54am

Atheism+ reminds me of the 'Church of Christ, Scientist' congregation down the street, only A+ is less nutty. The church folks crave the legitimacy of science. So they staple the word onto the name of their church.

Likewise, A+ craves the subversive and iconoclastic qualities of atheism, with the 'less nutty' part being that Christianity and especially Islam really do treat women like livestock. So they staple the + onto the atheism.

It really doesn't bother me. Feminist atheism no more exists than Christian mathematics. But there are feminists who happen to be atheists too, just like there are Christians who can do algebra. In that sense, feminism poisons atheism about as much as feminism poisons disbelief in gnomes. 

If it gets people talking about atheism and feminism, great. Distasteful? Maybe. But as Oscar Wilde once said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." The harder the fringe groups charge to the sociopolitical left or right, the wider the middle gets. 

Personally, I find it insulting that these wonderful men are being lumped together and branded sexist, walking penises that only want women atheists around for one thing.

I told my wife when we first met that I just wanted her for a 30,000-night stand. We're about 430 nights into it now.

Comment by Ben wright on January 7, 2013 at 1:24pm

I didn't want to say much to friends about this cause I thought am I a sexist and just haven't realised?! I saw one Video on YouTube and they were saying its sexist to ask women out because you are putting them in an awkward situation and asserting your dominance over them???? Also they are asking for a boycot on Richard Dawkins! Very odd state of affairs if you ask me.

Comment by Unseen on January 7, 2013 at 8:40pm

Whether out of an overabundance of enthusiasm for feminism or a sad and twisted belief there was such a thing, a lot of feminism in the 1970's consisted of insisting there were critter such as feminist mathematics, feminist metaphysics, and other such nonsense. 

While women deserve to have the same opportunities as men, as is their right, it does not follow that women will want to take advantage of opportunities to the same degree or same proportion as men. Why? Duh? Women and men really are different in ways which are not entirely the result of cultural conditioning. 

It may be that atheism doesn't attract as many women as men because it's not as attractive to as many women as men. Simple as that.

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